NBSTSA CST Exam Requirements

NBSTSA CST exam requirements include graduation from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited surgical technology program, completion of military surgical technology training, or prior Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) certification. Students may test before graduation through an approved school-coordinated route; NBSTSA makes the final eligibility call.

Sources: NBSTSA CST eligibility, NBSTSA policies (CST Eligibility Policy), the 2025 CST Candidate Handbook, eligibility table, p. 4, and the CST application, pre-graduation notice, p. 2.

By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team · Last verified October 15, 2026: NBSTSA eligibility, application documents, published fees and testing rules, plus the accreditation guidance cited below.

Not sure which row fits you?

Answer these in order and stop at the first "yes."

1. Are you, or were you ever, an NBSTSA-certified CST? You're in the current or former CST row.
2. Did you finish surgical technology training in the military? You're in the military row.
3. Did you graduate from a surgical technology program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES? You're in the graduate row. Be careful here: confirm that recognized accreditation covers your specific surgical technology program and campus. Check the accreditation-history exceptions below before ruling this route out.
4. Are you enrolled in such a program now? You're in the student row.
5. None of these? If none applies after you check the accreditation-history exceptions below, you don't currently meet a published NBSTSA route. See Work experience, non-accredited programs, and TS-C.

If you can't answer question 3 with confidence, sort it out before you pay. The next section shows how.

Check your program's accreditation

Look up your specific surgical technology program and campus. A college can be accredited overall while a particular program is not, and a school's ad isn't proof either way.

• CAAHEP: use the CAAHEP program finder. CAAHEP lists only programs that are currently accredited or hold a Letter of Review. A Letter of Review is not the same as completed accreditation. For a program that has closed or is no longer listed, CAAHEP has a separate verification form for previously accredited programs on that same page.
• ABHES: check the ABHES directory, or call its published contact number, 301-291-7550. CAAHEP's number is 727-210-2350.
• Still unsure? Call NBSTSA at 800-707-0057 before you pay. Have your program name, campus, and enrollment and graduation dates ready.

An ABHES distinction: its current manual, p. 121 treats institutions offering surgical technology that hold ABHES institutional accreditation as holding both institutional and programmatic accreditation. Don't reject a program just because the listing says institutional; confirm that the specific program is covered.

Your program only needs one of the two accreditations. Not appearing in CAAHEP's list doesn't mean it isn't ABHES-accredited.

What if the program lost its accreditation, or is still seeking it?

NBSTSA's CST Eligibility Policy covers both cases. These exceptions still require graduation.

• Accreditation revoked, rescinded, or not renewed: you can still qualify if you were enrolled in or graduated from the program while it was accredited. The program's status today doesn't settle your case. Your dates do.
• Program going through accreditation: you qualify if you were enrolled when the accreditation site visit happened, and only once accreditation is actually granted. "We've applied for accreditation" is not enough.

Do you need an associate degree?

Current CAAHEP surgical technology standards, p. 2 and ABHES standards, p. 28 require at least an associate degree at program completion for the U.S. programs they accredit. These are program-accreditation standards, not a blanket rejection of older certificate or diploma graduates, military graduates, or returning CSTs. Those applicants follow NBSTSA's applicable eligibility route and accreditation-history rules.

An unrelated degree or exam-prep course doesn't replace the qualifying surgical technology education described above.

Work experience, non-accredited programs, and TS-C

On-the-job experience doesn't qualify you for the CST exam. NBSTSA's routes are accredited-program graduation, military training, and prior CST certification. Its appeals policy says the eligibility requirements themselves can't be appealed. An appeal only works if you believe you met a requirement and were wrongly turned down.

TS-C is a different credential. Tech in Surgery (TS-C) is issued by NCCT, not NBSTSA (NCCT TS-C page). A program that prepares you for TS-C doesn't make you eligible for the CST unless the program also meets NBSTSA's CAAHEP or ABHES requirements above. Check the exact credential name before you enroll or pay.

If you're choosing a school and the CST matters to you, confirm the program's CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation first. Also check what your state requires: our surgical technologist requirements by state research covers that. The CST is a national certification. It isn't a state license.

What documents do you need?

Accredited-program graduates: send one of these. Your proof must show the school's name, your graduation date, and the type of award (certificate, diploma, or associate degree). See the application, p. 1, and handbook, p. 4.

