NBSTSA CST Exam Prep – Questions & Answers
| Latest Update 2026 | Exam Prep PDF |
Graded A+
A. management of specimens - correct answerWhich of the following is considered the
MOST important skill for a surgical technologist?
A. management of specimens
B. management of sponges
C. maintaining an orderly setup
D. ensuring adequate lightingof specimens
C. midline - correct answerThe surgical incision that allows for the BEST visualization
for a Billroth I procedure is
A. McBurney's.
B. Pfannenstiel.
C. midline.
D. subcostal.
C. Sylvius into the fourth ventricle. - correct answerCSF is formed in the lateral
ventricles of a patient and may not properly flow into the third ventricle through the
foramen of
A. Magendie into the fourth ventricle.
B. Monro into the fourth ventricle.
C. Sylvius into the fourth ventricle.
D. Luschka into the fourth ventricle.
C. Place in separate containers and identify. - correct answerDuring an excisional
biopsy of sentinel nodes, the surgical technologist should prepare specimens using
which of the following methods?
A. Place on a Raytec to be handed off to the circulator.
B. Separate on Telfa and pass to the circulator.
C. Place in separate containers and identify.
D. Place in specimen container held by the circulator using a hemostat.
B. 15-25. - correct answerThe required number of air exchanges per hour in an OR is
A. 5 to 10.
B. 15 to 25.
C. 30 to 35.
D. 40 to 50.
B. The manufacturer's standards for sterilizing the instrument are unknown. - correct
answerA special-made instrument without a backup falls to the floor during a procedure.
,Which of the following is the BEST reason to hesitate performing immediate-use
sterilization?
A. The sterilizer is used for implantable devices, but not instruments.
B. The manufacturer's standards for sterilizing the instrument are unknown.
C. The staff feels uncomfortable transporting the unwrapped instrument to the OR after
sterilization.
D. There are no wrappers or pouches available for sterilizing the instrument.
B. a choledochotomy - correct answerA T-tube drain may be used following
A. a splenectomy.
B. a choledochotomy.
C. an appendectomy.
D. a herniorrhaphy.
A. cuticular and subcuticular - correct answerWhen assisting with the closure of a skin
incision and operating the skin stapler, the surgical technologist places the staples
through which two layers?
A. cuticular and subcuticular
B. subicular and subcutaneous
C. subcuticular and subcutaneous
D. subcutaneous and fascia
A. Bier block. - correct answerA type of regional anesthesia in which a tourniquet is
applied and local anesthetic is administered intravenously is called a
A. Bier block.
B. peripheral nerve block.
C. MAC.
D. caudal anesthesia.
A. flat - correct answerDuring a craniotomy, which of the following types of bone is
entered?
A. flat
B. round
C. long
D. short
D. Mayfield clamp - correct answerWhich of the following is MOST likely to be used
during a posterior cervical decompression?
A. Kirschner wire
B. Hoffman device
C. Steinmann pins
D. Mayfield clamp
C. intraluminal stapler - correct answerWhich of the following devices should the
surgical technologist have delivered to the sterile field for a low anterior resection?
, A. GIA linear stapler
B. ligating dividing stapler
C. intraluminal stapler
D. TA-60 stapler
B. acetabulum - correct answerWhich of the following is reshaped during a total hip
arthroplasty?
A. fibula
B. acetabulum
C. iliac crest
D. tibia
C. AAMI - correct answerAn organization that regulates the production of biological
sterilization test packs in-house is
A. CDC.
B. ANSI.
C. AAMI.
D. SDS.
D. diffusion. - correct answerA type of passive transport when salt crystals dissolve in
water is known as
A. phagocytosis.
B. endocytosis.
C. osmosis.
D. diffusion.
C. Bring it to the surgeon's attention and assist in putting on a new splint. - correct
answerDuring application of a Volar splint, the surgical technologist notices that the
splint was not completely dried and has caused a pressure point on the patient. Which
of the following should be the surgical technologist's NEXT step?
A. Allow the splint to remain as-is and allow more time to dry.
B. Notify the nurse and let the nurse handle it.
C. Bring it to the surgeon's attention and assist in putting on a new splint.
D. Apply a new splint and notify the surgeon when finished.
A. Bacillus stearothermophilus - correct answerWhich of the following spore-forming
microorganisms are used as biological monitors for checking steam sterilization
effectiveness for a load of instruments in a rigid container?
A. Bacillus stearothermophilus
B. Bacillus atrophaeus
C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
D. Streptococcus pyogenes
A. within 20 minutes - correct answerAfter surgery, the scrub tech takes the instruments
used in surgery to the decontamination area. How soon should these instruments be
washed?
| Latest Update 2026 | Exam Prep PDF |
Graded A+
A. management of specimens - correct answerWhich of the following is considered the
MOST important skill for a surgical technologist?
