NBSTSA CST Pass Rate

68.6% of first-time candidates passed the NBSTSA CST in 2025, the newest year in NBSTSA's certification data report. That figure counts first attempts only. It is not the score you need to pass. You need 98 correct out of 150 scored questions.

CST pass rate by year, 2021–2025

Source: NBSTSA Certification Data. The 2025 and 2024 figures are on page 1, 2023 and 2022 on page 2, and 2021 on page 3. Rates are NBSTSA's own figures, rounded as NBSTSA prints them.

\*NBSTSA prints this count as "9.580." We show it as 9,580. We did not use the count in any calculation.

How to read the table:

• The rate covers first-time test takers. The "total examinees" column includes people who tested again. It is not the group the rate was calculated from.
• The report does not say which months each year covers. It also does not give exact passing counts or a separate retake pass rate.
• Each of the five years was close to 7 in 10. The lowest year was 2025 at 68.6%. The highest was 2024 at 71.8%.
• The Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) exam is not the CSFA. NBSTSA's report also lists the Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) exam, a different test. Its 2025 first-time rate was 62%. Don't mix the two up.
• The 2025 figures are in the PDF report, which is linked from NBSTSA's Reports page.

By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. National results, passing score, and retest rules last verified October 15, 2026.

What score do you need to pass the CST?

98 correct out of 150 scored questions. That is a raw count of right answers, not a scaled score (NBSTSA CST overview).

Sources: The format and pretest items come from the 2025 CST Candidate Handbook, p. 11. The current passing score comes from the CST overview. The 2019 score of 102 comes from the 2019 standard-setting report, PDF p. 6. Percentages are our arithmetic.

A few things are worth knowing about that number:

• Pretest items are mixed into the exam. The 25 pretest questions are mixed in at random, so answer every question as if it counts.
• The passing score went down from 102 to 98. A panel of subject-matter experts reviewed the exam, and NBSTSA set 98 out of 150 after that study was presented in November 2023 (2023 standard-setting report, p. 5).
• Exam forms are matched for difficulty. NBSTSA uses statistical equating before administration and consistent content allocation to make its exam forms comparable (2023 standard-setting report, p. 5).
• Do not substitute another exam's scoring system. If a page says you need "390 on a 0–600 scale," it isn't describing NBSTSA's CST.
• You have four hours. You can take breaks, but the clock keeps running (handbook, p. 8).

The pass rate and the passing score are easy to mix up. They answer different questions:

• The pass rate (68.6%) is the share of first-time test takers who passed.
• The passing score (98 of 150, about 65%) is the line you personally have to clear.

What the national rate tells you, and what it doesn't

Did the CST pass rate go down?

Yes. The rate fell 3.2 percentage points from 2024 to 2025, from 71.8% to 68.6%. It was the lowest of the five years.

NBSTSA's certification-data report does not explain the changes, so don't read a cause into them. The current content outline took effect January 1, 2023 (CST content outline, p. 3). The table spans that boundary and the different passing standards documented in 2019 and 2023. This is a record of what happened, not a measure of whether the exam got harder.

How many people didn't pass on the first try?

About 3 in 10. Subtracting 68.6% from 100% leaves 31.4%. That is simple arithmetic on a rounded rate. It is not an official fail count, and it is not the share who never earn the CST. The report does not track what happened to those candidates on later attempts.

Is 68.6% your chance of passing?

No. It's an average across everyone who sat the exam for the first time that year. The report does not break results down by program quality, time since graduation, or study effort.

None of that tells you about your own preparation.

What it does tell you is that roughly 3 in 10 first-timers fall short. That is reason enough to study the whole content outline, not just the parts you like. It is not a reason to treat the exam like a coin toss.

Here is where the 150 scored questions come from (NBSTSA CST overview; content outline):

Intraoperative procedures alone make up 68 of the 150 scored items, almost half the scored exam.

Is there a 2026 pass rate or a retake pass rate?

Neither appears in NBSTSA's certification-data report as of October 15, 2026. A school's "2026" label does not by itself establish a 2026 national result—or even a 2026 graduating class. For example, ARC/STSA's 2026 Annual Report collects outcomes for students who graduated from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2025.

Why do schools post 90% or 100% CST pass rates?

The school's number and the national number can both be accurate. They usually describe different groups.

A school's disclosure may cover a graduating class, a reporting year, or several classes. The national rate covers NBSTSA's first-time testing population. Attempt definitions can differ too: Herzing's CST disclosure says its rates are based on all test attempts, not just first attempts.