• A copy of your diploma or certificate.
• An official transcript, sent by your school. NBSTSA's policy says official transcripts must come straight from the issuing institution, so don't count on an unofficial transcript you upload yourself.
• A letter on official school letterhead, signed by the program director or registrar, and notarized. It must state your graduation date and award type.

Use your official graduation date. For on-campus testing, NBSTSA won't schedule an exam or release results based on a program "completion date," like your last clinical day (2026 On-Campus Examination Guide, p. 2).

Military graduates: send a diploma, DD214, or Joint Services Transcript. It must show where the military program was completed. Proof of military service alone isn't enough. It has to show surgical technology training (CST exam application, p. 1).

Everyone:

• Apply under your legal name. If it has changed, include a copy of the legal name-change document.
• For legal identity documents, send copies, not originals, as the application instructs.
• If you need testing accommodations, send the accommodation request form and supporting documents with your exam application. Accommodations are free when approved (handbook, p. 5). Under the documentation guidelines, p. 3, the evaluation backing the request should have been conducted no more than three years before the request.

Can you test before graduation?

Yes, but only through a school-coordinated route, and your results depend on proving graduation on time. NBSTSA calls the CST a post-graduate certification exam, not a program exit exam (on-campus guide, p. 4). There are two pre-graduation paths.

On-campus testing with your class (WBT, web-based testing). Per the 2026 On-Campus Examination Guide, p. 2:

• It's for currently enrolled students, and the whole graduating group has to test together.
• The exam falls no more than 30 days before or 30 days after your official graduation date.
• NBSTSA must receive your school's paperwork at least 45 days ahead. That's the school's deadline, not yours.
• Your graduation proof must reach NBSTSA within 60 days of your exam. Until it arrives, you won't see a pass or fail result. Miss the deadline and your result is voided and your fees are forfeited.
• If your graduation might slip, delay testing.
• If you need accommodations, you test at a PSI testing center instead of on campus (guide, p. 4).

Pre-graduation application at a testing center. The CST application has a "pre-grad application (not testing on campus)" option. NBSTSA doesn't publish a single timing window for this route in the handbook. Ask your program director how your school handles it before you book anything. The 60-day graduation-proof deadline also applies to pre-grad applicants who are not testing on campus: the application's signed notice, p. 2, covers both WBT and pre-grad applicants. Missing it invalidates the result and forfeits the exam fees. The on-campus 30-day scheduling window is not a published rule for this separate route.

Already graduated? Apply as a graduate. The handbook, p. 8, says post-graduates testing at a center, usually more than 45 days after graduation, who submitted their transcripts may get a score report on test day. That is not a mandatory 45-day waiting period or a guarantee of same-day results; arrange official transcript delivery through your school as described above.

How much does the CST exam cost?

Source: the current CST exam application, p. 1. AST is the Association of Surgical Technologists. You don't need to be a member to apply. The member rate saves $110 per attempt, so compare that with AST's current dues.

These are not renewal-by-examination fees. Current or former CSTs should use NBSTSA's renewal instructions and the applicable renewal application. Rush speeds application processing, not access to a particular test appointment.

Before you pay, know what you can and can't get back:

• A processing fee is nonrefundable, including if NBSTSA finds you ineligible. NBSTSA's standalone application and handbook application don't agree on that component's amount. Confirm the applicable deduction with NBSTSA before paying; neither disputed component is an extra charge to add to the exam totals above.
• For an individual application, once your Authorization to Test is issued, the exam fee isn't refunded. On-campus testing has its own removal and refund rules, which your program director handles. The WBT guide, p. 3 requires notification at least three business days before the exam for roster removal; any refund depends on the guide's conditions.
• Testing through your school? Ask your program director how payment is being handled, so you don't pay twice.

Your CST application checklist

Work through these in order for a first-time or retake application; current or former CSTs follow the renewal instructions above. This checklist needs no account, and nothing is sent to us.

