Study guide
CRCST study guide: study in weight order
A CRCST study plan that follows the published domain weights, from the three 21% domains down to the 5% one. Includes a five-question practice quiz.
Last reviewed November 4, 2026
A practical order
Start with the three 21 percent domains: cleaning and disinfection, preparation and packaging, and sterilization. Then departmental considerations at 15 percent. Then storage and inventory at 9 percent, professional practice at 8 percent, and patient-care equipment at 5 percent. That order follows the points available on the exam, not the order of a textbook chapter.
For each domain, learn the decision the technician is responsible for. In decontamination that is PPE, sorting, cleaning according to the IFU, and proving the washer or ultrasonic ran. In sterilization it is cycle choice, load configuration, and reading physical, chemical, and biological monitors before the set is released.
What not to do
Do not memorize a single temperature for every sterilizer. The CDC publishes recognized minimum exposure periods for wrapped supplies, 30 minutes at 121°C in a gravity displacement sterilizer, or 4 minutes at 132°C in a prevacuum sterilizer, and then tells you the device IFU and the load still govern the cycle you select. Do not copy someone else's flashcard deck. Build the habit of checking the citation.
Try five questions
Five original questions. Answer each one to see the explanation and its public source. The full bank has 491.
Cleaning, Decontamination and Disinfection
A technician shortens a high-level disinfectant soak because the device looked clean and the schedule is behind. Why is that unsafe?
Common questions
Do I have to buy the HSPA manual?
No. HSPA says work experience alone can be enough to apply. The manual, ST79, and AORN guidelines are the references they list. CRCST Practice is an extra practice layer, not a substitute for those sources or for the 400 hours.
How long should I study?
People with daily SPD experience often need less reading and more targeted practice on the domains they do not rotate through. Provisional candidates still need the hours.