Rapid prescreening (RPS) is a powerful tool to measure and improve performance in the cytology laboratory. Long‐term use of RPS has been shown to result in improved sensitivity and precision in routine screening. The effect of long‐term RPS on RPS itself is not known. We compared the sensitivity of 100% RPS of Surepath™ liquid‐based cytology over a 4‐year period in a laboratory of 11 cytotechnologists (CTs). In comparison with the first 2 years, RPS for the laboratory showed a significant increase in sensitivity for all abnormalities (72.2% vs. 67.3%, P < 0.001) and ASCUS + LSIL (68.5% vs. 62.1%, P < 0.001). For individual CTs s, the lowest sensitivity for all abnormalities increased from 59.0 to 63.2%, whereas, for HSIL, it increased from 71.4% to 75.0%. We conclude that long‐term use of RPS leads to significant increase in the sensitivity of RPS. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011;39:428–430. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.