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Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures — Phlebotomy Technician Certification practice questions

80 multiple-choice questions and 21 flashcards on Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures, about 48% of the Phlebotomy Technician Certification bank. Every one carries a written rationale.

Written and maintained by Nick Burton · last updated 2026-08-22 · how we write and review questions

What this chapter covers

Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures is one of 5 chapters in CoStudy's Phlebotomy Technician Certification bank, and it holds 80 of the bank's 166 multiple-choice questions — roughly 48% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.

Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.

Free Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures practice questions

7 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.

Which vein runs along the lateral (thumb side) of the antecubital fossa?

  1. Basilic
  2. Brachial
  3. Median cubital
  4. Cephalic

Answer: D — Cephalic

A) Medial. D) Lateral — second choice. C) Center — preferred. B) Deep artery, not vein.

Tourniquet should be released within:

  1. 30 sec
  2. 1 minute
  3. 5 minutes
  4. 10 minutes

Answer: B — 1 minute

A) Too short. B) Correct — prolonged tourniquet causes hemoconcentration. C/D) Too long.

Routine venipuncture antiseptic is:

  1. Chlorhexidine
  2. 70% isopropyl alcohol
  3. Povidone-iodine
  4. Plain soap and water

Answer: B — 70% isopropyl alcohol

A) Cultures. B) Correct. C) Cultures (allergy concern). D) Not antiseptic enough.

The first drop of capillary blood should be:

  1. Collected for testing
  2. Wiped away
  3. Used for glucose only
  4. Mixed with later drops

Answer: B — Wiped away

A/C/D) Contains tissue fluid — alters results. B) Correct.

Blood should NOT be drawn from:

  1. An arm with an active IV
  2. The side of a mastectomy
  3. A hematoma or sclerosed vein
  4. All of the above

Answer: D — All of the above

A/B/C) All restricted. D) Correct.

A patient says they feel light-headed mid-draw. The correct action is to:

  1. Continue and finish quickly
  2. Stop the draw, lower the patient's head, monitor, and call for help if needed
  3. Have the patient stand to feel better
  4. Slap the patient's face

Answer: B — Stop the draw, lower the patient's head, monitor, and call for help if needed

A) Dangerous. B) Correct syncope protocol. C) Worsens it. D) Never.

Heelstick on neonate is performed on:

  1. Anywhere on heel
  2. Center of heel
  3. Lateral or medial plantar surface — avoiding calcaneus
  4. Toe

Answer: C — Lateral or medial plantar surface — avoiding calcaneus

A) Risk of bone injury. C) Correct. B) Calcaneus risk. D) Wrong.

Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures flashcards

4 cards from the 21 in this chapter.

Hematoma?

Bleeding into surrounding tissue. Causes bruise + swelling. Stop draw, apply firm pressure, ice if severe. May indicate vein blown.

How does arterial blood typically appear compared to venous blood during collection?

Arterial blood is bright red and fills the tube rapidly with a pulsing pattern, versus the slower, dark red flow of venous blood.

Veins to AVOID?

Sclerosed (hard), thrombosed (lumpy), recently injured, hematoma, edematous, burn, mastectomy side (no draw on side with lymph node dissection), arm with IV running.

Glucose tolerance test (GTT)?

Fasting baseline → patient drinks glucose load → blood drawn at 1 hr, 2 hr (sometimes 3 hr). Patient must remain seated + fasting between draws. Gray top tubes.

Practise the full chapter

These are a sample. The full Venipuncture and Capillary Puncture Procedures chapter runs 101 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.

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