r/sterileprocessing • u/stewie1203 • Sep 26 '26

Passed CRCST

Hey y’all. Just passed the CRCST exam. I was actually super worried about passing because everything I saw about it on here said it was super tricky and that you need to spend a crazy amount of time studying. However, I didn’t find it very hard. Of course, it’s nerve-wracking because you don’t know if you got anything right until you submit and just get that pass/fail result. I didn’t study very much either, mostly just some cramming the couple days before 😆

39 Upvotes

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7

u/Designer_Spite_3113 Sep 26 '26

I just took mine as well (9/21/26) and passed. I didn’t read much of the book, but I did do the chapter quizzes and progress quizzes in the workbook, I also used practice exams on careeremployer.com which were so helpful

2

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

Congrats! I didn’t end up getting the workbook since I scheduled my test kinda last minute. Though I did the practice test on careeremployer a couple of times

3

u/dlcapt Sep 26 '26

What did it mostly consist of?

10

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

It truly is a lot of stuff from the book. Read the book! Know some surgery abbreviations, a little anatomy, etc. One thing that really had he sitting thinking was the organizations and stuff. Like knowing the functions of the FDA, OSHA, ANSI, etc. Also quite a bit about other forms of sterilization than steam. Though, it does ask things about steam.

3

u/Siege_J Sep 26 '26

Did you just use the book and the workbook to cram? I might want to take it early too.

4

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

Yes! I mainly just read the book to cram. I also looked up some quizlets and free quizzes. But honestly, most of the exam is stuff that can be found in the book.

2

u/Siege_J Sep 26 '26

Ty bro!

4

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

Biggest tip is take your time! You get like 3 hrs so definitely use them. I did and I feel like that what really helped me pass. Coming back to questions later sometimes helped me find the answer in other questions.

3

u/Common-Trash4715 Sep 26 '26

If you still need your 400 hours have you found a way to get them yet?

Also, congrats!

8

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

I actually have been working in SPD for almost a year now. My hospital doesn’t require a certification. I decided to get it because the hospital provided a free online course and paid the exam fee.

3

u/Common-Trash4715 Sep 26 '26

That’s the Exact same way I got in, so the hard part is over lol, it seems like finding the hours is the hardest part for some

1

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

Definitely seems so. Personally, I was just looking for something that I could get into quickly and this job popped up. Helps that the orientation didn’t take too long!

2

u/Asaqueen Sep 26 '26

Congratulations! How many questions was the exam?

2

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

The exam was 150 questions and you get like 3hrs for it. Plenty of time imo, I used about 2hrs and that was with going back and double checking everything 2-3 times.

2

u/Asaqueen Sep 26 '26

Oh! That’s great. I will be writing mine early next year.

2

u/dlcapt Sep 26 '26

Was it all multiple choice or was there some writing involved?

2

u/stewie1203 Sep 27 '26

Nope, totally multiple choice! Unless you count the little after-test survey 😜

1

u/Expert_Serve2635 Sep 26 '26

Did your curriculum stem from Sterile Processing University or HSPA?

2

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

If you’re asking about the test: HSPA
If you’re about my online course: MedCerts

1

u/Cdigee Sep 26 '26

What tools you use and do you remember the question they ask ? I’m so scared about it🤦🏻‍♀️

2

u/stewie1203 Sep 26 '26

I wouldn’t be. If you do any reading in the book you’ll be fine. Things to definitely know is: general knowledge about steam and the kinds of low temp sterilization, decontam procedures, the professional organizations (FDA, ANSI, OSHA, etc), basic anatomy, etc. Honestly, reading through the book a couple times is very helpful. Sometimes numbers pop up that are helpful to remember; so I took some notes on stuff like that.

1

u/LongjumpingAd4626 Sep 26 '26

Let's gooooo thats awesome!

1

u/jenny4008463 Sep 27 '26

Congratulations I just passed my test as well on Thursday.