CST Ancillary Duties Practice Questions
Ancillary Duties is 23 of the 150 scored questions. It covers the work around the case: preference cards, cost and safety, ethics and law, teamwork, and cleaning, inspecting and sterilizing instruments and equipment.
175 questions across every content area in 4 hours, with a score for ancillary duties and your total against the 98-of-150 passing score.
Free ancillary duties drill- 71 original Ancillary Duties questions, each explained
- 15% of the exam, 23 of 150 scored questions
- 2 subject areas in the outline
Which personal protective equipment is worn when manually cleaning instruments in decontamination?
The 2 Ancillary Duties subject areas
- II.A. Administrative and Personnel: 7 of 150 scored questions
- II.B. Equipment Sterilization and Maintenance: 16 of 150 scored questions
Subject areas and item counts as printed in NBSTSA’s CST Examination Content Outline. Every exam form follows these counts.
Ancillary Duties practice by subject area
- Administrative and Personnel
It covers professional duties beyond the scrub role: preference cards and cost, disaster plans and safety hazards, electrical safety, legal and ethical practice, communication and teamwork.
Free administrative and personnel drill - Sterilization and Equipment
It covers what happens to instruments and equipment between cases: troubleshooting, decontamination, cleaning, inspection and assembly, sterilization and its monitors.
Free sterilization and equipment drill
Free Ancillary Duties drill (ten questions across its subject areas)
23 Ancillary Duties questions in a full timed mock
175 questions across every content area in 4 hours, with a score for ancillary duties and your total against the 98-of-150 passing score.
Free ancillary duties drillIdeas the questions test most
- Equipment Sterilization and Maintenance is 16 of the 23 questions; know steam cycles, indicators and decontamination steps well.
- Safety hazards span fire, chemicals, lasers, surgical smoke, radiation and electricity.
- Legal terms such as res ipsa loquitur, respondeat superior and battery appear as short definition questions.
Common questions
How much of the CST exam is Ancillary Duties?
Ancillary Duties is 23 of the 150 scored questions (15%): Administrative and Personnel 7 and Equipment Sterilization and Maintenance 16.
Does the CST test sterile processing?
Yes. Equipment Sterilization and Maintenance covers decontamination, enzymatic cleaning, inspecting and assembling instruments, chemical and biological indicators and troubleshooting equipment.
Other CST content areas
Content areas, subject areas, item counts and tasks: NBSTSA: CST certification (format, passing score, content areas) · NBSTSA: CST Examination Content Outline, checked November 2026.
CST® and Certified Surgical Technologist® are registered marks of the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by NBSTSA, the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) or PSI. Our questions are original and are not taken from the CST exam.