Surgical Pharmacology Practice Questions for the CST
Surgical Pharmacology is 6 of the 150 scored questions. It covers anesthesia agents and methods, the drugs and solutions handled on the sterile field, conversions and maximum safe doses.
175 questions across every content area in 4 hours, with a score for surgical pharmacology and your total against the 98-of-150 passing score.
Free surgical pharmacology drill- 37 original surgical pharmacology questions, each explained
- 6 of 150 scored questions on the real exam (outline III.C)
- Basic Science content area (20% of the exam)
Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) means:
What our surgical pharmacology questions cover
- Anesthesia agents and medications, and complications such as malignant hyperthermia
- Methods of anesthesia: general, local, regional block and monitored anesthesia care
- Types, uses, actions and interactions of drugs and solutions such as hemostatic agents, antibiotics and IV solutions
- Weights, measures and conversions
- Maximum doses of drugs such as lidocaine (Xylocaine), bupivacaine (Marcaine), heparin and epinephrine
This list is our own summary of the outline tasks, written for practice. NBSTSA publishes the full task list in the CST Examination Content Outline.
Drill surgical pharmacology, then sit the full exam
175 questions across every content area in 4 hours, with a score for surgical pharmacology and your total against the 98-of-150 passing score.
Free surgical pharmacology drillIdeas the questions test most
- A 1% solution holds 10 mg per mL; 1 kg = 2.2 lb.
- Dantrolene treats malignant hyperthermia; volatile agents and succinylcholine trigger it.
- Protamine reverses heparin, naloxone reverses opioids, flumazenil reverses benzodiazepines.
Start the free surgical pharmacology drill · Basic Science drill · Full 175-question mock exam
Common questions
How many CST questions cover pharmacology?
Surgical Pharmacology is 6 of the 150 scored questions, part of the Basic Science content area.
Do I need to calculate doses on the CST?
The outline lists weights, measures and conversions and awareness of maximum dosage, so expect arithmetic such as converting pounds to kilograms and milligrams in a volume of a percentage solution.
175 questions across every content area in 4 hours, with a score for surgical pharmacology and your total against the 98-of-150 passing score.
Free surgical pharmacology drillMore CST subject areas
- Preoperative Preparation · Perioperative Care
- Intraoperative Procedures · Perioperative Care
- Postoperative Procedures · Perioperative Care
- Administrative and Personnel · Ancillary Duties
- Sterilization and Equipment · Ancillary Duties
- Anatomy and Physiology · Basic Science
- Microbiology · Basic Science
- Surgical Instruments · Perioperative Care
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.