Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) Examination — exam facts
International (HSPA certification, based on US practice and standards)
Every source below was read on 2026-09-03
| Administering body | Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA), formerly IAHCSMM — exam delivered by Prometric The examination is delivered worldwide at Prometric test centers. Source: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 questions (125 scored, 25 unscored pretest) HSPA calls the unscored items pretest questions and states that they cannot be distinguished from the scored ones during the exam. Source: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
| Time limit | 180 minutes The Prometric tutorial does not consume exam time: HSPA states the test clock does not begin until after it. Source: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
| Passing score | Not published by HSPA Pass or fail is decided on the number of scored questions answered correctly. HSPA states that the passing point was set by the Angoff procedure supplemented by the Beuk relative-absolute compromise method and approved by its Certification Council, that it does not publish the number, and that it does not provide percentage scores — section results are reported only as “At or Above”, “Below” or “Well Below”. What we read and found nothing in: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
| Fees |
A retake costs the same as a first sitting. HSPA also states that every application includes a $25 non-refundable submission fee, but the handbook does not say whether that is carved out of the examination fee or added to it, so no combined total is stated here. Source: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
| Languages offered | English English only, and stated twice in the handbook. HSPA notes that the programme is open to international candidates but does not offer translated forms or ESL accommodations. Source: HSPA — Certification Handbook (PDF, revised January 2026) (2026-09-03) |
Change log
- 2026-09-03Fact sheet created from the HSPA Certification Handbook revised January 2026 (the PDF path still carries a 2024 filename). The passing-score row is recorded as not published.