NCCT
Surgical Tech Exam Review 2026 | TS-C
Certification Exam Prep | Practice Questions,
Answers & Rationales
FEATURES
✓ NCCT TS-C Practice Test 2026
✓ Surgical Technologist Exam Prep
✓ Practice Questions & Correct Answers
✓ Detailed Rationales
, NcCT Surgical Tech Exam Review
Testbank with Rationales
1. An 85-year-old patient is in the OR under general anesthesia for a
right hip arthroplasty. Which of the following will best help prevent
perioperative positioning injuries?
A. Ensure all bony prominences are sufficiently padded
B. Make sure the implant is appropriately sized for the patient
C. Be attentive to intraoperative signs of discomfort or distress
D. Use a body warming blanket during the preoperative phase
Answer: A
Rationale: Elderly patients are at high risk for pressure ulcers if bony
prominences are not cushioned and protected from the hard OR table.
Their skin is fragile due to age, diabetes, or poor circulation.
2. The surgical technologist is opening for a procedure and notices the
wrapped item she just opened has a hole in the outer layer. Which of
the following is the proper course of action?
A. Open the inner layer onto the sterile field
B. Discard the item and retrieve a new one
C. Check the indicator to ensure the item has been sterilized
D. Place the package on a prep stand and open away from the sterile
,field
Answer: B
Rationale: If package integrity is compromised, it should not be placed
on the sterile field. When in doubt, throw it out. A hole means the item
is contaminated.
3. Before medications or solutions are poured onto the sterile field,
the surgical technologist should verify which of the following? (Select
all that apply.)
A. Patient
B. Date
C. Medication
D. Dosage
Answer: B, C, D
Rationale: The ST verifies date, medication, and dosage. Correct patient
and procedure are the circulator’s responsibility before obtaining
medication.
4. The surgical technologist has just completed scrubbing for a right
knee arthroscopy. As the surgeon takes down the tourniquet, a plume
of smoke is seen coming from the sterile field. Which is the most likely
source?
A. The light source was left on and the drape is igniting
, B. The iodine is still damp and is igniting from use of the cautery pencil
C. Lactated Ringer’s was used for irrigation instead of glycine
D. A faulty grounding pad is in place
Answer: A
Rationale: A fiber-optic light source left on can ignite a paper drape.
Iodine and lactated Ringer’s are not flammable, and a faulty grounding
pad would not generate this heat source.
5. Same scenario as Question 4: smoke plume from the sterile field.
Which is the most likely source?
A. The light source was left on and the drape is igniting
B. The iodine is still damp and is igniting from use of the cautery pencil
C. Lactated Ringer’s was used for irrigation instead of glycine
D. A faulty grounding pad is in place
Answer: A
Rationale: The light source with the fiber-optic beam and a paper drape
would cause smoke from heat. Iodine and lactated Ringer’s are not
flammable liquids.
6. When sterilizing an unwrapped, non-porous item with no lumen in
an immediate-use sterilization unit, which parameters must be met
for gravity displacement steam? (Select all that apply.)
A. 3–4 minute exposure time
Surgical Tech Exam Review 2026 | TS-C
Certification Exam Prep | Practice Questions,
Answers & Rationales
FEATURES
✓ NCCT TS-C Practice Test 2026
✓ Surgical Technologist Exam Prep
✓ Practice Questions & Correct Answers
✓ Detailed Rationales
, NcCT Surgical Tech Exam Review
Testbank with Rationales
1. An 85-year-old patient is in the OR under general anesthesia for a
right hip arthroplasty. Which of the following will best help prevent
perioperative positioning injuries?
A. Ensure all bony prominences are sufficiently padded
B. Make sure the implant is appropriately sized for the patient
C. Be attentive to intraoperative signs of discomfort or distress
D. Use a body warming blanket during the preoperative phase
Answer: A
Rationale: Elderly patients are at high risk for pressure ulcers if bony
prominences are not cushioned and protected from the hard OR table.
Their skin is fragile due to age, diabetes, or poor circulation.
2. The surgical technologist is opening for a procedure and notices the
wrapped item she just opened has a hole in the outer layer. Which of
the following is the proper course of action?
A. Open the inner layer onto the sterile field
B. Discard the item and retrieve a new one
C. Check the indicator to ensure the item has been sterilized
D. Place the package on a prep stand and open away from the sterile
,field
Answer: B
Rationale: If package integrity is compromised, it should not be placed
on the sterile field. When in doubt, throw it out. A hole means the item
is contaminated.
3. Before medications or solutions are poured onto the sterile field,
the surgical technologist should verify which of the following? (Select
all that apply.)
A. Patient
B. Date
C. Medication
D. Dosage
Answer: B, C, D
Rationale: The ST verifies date, medication, and dosage. Correct patient
and procedure are the circulator’s responsibility before obtaining
medication.
4. The surgical technologist has just completed scrubbing for a right
knee arthroscopy. As the surgeon takes down the tourniquet, a plume
of smoke is seen coming from the sterile field. Which is the most likely
source?
A. The light source was left on and the drape is igniting
, B. The iodine is still damp and is igniting from use of the cautery pencil
C. Lactated Ringer’s was used for irrigation instead of glycine
D. A faulty grounding pad is in place
Answer: A
Rationale: A fiber-optic light source left on can ignite a paper drape.
Iodine and lactated Ringer’s are not flammable, and a faulty grounding
pad would not generate this heat source.
5. Same scenario as Question 4: smoke plume from the sterile field.
Which is the most likely source?
A. The light source was left on and the drape is igniting
B. The iodine is still damp and is igniting from use of the cautery pencil
C. Lactated Ringer’s was used for irrigation instead of glycine
D. A faulty grounding pad is in place
Answer: A
Rationale: The light source with the fiber-optic beam and a paper drape
would cause smoke from heat. Iodine and lactated Ringer’s are not
flammable liquids.
6. When sterilizing an unwrapped, non-porous item with no lumen in
an immediate-use sterilization unit, which parameters must be met
for gravity displacement steam? (Select all that apply.)
A. 3–4 minute exposure time