A. management of specimens
B. management of sponges
C. maintaining an orderly setup
D. ensuring adequate lightingof specimens
C. midline - correct answerThe surgical incision that allows for the BEST visualization
for a Billroth I procedure is
A. McBurney's.
B. Pfannenstiel.
C. midline.
D. subcostal.
C. Sylvius into the fourth ventricle. - correct answerCSF is formed in the lateral
ventricles of a patient and may not properly flow into the third ventricle through the
foramen of
A. Magendie into the fourth ventricle.
B. Monro into the fourth ventricle.
C. Sylvius into the fourth ventricle.
D. Luschka into the fourth ventricle.
C. Place in separate containers and identify. - correct answerDuring an excisional
biopsy of sentinel nodes, the surgical technologist should prepare specimens using
which of the following methods?
A. Place on a Raytec to be handed off to the circulator.
B. Separate on Telfa and pass to the circulator.
C. Place in separate containers and identify.
D. Place in specimen container held by the circulator using a hemostat.
B. 15-25. - correct answerThe required number of air exchanges per hour in an OR is
A. 5 to 10.
B. 15 to 25.
C. 30 to 35.
D. 40 to 50.
B. The manufacturer's standards for sterilizing the instrument are unknown. - correct
answerA special-made instrument without a backup falls to the floor during a procedure.
,Which of the following is the BEST reason to hesitate performing immediate-use
sterilization?
A. The sterilizer is used for implantable devices, but not instruments.
B. The manufacturer's standards for sterilizing the instrument are unknown.
C. The staff feels uncomfortable transporting the unwrapped instrument to the OR after
sterilization.
D. There are no wrappers or pouches available for sterilizing the instrument.
B. a choledochotomy - correct answerA T-tube drain may be used following
A. a splenectomy.
B. a choledochotomy.
C. an appendectomy.
D. a herniorrhaphy.
A. cuticular and subcuticular - correct answerWhen assisting with the closure of a skin
incision and operating the skin stapler, the surgical technologist places the staples
through which two layers?
A. cuticular and subcuticular
B. subicular and subcutaneous
C. subcuticular and subcutaneous
D. subcutaneous and fascia
A. Bier block. - correct answerA type of regional anesthesia in which a tourniquet is
applied and local anesthetic is administered intravenously is called a
A. Bier block.
B. peripheral nerve block.
C. MAC.
D. caudal anesthesia.
A. flat - correct answerDuring a craniotomy, which of the following types of bone is
entered?
A. flat
B. round
C. long
D. short
D. Mayfield clamp - correct answerWhich of the following is MOST likely to be used
during a posterior cervical decompression?
A. Kirschner wire
B. Hoffman device
C. Steinmann pins
D. Mayfield clamp
C. intraluminal stapler - correct answerWhich of the following devices should the
surgical technologist have delivered to the sterile field for a low anterior resection?
, A. GIA linear stapler
B. ligating dividing stapler
C. intraluminal stapler
D. TA-60 stapler
B. acetabulum - correct answerWhich of the following is reshaped during a total hip
arthroplasty?
A. fibula
B. acetabulum
C. iliac crest
D. tibia
C. AAMI - correct answerAn organization that regulates the production of biological
sterilization test packs in-house is
A. CDC.
B. ANSI.
C. AAMI.
D. SDS.
D. diffusion. - correct answerA type of passive transport when salt crystals dissolve in
water is known as
A. phagocytosis.
B. endocytosis.
C. osmosis.
D. diffusion.
C. Bring it to the surgeon's attention and assist in putting on a new splint. - correct
answerDuring application of a Volar splint, the surgical technologist notices that the
splint was not completely dried and has caused a pressure point on the patient. Which
of the following should be the surgical technologist's NEXT step?
A. Allow the splint to remain as-is and allow more time to dry.
B. Notify the nurse and let the nurse handle it.
C. Bring it to the surgeon's attention and assist in putting on a new splint.
D. Apply a new splint and notify the surgeon when finished.
A. Bacillus stearothermophilus - correct answerWhich of the following spore-forming
microorganisms are used as biological monitors for checking steam sterilization
effectiveness for a load of instruments in a rigid container?
A. Bacillus stearothermophilus
B. Bacillus atrophaeus
C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
D. Streptococcus pyogenes
A. within 20 minutes - correct answerAfter surgery, the scrub tech takes the instruments
used in surgery to the decontamination area. How soon should these instruments be
washed?