1. Confirm the credential. You're applying for NBSTSA's CST, not NCCT's TS-C or NBSTSA's CSFA (Certified Surgical First Assistant).
2. Match yourself to a route using the table at the top.
3. Verify your program's accreditation and keep your dates handy if you're using the accredited-program route, especially if the program's status has changed. Military graduates use the separate training route above.
4. Get one accepted graduation document. For an accredited-program graduate, it must show the school, the official graduation date, and the award type. Military graduates use the accepted military-training documentation above. Students: confirm who submits the final proof, and by when.
5. Check your legal name. It should match your ID. Attach a copy of any name-change document.
6. Send any accommodation request with the application, not afterward.
7. Choose your fee: $230 (AST member) or $340. Add rush only if you're a first-time applicant who needs faster processing.
8. Apply online through NBSTSA's application process page, using the practitioner login. Mail-in applications are accepted but may take longer. School-coordinated applicants follow their program director's process.

Open NBSTSA's application instructions

After approval: ATT, scheduling, and test day

When NBSTSA approves you for testing at a PSI center, you get an Authorization to Test (ATT) email. It has your ATT number and PSI's contact details. For that testing-center route, follow the handbook, pp. 6–7:

• You have six months to test. Schedule soon even if you plan to test later, and go by the expiration date on your ATT. If it expires, you lose your fees.
• Schedule with PSI, either online through the link in your ATT or by phone at 1-833-256-1425. The handbook lists sessions Monday through Saturday at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; appointment availability and your confirmation determine when you report. No walk-ins.
• You can reschedule once for free, by calling PSI at least 48 hours ahead, provided the new date is inside your six-month window. Missing that cutoff, or not showing up, forfeits the fee, and you have to reapply.
• Bring two current IDs with your current name and signature. At least one needs a photo. Driver's licenses, state IDs, passports, military IDs, and green cards count as primary IDs. Social Security cards, student IDs, and employee IDs work only as the second ID. Both names must match your ATT.
• Arrive on time. Arriving 15 or more minutes late counts as a no-show.

If a serious personal emergency makes you miss the exam, contact NBSTSA within five business days. Your written statement and documentation must arrive within 30 business days after the scheduled exam. NBSTSA and PSI review the request; an exception is not automatic (handbook, p. 7).

Retakes and appeals

Retakes: you can test up to three times in a calendar year. Each attempt needs a new application and the full fee. There's no waiting period before you reapply (NBSTSA policies; handbook, p. 9). That limit covers all three tests in the calendar year, including your first. It isn't three retakes.

Eligibility appeals: if you believe NBSTSA wrongly denied an application that met the requirements, you can file a written appeal by mail with the Board of Directors, with the denial correspondence and evidence that you meet the requirement. It costs $100, nonrefundable, and the appeal has to arrive within 90 days of the ineligibility notice. The board reviews appeals at its spring and fall meetings, and its decision is final. A pass/fail result isn't appealed this way. A related complaint must be signed, addressed in writing to NBSTSA's Director of Operations, and submitted within 30 days of the incident under the complaint policy.

The exam you're qualifying for

Sources: NBSTSA CST overview for the passing score and duration; the CST Examination Content Outline, effective January 1, 2023, for the item counts; and the handbook, p. 8, for the break rule. The outline is what to study from. NBSTSA's CST reference list names the textbooks used to write questions.

Wondering how programs perform? Our CST pass rates by surgical technology program research compiles school-reported results.

Sources

The official requirements and accreditation sources below were checked October 15, 2026.

• NBSTSA CST eligibility
• NBSTSA policies: CST Eligibility Policy, Appeals Policy, and Complaint Policy
• 2025 CST Candidate Handbook, 1st Edition
• 2025 CST Examination Application
• 2026 On-Campus Examination Guide
• NBSTSA educator guidelines
• NBSTSA CST application process
• NBSTSA CST certification overview
• CST Examination Content Outline (effective January 1, 2023)
• Accommodation request form
• NBSTSA renewals and recertification
• CAAHEP program finder and ABHES
• CAAHEP surgical technology standards, p. 2
• ABHES Accreditation Manual, effective June 9, 2026: pp. 28 and 121
• ABHES contact details and CAAHEP contact details
• NBSTSA CST reference list
• NCCT TS-C

AI tools assisted research and editing. Castleport Test Prep remains responsible for publication under its editorial standards.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). Exam and credential names are used to identify their subjects, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page explains NBSTSA's published requirements. It isn't an eligibility decision, which only NBSTSA can make, and it isn't a statement about your permission to work in any state.