MındBloom
    Find your exam
    DHADHA Medical Laboratory Technologist Exam

    Histotechnology and Cytotechnology questions for the DHA lab exam.

    This section covers tissue processing from fixation to staining, microtomy, special stains and the preparation of cytology specimens. Candidates for the DHA lab exam should understand why each step is performed, which reagents are used and how to recognize and correct common technical artifacts in sections and smears.

    Practise histotechnology and cytotechnology freeSample questions

    Free · no card needed · every answer explained

    747

    histotechnology and cytotechnology practice questions

    10%
    of the exam
    8
    subtopics
    Oct 2026
    updated

    Inside this topic.

    The subtopics our histotechnology and cytotechnology questions cover.

    • Special Stains
    • Staining
    • Histopathology
    • Fixation
    • Microtomy
    • Processing
    • Tissue Processing
    • Techniques

    Key facts to remember.

    High-yield histotechnology and cytotechnology points to revise before the exam.

    1. 1

      10% neutral buffered formalin is the routine fixative for histology; it fixes tissue by forming methylene cross-links between proteins.

    2. 2

      Routine tissue processing follows fixation, dehydration through graded alcohols, clearing (commonly with xylene) and infiltration with molten paraffin wax.

    3. 3

      In H&E staining, hematoxylin stains nuclei blue-purple and eosin stains cytoplasm and collagen pink.

    4. 4

      Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stains glycogen, neutral mucins and fungal walls magenta; loss of staining after diastase digestion confirms glycogen.

    5. 5

      The Papanicolaou stain is the standard stain for cervical cytology, and conventional smears are fixed immediately in 95% ethanol.

    Sample questions with answers.

    10 practice questions for the DHA Medical Laboratory Technologist & Technician Licensing Examination - Dubai UAE (Histotechnology and Cytotechnology). Pick an answer to see if you're right, with a full explanation.

    1. Question 1

      Which processing error leads to excessively hard tissue blocks?

    2. Question 2

      The main purpose of dehydration in tissue processing is to:

    3. Question 3

      A ribbon of sections indicates?

    4. Question 4

      Carnoy’s fixative is best suited for?

    5. Question 5

      During dehydration, skipping alcohol grades most likely causes?

    6. Question 6

      Dehydration after staining uses?

    7. Question 7

      The maximum recommended thickness of tissue for optimal fixation is?

    8. Question 8

      A histology lab notices frequent section tearing during microtomy. What is the most likely cause?

    9. Question 9

      A histology lab reports repeated staining variability between runs. What QC issue is most likely?

    10. Question 10

      The PRIMARY advantage of cytology over histopathology is:

    Other topics in this exam.

    Before you book

    Questions, answered

    Learn each common special stain with its target and result, for example Perls' Prussian blue for ferric iron, Ziehl-Neelsen for acid-fast bacilli, Congo red for amyloid (apple-green birefringence under polarized light) and Masson trichrome for collagen. Questions may give the target and ask for the stain, or the reverse. A simple two-column table is an efficient way to revise them.

    Work back through the processing steps to find the likely cause. Poor fixation gives poor nuclear detail, incomplete dehydration or clearing leaves soft, poorly infiltrated tissue that is hard to section, and chatter in sections often points to a loose blade or block, or tissue that is too hard. Knowing the purpose of each step makes these questions much easier to reason through.

    Ready to practise histotechnology and cytotechnology?

    All 747 histotechnology and cytotechnology questions, with explanations and a readiness score for this topic.

    Start practising freeSee the full exam