Exam Guide
The CST exam is administered by the NBSTSA (National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting) and is the nationally recognized certification for surgical technologists. Earning the CST credential demonstrates competency in perioperative patient care, sterile technique, surgical instrumentation, and anatomy.
175
Questions
4 Hours
Time Limit
6
Content Areas
$225+
Exam Fee
Surgical site preparation, draping, instrumentation, suturing techniques, hemostasis, specimen handling, and maintaining the sterile field during procedures.
Anatomical structures, organ systems, surgical anatomy landmarks, physiological responses to surgical intervention, and pathophysiology relevant to surgical procedures.
Case preparation, surgical suite setup, instrument and supply selection, patient positioning, skin preparation, and verification of surgical consent and site marking.
Sterilization methods, biological and chemical indicators, instrument decontamination, equipment troubleshooting, and proper storage of sterile supplies.
Operating room scheduling, inventory management, quality assurance, professional development, and communication with the surgical team.
Wound closure, dressing application, specimen labeling and transport, room turnover, and documentation of intra-operative events.
Education: Graduate from a CAAHEP-accredited surgical technology program.
Program Accreditation: Your program must hold accreditation from CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) through the ARC/STSA.
Clinical Experience: Completion of a supervised clinical rotation as part of your accredited program curriculum.
Application: Submit your application through the NBSTSA with proof of program completion before scheduling your exam.
The CST exam consists of 175 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 25 unscored pretest items used for future exam development. You cannot tell which questions are pretest. You have 4 hours to complete the exam. The exam is computer-based and administered at PSI testing centers nationwide. Scoring uses a scaled score, and the minimum passing score may vary by exam form.
Most successful candidates study for 6-10 weeks using a combination of anatomy review, surgical procedure walkthroughs, and timed practice exams. The Intra-operative Procedures content area at 55% deserves the most study time, but Anatomy and Physiology (20%) is where many candidates lose points on surgical anatomy and physiological response questions.
SurgTechPrep provides hundreds of flashcards, timed mini exams, and full-length 175-question simulations covering all six CST content areas with the exact weighting used on the real exam.