Introduction. In Russia, cervical cancer screening with cytological techniques faces a problem of quality control. Currently, it is necessary to standardize the methodology for comparing the results of morphological methods. The aim of the paper was to compare the findings of cytological and histological studies when diagnosing cervical pathology, classify discrepancies, and evaluate the effectiveness of the cytological method. Materials and methods. A comparative retrospective analysis of cytological examination followed by histological examination was carried out in 2,739 patients. Results. Both methods showed coincidence in 57.9% of cases. Minor and major discrepancies were determined in 29% and 13.1% of cases, respectively. The cytologic technique showed the following figures: sensitivity of 79.3%, specificity of 77.6%, positive prognostic value of 80%, and negative predictive value of 76.9%. When using the liquid-based cytology method, the number of true positive results was significantly higher, while that of false negative results was lower. The interval of up to 2 months between cytological and histological examinations yielded the highest rate of true positive and the lowest rate of false negative results. Conclusion. Comparing the results of morphological methods is most likely to be the best option for ensuring quality control of laboratory tests. This should be a guideline with a subsequent revision of samples in the presence of discrepancies, analysis of their causes, and evaluation of method effectiveness.