The CBSPD technician exam, which leads to the CSPDT (Certified Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician), has 150 multiple-choice questions, 125 scored and 25 pretest, and you get three hours at a PSI test center. It costs $135 (CBSPD technician page), and the passing scaled score is 70 (CBSPD technician candidate bulletin, 2026).
CBSPD is the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution. Its technician exam is the main alternative to HSPA's CRCST.
CBSPD technician exam facts
| CSPDT exam | |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple choice: 125 scored, 25 pretest |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Where | On a computer at PSI test centers (2026 bulletin, Test Development and Administration) |
| Language | English only in the US |
| Fee | $135 |
| Passing score | Scaled score of 70 |
| When | One-week windows; February 1 to 6, 2027 is the next listed |
| Application | Printed and mailed; online applications are not accepted |
| Retake | Reapply and pay the full fee; not twice in the same window |
| Recertification | Every 5 years: 100 points and a $135 fee |
Sources: CBSPD's technician page and 2026 technician candidate bulletin. Checked November 4, 2026; CBSPD sets new dates each year.
Who can take it
You need to meet one of these before the application deadline:
- 12 months of full-time work (or equal part-time hours) in sterile processing, verified by your manager
- 6 months each of full-time work in a related allied health role and in sterile processing, verified by your manager
- A sterile processing technician training course passed with a grade of 70 or higher, shown by a certificate or grade from the instructor
- 12 months of healthcare product sales or service related to sterile processing, verified by your employer
The course route is the big difference from the CRCST. A course graduate can sit the CSPDT with no work hours, while the CRCST needs 400 hands-on hours before or within six months after the exam. See CRCST vs CBSPD for a full comparison.
What is on the exam
CBSPD's 2026 bulletin lists eight content areas. Decontamination, sterilization and preparation make up 53% of the exam.
| CBSPD content area | Share | Closest CRCST domain (HSPA 2023 outline) |
|---|---|---|
| Decontamination and Disinfection | 19% | Cleaning, Decontamination and Disinfection (21%) |
| Sterilization | 18% | Sterilization Process (21%) |
| Preparation and Handling | 16% | Preparation and Packaging (21%) |
| Roles and Responsibilities | 13% | No direct match by name |
| Sterile Storage, Inventory Management and Distribution | 11% | Sterile Storage, Transport and Inventory Management (9%) |
| Life Science | 9% | No domain of its own; microbiology is in Cleaning, anatomy in Professional Development |
| Ethics | 8% | Partly Professional Development (8%), which includes HIPAA |
| Patient Care Equipment | 6% | Patient Care Equipment and Distribution (5%) |
The last column is our own reading of the two outlines, not an official mapping. CBSPD sells its own technician study guide and says no study material is required to sit the exam.
Test windows and applying
CBSPD runs each exam in one-week windows. In 2026 they were in February, May, August and November, with deadlines about a week before each window. CBSPD's technician page lists the next window as February 1 to 6, 2027, with an application deadline of Tuesday, January 26, 2027.
- Applications must arrive at CBSPD's office in New Jersey by the deadline. CBSPD says the postmark doesn't count.
- After acceptance, you get an email or postcard with scheduling details, then book a seat with PSI for any day in the window.
- If that notice hasn't arrived seven days before the window, contact CBSPD.
Scoring and results
US candidates get an official pass or fail at the end of the exam. CBSPD reports results as scaled scores, where 70 or higher is a pass, so the number of questions you need right can differ slightly from one exam form to another. Passing candidates don't get a numeric score; certificates are mailed within six weeks of the window's last day. Failing candidates get their score and a report showing weak areas.
CBSPD publishes yearly counts. In 2025, 4,004 people took the technician exam and 1,928 passed, or 48.1% (CBSPD exam statistics).
Retakes and recertification
If you fail, you register again, pay the full fee and retake the whole exam. You can test as often as you like, but not more than once in the same window.
The CSPDT is valid for five years. To recertify, you need 100 points over that period and a $135 fee, per CBSPD's 2026 recertification packet; the 2026 bulletin still says $125, so confirm before you pay. Work counts: the bulletin's recertification section awards 10 points a year for full-time sterile processing work, 5 for part-time (at least 20 hours a week) and 3 for per diem (at least 6 days a month), up to 50 points over five years. If you don't recertify in time, the bulletin says you must retake the exam.
Other CBSPD exams
CBSPD's statistics page also lists exams for flexible endoscope reprocessors (CFER), surgical instrument specialists (CSIS), sterile processing management and ambulatory surgery technicians (CASSPT). CBSPD calls the technician exam its introductory certification for sterile processing.
Practice for the CBSPD exam
We don't have a practice set weighted to CBSPD's outline. Our questions follow HSPA's CRCST outline. The content overlaps a lot, though: five of CBSPD's eight areas match a CRCST domain by name, and together they make up 70% of the CBSPD exam. So the free CRCST diagnostic is still a fair check of where you stand on decontamination, sterilization, preparation, storage and patient care equipment. For Roles and Responsibilities, Life Science and Ethics, add CBSPD's own study guide.
Two free questions from our bank that fit both exams:
1. Life Science (CBSPD) / Cleaning and Decontamination (CRCST). Offering hepatitis B vaccine to sterile processing staff breaks the chain of infection at which link?
- A. Susceptible host
- B. Reservoir
- C. Portal of exit
- D. Mode of transmission
Answer: A. The chain of infection has six links: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry and susceptible host. A vaccinated worker is no longer a susceptible host for that virus. The vaccine doesn't change where the virus lives (B), how it leaves (C) or how it travels (D).
2. Sterilization (both exams). Why must items sterilized with ethylene oxide go through aeration before use?
- A. To cool the items down after a high-temperature cycle
- B. To dry condensate that forms during steam exposure
- C. To remove EO residues that are toxic to patients and staff
- D. To wait until the biological indicator result is read
Answer: C. Plastics and rubber absorb ethylene oxide during the cycle. Aeration passes warm, filtered air over the load so the gas leaves before anyone handles the items. EO is a low-temperature gas process, so A and B describe steam, and the BI result (D) is a separate check.
The diagnostic has 25 questions like these, untimed, and scores you in each CRCST domain. Read your scores against the table above: a low score in sterilization, for example, points to CBSPD's Sterilization area too. Then use the study guides for the domains where you score lowest.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the CBSPD exam?
The CBSPD technician exam has 150 multiple-choice questions. CBSPD's bulletin says 125 are scored and 25 are pretest questions. You have three hours.
What is the passing score for the CBSPD exam?
The passing scaled score is 70. CBSPD converts raw scores to a scale so results compare across exam forms. Passing candidates don't receive a numeric score.
How much does the CBSPD exam cost?
The CBSPD technician exam costs $135, according to CBSPD's technician page at cbspd.net/tech. Recertification every five years costs $135 under CBSPD's 2026 recertification packet.
Can I take the CBSPD exam without experience?
Yes, through the course route. CBSPD accepts completion of a sterile processing technician training course with a grade of 70 or higher as one of four eligibility options.
When is the next CBSPD exam?
CBSPD's technician page lists February 1 to 6, 2027, with an application deadline of Tuesday, January 26, 2027. In 2026 the windows were in February, May, August and November. Check cbspd.net before applying.
What is the CBSPD pass rate?
CBSPD's statistics page shows 1,928 of 4,004 technician candidates passed in 2025, or 48.1%. The figure was 50.4% in 2024.
We are not affiliated with HSPA and never see real exam questions. Every question is written from HSPA's public content outline and the standards it names, so nothing here is a leaked or recalled item. How we write questions
Questions? support@crcstready.com