Selected USMLE Laboratory Values – Practice Flashcards

40 fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering common reference laboratory values for USMLE preparation.

Normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is __ U/L.

10–40 U/L

The reference range for alkaline phosphatase in serum is __ U/L.

25–100 U/L

A typical serum amylase level falls between __ U/L.

25–125 U/L

Normal serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is __ U/L.

12–38 U/L

Total bilirubin in adult serum should be __ mg/dL.

0.1–1.0 mg/dL

Direct (conjugated) bilirubin normally measures __ mg/dL.

0.0–0.3 mg/dL

Total serum calcium should be __ mg/dL.

8.4–10.2 mg/dL

Recommended total cholesterol is __ mg/dL or lower.

A normal serum creatinine is __ mg/dL.

0.6–1.2 mg/dL

Serum sodium normally ranges from __ mEq/L.

136–146 mEq/L

Serum potassium should be maintained at __ mEq/L.

3.5–5.0 mEq/L

The normal range for serum chloride is __ mEq/L.

95–105 mEq/L

A typical serum bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) value is __ mEq/L.

22–28 mEq/L

Normal serum magnesium concentration is __ mEq/L.

1.5–2 mEq/L

Arterial PO₂ on room air normally measures __ mm Hg.

75–105 mm Hg

Arterial PCO₂ on room air is typically __ mm Hg.

33–45 mm Hg

Fasting serum glucose should be __ mg/dL.

70–100 mg/dL

Normal serum osmolality is __ mOsmol/kg H₂O.

275–295 mOsmol/kg H₂O

Serum inorganic phosphorus usually lies between __ mg/dL.

3.0–4.5 mg/dL

Prolactin in adult males is normally __ ng/mL or lower.

Prolactin in adult females is normally __ ng/mL or lower.

Total serum protein (recumbent) should be __ g/dL.

6.0–7.8 g/dL

Serum albumin normally measures __ g/dL.

3.5–5.5 g/dL

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) normally falls within __ μU/mL.

0.4–4.0 μU/mL

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) has a reference range of __ mg/dL.

7–18 mg/dL

Normal serum uric acid is __ mg/dL.

3.0–8.2 mg/dL

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) normally contains __ cells/mm³.

0–5 cells/mm³

CSF glucose should be __ mg/dL.

40–70 mg/dL

Total CSF protein should be __ mg/dL or less.

A normal male RBC count is __ million/mm³.

4.3–5.9 million/mm³

Male hematocrit normally ranges from __ %.

41–53 %

Female hemoglobin should be __ g/dL.

12.0–16.0 g/dL

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) for males is __ mm/hr.

0–15 mm/hr

Total leukocyte count normally ranges from __ cells/mm³.

4,500–11,000 cells/mm³

A normal platelet count is __ per mm³.

150,000–400,000 per mm³

Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) is normally __ seconds.

25–40 seconds

Prothrombin time (PT) typically measures __ seconds.

11–15 seconds

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is considered normal at __ fL.

80–100 fL

A healthy adult body mass index (BMI) is __ kg/m².

19–25 kg/m²

Normal urinary protein excretion is __ mg per 24 hr.