CAAHEP-accredited surgical technology programs have their own benchmark. ARC/STSA reviews these programs for CAAHEP accreditation. Its outcomes policy requires:

• at least 70% of graduates to pass the CST on the first attempt
• 100% of graduates to take the exam

ARC/STSA reports by a year that runs August 1 to July 31. A program that stays below a threshold for three or more years goes through a formal review (ARC/STSA Outcomes Policy, pp. 1–4). That is why "70%" comes up so often in program materials.

Five questions to ask before comparing a school's rate

1. Which exam? Is it the NBSTSA CST, not another surgical tech credential?
2. Which year or class? Is it one class, one reporting year, or several years combined?
3. Which attempts? Is it first-attempt passes, or passes after retakes too?
4. How many passed, out of how many tested? A percentage without both counts hides the size of the group.
5. Who was left out? How many enrolled, how many graduated, and how many actually tested?

Worked example, using made-up classes: Class A has 8 of 8 passing, which is 100%. Class B has 80 of 100 passing, which is 80%. Assume both count first attempts over the same reporting period.

• Averaging the two percentages gives 90%.
• Counting every candidate gives 88 of 108, about 81.5%.

Those are two different questions. The second is the combined candidate pass rate for these two made-up classes, not a reconstruction of NBSTSA's national rate. Neither number proves one program is better. In a class of 8, one result moves the rate by 12.5 points.

For published rates from dozens of programs, with the passed and tested counts where schools give them, see CST Pass Rates by Surgical Technology Program.

What to do next

If you're preparing: Open NBSTSA's CST content outline to see every topic area. Then fill out NBSTSA's CST Study Evaluation, a one-page worksheet where you rate your own confidence in each subject. It helps you pick what to review. It does not predict whether you'll pass.

When you use practice tests from any source, a percentage tells you how you did on those questions. It is not a predicted CST score.

If you didn't pass: You can test up to three times in a calendar year, counting your first attempt. You pay the full testing fee each time. There is no waiting period before you can apply to retest, though approval and scheduling still take time (2025 CST Candidate Handbook, p. 9). Review your score report and use the content outline to plan what to study before you reapply through NBSTSA's application process.

When results arrive: It depends on where you test and whether graduation documentation has been received (handbook, p. 8).

• On campus: your score is released after you complete your graduation requirement and your school releases it. NBSTSA must receive the required proof of graduation first (2026 On-Campus Examination Guide, PDF p. 2).
• At a testing center as a post-graduate: you may get a score report on test day if you submitted your own transcripts. The handbook describes this as usually more than 45 days after graduation, not a guaranteed same-day result.

If you're wondering whether you need the CST to work: Check both your state's rules and the employer's requirements; employers may require or prefer certification even where state rules differ (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). See Surgical Technologist Certification Requirements by State.

Sources

• NBSTSA Certification Data (PDF) — national CST and CSFA results, 2021–2025
• NBSTSA Reports — official index linking the data report and standard-setting reports
• NBSTSA CST Certification overview — exam format, passing score, subject areas
• 2025 CST Candidate Handbook — results timing p. 8, retesting p. 9, format p. 11
• NBSTSA CST Content Outline — effective January 1, 2023
• CST Standard Setting Report 2023, p. 5 and 2019 summary, PDF p. 6 — passing scores of 98 and 102
• NBSTSA CST Study Evaluation — one-page self-rating worksheet
• 2026 On-Campus Examination Guide, PDF p. 2 — graduation-proof requirement for score release
• ARC/STSA Outcomes Threshold, Reporting and Assessment Policy — reporting year p. 1, surgical technology thresholds p. 2, review process pp. 3–4
• ARC/STSA Annual Reporting — the graduation period covered by the 2026 Annual Report
• Herzing Non-Nursing Pass Rates — the attempt definition in its 2025 surgical technology disclosure
• BLS: Surgical Assistants and Technologists — certification preferences and state regulation, “How to Become One”

What we checked: NBSTSA's published national data, the current passing score and its history, the current content outline, and the handbook's retest and results rules, all on October 15, 2026. We also checked the on-campus graduation-proof rule and ARC/STSA's current outcomes policy and reporting-year guidance. We report NBSTSA's aggregate figures as published. We did not audit NBSTSA's candidate records. How Castleport checks exam claims

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), ARC/STSA, or CAAHEP. Exam and credential names identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page does not guarantee an exam result, certification, or employment.