CRCST Sterilization Process Practice Questions
Section 4 of 7 in the HSPA content outline · 21% of the exam, about 26 of the 125 scored questions
150 questions across all seven sections in 3 hours, with a score for Sterilization so you know where you stand.
Free Sterilization drillA package labeled for a low-temperature process is placed on a steam sterilizer cart. What should the technician do?
Sterilization Process on the CRCST exam
Sterilization Process is 21% of the CRCST exam, about 26 of the 125 scored questions. It covers how each sterilization method works, how sterilizers are tested and loaded, which cycle to choose, how a load is checked and released, and what happens when a test fails.
- Share of the exam
- 21% in the official content outline, about 26 of the 125 scored questions
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 94 Sterilization questions, untimed, an explanation after every answer; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
What Sterilization Process questions test
- Methods: steam (gravity and dynamic air removal), dry heat, ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide and liquid chemical sterilization, and which items suit each
- Sterilizer anatomy and cycle phases: jacket, chamber drain, door gasket; conditioning, exposure, exhaust and drying
- Quality tests: daily Bowie-Dick tests, leak tests, biological indicators and their organisms, control BIs, and testing after major repair
- Loading: package checks, load configuration, BI process challenge device placement and verifying the method
- After the cycle: reading the printout, cooling, implant quarantine and early release, wet packs, recalls after a positive BI and load records
Sit the full exam under the real clock
150 questions across all seven sections in 3 hours, with a score for Sterilization so you know where you stand.
Free Sterilization drillHow to study it
- Learn the common steam parameters: gravity at 250°F (121°C) for 30 minutes and dynamic air removal at 270°F (132°C) for 4 minutes for wrapped instruments, always confirmed against the device IFU.
- Match each method to its BI organism: Geobacillus stearothermophilus for steam and hydrogen peroxide, Bacillus atrophaeus for ethylene oxide and dry heat.
- Know what each test proves: a Bowie-Dick test checks air removal, a chemical indicator shows conditions at one spot, a BI shows whether spores were killed.
- Take the sterilization drill until you score 80% or better.
Common questions
How many sterilization questions are on the CRCST?
Sterilization Process is 21% of the exam, about 26 of the 125 scored questions.
Is the Bowie-Dick test on the CRCST exam?
Yes. The outline lists sterilizer quality tests, naming the leak test, the dynamic air removal (Bowie-Dick) test, biological tests and biological controls.
150 questions across all seven sections in 3 hours, with a score for Sterilization so you know where you stand.
Free Sterilization drillThe other CRCST sections
Sources
- HSPA: Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST): exam structure, fees, hours and references
- HSPA: CRCST Exam Content Outline (revised November 2023)
- HSPA Certification Handbook (revised January 2026): scored and pretest questions, passing score, results, retakes
- HSPA: Become Certified (Prometric testing, 120-day window, FAQs)
- HSPA: CRCST renewal (12 CE credits a year, $50)
- CDC: Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008)
- OSHA: Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030
Original practice questions for exam preparation, written to the HSPA CRCST Exam Content Outline (revised November 2023), not HSPA exam questions. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by HSPA (the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association) or Prometric. CRCST is an HSPA certification.