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Free CST Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CST practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

At skin closure the instrument count is reported as incorrect. What is the surgical technologist's FIRST action?

  1. Document the discrepancy and dress the wound
  2. Notify the surgeon and begin a recount
  3. Send the patient to recovery, then recount
  4. Assume the item was never on the field
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Notify the surgeon and begin a recount

Question 2

The surgeon needs to grasp and hold dense fascia during closure. Which instrument is MOST appropriate to pass?

  1. Babcock clamp
  2. DeBakey forceps
  3. Kocher (Ochsner) clamp
  4. Adson forceps with teeth
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Kocher (Ochsner) clamp

Question 3

Sterile saline soaks through the back-table drape onto the unsterile table beneath it. This area is now considered:

  1. Contaminated due to strike-through
  2. Sterile, since the fluid itself was sterile
  3. Sterile, provided it is not touched again
  4. Contaminated only if the table looked dirty
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Contaminated due to strike-through

Question 4

A surgeon applies a topical hemostatic agent to a diffusely bleeding surface. Which agent is oxidized regenerated cellulose?

  1. Absorbable gelatin (Gelfoam)
  2. Microfibrillar collagen (Avitene)
  3. Refined beeswax (bone wax)
  4. Oxidized cellulose (Surgicel)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Oxidized cellulose (Surgicel)

Question 5

A patient is scheduled for a posterior cervical laminectomy. Which position should the surgical technologist anticipate?

  1. Supine
  2. Prone
  3. Lithotomy
  4. Lateral (kidney)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Prone

Question 6

Only one medication is in use during a case. Regarding the medication container on the sterile field, the surgical technologist should:

  1. Skip the label because only a single drug is present
  2. Rely on memory of the drug's name, strength, and amount
  3. Label it immediately with name, strength, and amount
  4. Label it once the procedure has been completed
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Label it immediately with name, strength, and amount

Question 7

What does the Bowie-Dick test verify in a prevacuum steam sterilizer?

  1. That bacterial spores were killed in the load
  2. The aeration time needed after ethylene oxide
  3. The expiration date of the sterilized package
  4. Adequate air removal and steam penetration
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Adequate air removal and steam penetration

Question 8

Under the Spaulding classification, an instrument that enters sterile tissue or the vascular system requires:

  1. Intermediate-level disinfection
  2. Low-level disinfection only
  3. High-level disinfection
  4. Sterilization
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Sterilization

Question 9

The surgeon requests 10 mL of 1% lidocaine. How many milligrams of lidocaine does the syringe contain?

  1. 10 mg
  2. 100 mg
  3. 50 mg
  4. 1,000 mg
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - 100 mg

Question 10

A patient undergoes surgery for a perforated appendix with gross spillage of intestinal contents. This wound is classified as:

  1. Class I (Clean)
  2. Class II (Clean-Contaminated)
  3. Class IV (Dirty/Infected)
  4. Class III (Contaminated)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Class IV (Dirty/Infected)

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