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NBSTSA CST Practice Exam A |High
Quality Questions And Answers 2026
If the VII cranial nerve is severed, which of the following is the result?
A. loss of hearing
B. loss of vision
C. facial paralysis
D. impairment of eye muscles - correct-answer-C. facial paralysis
When assisting with the closure of a skin incision and operating the skin stapler,
the surgical technologist in the scrub role is placing the staples through which two
layers?
A.cuticular and subcuticular
B.subicular and subcutaneous
C.subcuticular and subcutaneous
D.subcutaneous and fascia - correct-answer-A.cuticular and subcuticular
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During which of the following surgeries is a Meckel's diverticulum typically
discovered?
A. esophagectomy
B. appendectomy
C. prostatectomy
D. varicocelectomy - correct-answer-B. appendectomy
Which of the following layers are transected when a subcostal flank incision is
used for a nephrectomy?
A. pre-peritoneal fat
B. linea alba
C. oblique muscles
D. rectus abdominis muscle - correct-answer-C. oblique muscles
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A perforator is used for which of the following procedures?
A. cordotomy
B. craniotomy
C. laminectomy
D. spinal fusion - correct-answer-B. craniotomy
In preparation for a cranial aneurysm, which of the following pieces of equipment
would MOST likely be used?
A. microscope
B. cryoprobe
C. Jordan Day drill
D. Crutchfield tongs - correct-answer-A. microscope
During strabismus surgery, which of the following is the first tissue layer that must
be incised?
A. iris
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B. cornea
C. sclera
D. conjunctiva - correct-answer-D. conjunctiva
When can instrument counts be omitted?
A. if an emergency procedure must be performed
B. when the surgical technologist in the circulator role becomes too busy
C. if instruments are needed in another operating room
D. when the patient is receiving outpatient surgery - correct-answer-A. if an
emergency procedure must be performed
In which of the following positions is a patient placed for a right nephrectomy?
A. left lateral
B. right lateral
C. left lateral kidney
D. right lateral kidney - correct-answer-C. left lateral kidney
NBSTSA CST Practice Exam A |High
Quality Questions And Answers 2026
If the VII cranial nerve is severed, which of the following is the result?
A. loss of hearing
B. loss of vision
C. facial paralysis
D. impairment of eye muscles - correct-answer-C. facial paralysis
When assisting with the closure of a skin incision and operating the skin stapler,
the surgical technologist in the scrub role is placing the staples through which two
layers?
A.cuticular and subcuticular
B.subicular and subcutaneous
C.subcuticular and subcutaneous
D.subcutaneous and fascia - correct-answer-A.cuticular and subcuticular
,2|Page
During which of the following surgeries is a Meckel's diverticulum typically
discovered?
A. esophagectomy
B. appendectomy
C. prostatectomy
D. varicocelectomy - correct-answer-B. appendectomy
Which of the following layers are transected when a subcostal flank incision is
used for a nephrectomy?
A. pre-peritoneal fat
B. linea alba
C. oblique muscles
D. rectus abdominis muscle - correct-answer-C. oblique muscles
,3|Page
A perforator is used for which of the following procedures?
A. cordotomy
B. craniotomy
C. laminectomy
D. spinal fusion - correct-answer-B. craniotomy
In preparation for a cranial aneurysm, which of the following pieces of equipment
would MOST likely be used?
A. microscope
B. cryoprobe
C. Jordan Day drill
D. Crutchfield tongs - correct-answer-A. microscope
During strabismus surgery, which of the following is the first tissue layer that must
be incised?
A. iris
, 4|Page
B. cornea
C. sclera
D. conjunctiva - correct-answer-D. conjunctiva
When can instrument counts be omitted?
A. if an emergency procedure must be performed
B. when the surgical technologist in the circulator role becomes too busy
C. if instruments are needed in another operating room
D. when the patient is receiving outpatient surgery - correct-answer-A. if an
emergency procedure must be performed
In which of the following positions is a patient placed for a right nephrectomy?
A. left lateral
B. right lateral
C. left lateral kidney
D. right lateral kidney - correct-answer-C. left lateral kidney
