ABSA Surgical Assistant Certification (SA-C) Study
Guide | 2025 Verified Exam Prep
Certifying Body: American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA)
Exam Code: SA-C (Surgical Assistant - Certified)
Exam Format: Computer-based, live remote proctoring
Questions: 150 (140 scored + 10 pretest)
Time Limit: 3 hours
Passing Score: 70%
Renewal Cycle: Every 2 years
Exam Overview & Key Statistics
Feature Details
Cost $455 (Standard) / $400 (Active military/veterans)
Retake Policy Up to 4 times within 1 year, 30 days between attempts
Pass Rate 90-96% (2022-2026: 93.54% average)
Active SA-Cs 4,202 (as of 2026)
Eligibility Pathways
1. Physician (MD/DDS) Pathway
Completion of a medical program (US or WDOMS-recognized)
Residency or advanced surgical training + 2 years surgical experience
, 2. Licensed & Non-Licensed Allied Health Pathway
Education: Formal surgical assistant training program meeting ABSA criteria (Surgical
Technology programs do NOT qualify)
Experience: 2 years clinical surgical scrub experience
Manual Skills Assessment: Surgeon evaluation of tying and suturing (7 of 10 skills must
be satisfactory)
3. Certified Surgical Assistant Pathway
Active certification in surgical assisting from another entity
2 years clinical surgical scrub experience
Manual Skills Assessment as above
All Applicants: Must pass the SA-C examination and attest to ABSA Code of Ethics
Exam Content Outline
Perioperative Care: 50%
Subdomain Percentage
Preoperative 4%
Operative (General & Specialties) 43%
Postoperative 3%
General Surgical & Medical Knowledge: 39%
Subdomain Percentage
Surgical Anatomy 13%
, Subdomain Percentage
Terminology 6%
Instrumentation & Equipment 4%
General Medical Knowledge 10%
Asepsis 3%
Professional Practice Knowledge: 11%
Subdomain Percentage
Patient Safety/Risk Management/Emergency Protocols 4%
Code of Ethics/Scope of Practice 4%
OSHA/HIPAA 3%
High-Yield Practice Questions
Section 1: Perioperative Care
Preoperative
1. What is the priority action during the preoperative "time out" procedure?
A) Confirm all surgical instruments are sterilized
B) Verify the correct patient, procedure, and surgical site
C) Ensure OR temperature is appropriate
D) Check surgeon's preference card
Guide | 2025 Verified Exam Prep
Certifying Body: American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA)
Exam Code: SA-C (Surgical Assistant - Certified)
Exam Format: Computer-based, live remote proctoring
Questions: 150 (140 scored + 10 pretest)
Time Limit: 3 hours
Passing Score: 70%
Renewal Cycle: Every 2 years
Exam Overview & Key Statistics
Feature Details
Cost $455 (Standard) / $400 (Active military/veterans)
Retake Policy Up to 4 times within 1 year, 30 days between attempts
Pass Rate 90-96% (2022-2026: 93.54% average)
Active SA-Cs 4,202 (as of 2026)
Eligibility Pathways
1. Physician (MD/DDS) Pathway
Completion of a medical program (US or WDOMS-recognized)
Residency or advanced surgical training + 2 years surgical experience
, 2. Licensed & Non-Licensed Allied Health Pathway
Education: Formal surgical assistant training program meeting ABSA criteria (Surgical
Technology programs do NOT qualify)
Experience: 2 years clinical surgical scrub experience
Manual Skills Assessment: Surgeon evaluation of tying and suturing (7 of 10 skills must
be satisfactory)
3. Certified Surgical Assistant Pathway
Active certification in surgical assisting from another entity
2 years clinical surgical scrub experience
Manual Skills Assessment as above
All Applicants: Must pass the SA-C examination and attest to ABSA Code of Ethics
Exam Content Outline
Perioperative Care: 50%
Subdomain Percentage
Preoperative 4%
Operative (General & Specialties) 43%
Postoperative 3%
General Surgical & Medical Knowledge: 39%
Subdomain Percentage
Surgical Anatomy 13%
, Subdomain Percentage
Terminology 6%
Instrumentation & Equipment 4%
General Medical Knowledge 10%
Asepsis 3%
Professional Practice Knowledge: 11%
Subdomain Percentage
Patient Safety/Risk Management/Emergency Protocols 4%
Code of Ethics/Scope of Practice 4%
OSHA/HIPAA 3%
High-Yield Practice Questions
Section 1: Perioperative Care
Preoperative
1. What is the priority action during the preoperative "time out" procedure?
A) Confirm all surgical instruments are sterilized
B) Verify the correct patient, procedure, and surgical site
C) Ensure OR temperature is appropriate
D) Check surgeon's preference card
