Am I Ready for the CBSPD? Free 25-Question Readiness Quiz

Published 2026-11-04 · Facts and text checked 2026-11-02 · Questions from our CBSPD study guide · Reviewed by Hana N., Quality Reviewer

Take this free 25-question CBSPD readiness quiz and see your score, a verdict of ready, almost or not yet, and the topics to study next. The questions come from our CBSPD study guide and are corrected when you finish. No account is needed, and the verdict is our study target, not an official score.

The official passing standard
Fact	Value and source
Passing score	Passing scaled score of 70CBSPD: SPD Technician Certification Exam (CSPDT) · checked 2026-10-12

Question 1 of 25

Under Standard Precautions, which body substance is NOT considered potentially infectious?

A.SweatB.FecesC.BloodD.Saliva

Question 2 of 25

While receiving a contaminated transport cart, the decontamination technician notices a wet spot on the outside of a closed transport container. What is the correct first response?

A.Treat the entire container as contaminated on the outside and put on gloves before opening itB.Open the container and remove the instruments before the soil dries furtherC.Place the container into a secondary biohazard bag and continue receiving other containers firstD.Wipe the wet spot with a low-level disinfectant and open the container without additional PPE

Question 3 of 25

Which condition can cause a steam sterilizer to display a correct sterilizing temperature while the pressure reads below the expected range, and why is that condition hazardous?

A.Compressed air, because it raises pressure without raising temperatureB.Flash steam, because it condenses too quickly on the chamber wallC.Superheated steam, because it behaves more like dry air and transfers heat less effectively to the loadD.Saturated steam, because it contains too much moisture and cools the load

Question 4 of 25

During a procedure, the scrub nurse uses the lid and base of a rigid container to present instruments to the surgical field. Which container feature most directly supports this practice?

A.The container's heavy weight keeps it steady on the Mayo stand.B.The latch system holds the container closed in storage and opens into two stable, rigid presentation surfaces.C.The filter on the lid releases sterilant during the case.D.The gasket creates a waterproof seal that protects instruments after opening.

Question 5 of 25

At the assembly table, a technician places the last instrument into a 75-item orthopedic set. Following the standard count sheet procedure, what must the technician do at this point?

A.Mark the last item on the count sheet, then wrap the tray before signing anythingB.Initial the count sheet, then ask a second technician to verify all 75 items before wrappingC.Place the unsigned count sheet inside the tray so the count travels with the setD.Sign or initial the count sheet immediately after the last item is placed, having marked each item as it went into the tray

Question 6 of 25

A Type 5 integrating indicator is placed inside a rigid container. Which statement correctly describes what the indicator does upon reaching its endpoint?

A.It proves that bacterial spores inside the container were destroyed.B.It responds only to the sterilization temperature, ignoring time and steam contact.C.It verifies that the container entered the sterilizer, similar to a Type 1 process indicator.D.It responds to all critical sterilization parameters and indicates that the required sterilizing conditions were present.

Question 7 of 25

Which personal protective equipment set meets AORN recommendations for staff working in the decontamination area?

A.Clean scrubs, a hair cover, and a surgical maskB.Fluid-resistant gown, heavy-duty utility gloves, a face shield or splash goggles, and shoe coversC.N95 respirator and shoe covers onlyD.Surgical mask, cloth gloves, and cloth gown

Question 8 of 25

Why is 300-series austenitic stainless steel generally less suitable than 400-series for the cutting edges of surgical instruments?

A.It cannot be sharpened at allB.It is softer and less suited to cutting edgesC.It contains no chromium and will rust immediatelyD.It is too brittle to hold an edge

Question 9 of 25

For a pre-vacuum steam sterilizer, which test must be run daily, before the first load, as part of routine quality monitoring?

A.A Bowie-Dick air removal testB.A biological indicator testC.A pressure leak test of the sterilizer's vacuum pumpD.A protein residue test on the chamber

Question 10 of 25

A surgical instrument arrives at decontamination with dried blood on its hinge. A technician skips the cleaning step and places the instrument in a steam sterilizer. The biological indicator returns negative, yet the instrument may still transmit infection. What is the best explanation?

A.The instrument was classified as semicritical instead of criticalB.Residual organic soil protected embedded microorganisms from the sterilant, so sterilization could not be achievedC.The instrument was not high-level disinfected before sterilizationD.The steam sterilizer temperature was too low, and the biological indicator gave a false negative

Question 11 of 25

A manometer reading in the sterile storage room shows a pressure differential of zero compared with the adjacent decontamination area. Dust has begun to appear on packages near the door. What is the most likely cause?

A.The room temperature is too high, causing dust to become airborneB.The chemical indicators are reacting to the humidityC.The shelf is wire mesh, allowing dust to fall from aboveD.Positive pressure has been lost, so air from the decontamination area can enter

Question 12 of 25

A surgical instrument that enters sterile tissue is classified as critical under the Spaulding system. Which processing level must it receive?

A.SterilizationB.Intermediate-level disinfectionC.High-level disinfectionD.Cleaning and low-level disinfection

Question 13 of 25

In device reprocessing, why is cleaning considered the first and most critical step?

A.Residual soil on a device can prevent high-level disinfection or sterilization from being effectiveB.Cleaning is faster when performed after sterilizationC.High-level disinfection removes all soil, making cleaning unnecessaryD.Cleaning replaces the need for high-level disinfection

Question 14 of 25

Which set of parameters is standard for dry heat sterilization in a forced-air oven?

A.160°C to 170°C for 60 to 120 minutesB.121°C for 30 minutesC.132°C for 4 minutesD.37°C to 63°C for 1 to 6 hours

Question 15 of 25

During the square fold wrapping method, which sequence of corner folds produces a secure package?

A.Bottom, left, right, topB.Bottom, top, left, rightC.Top, bottom, right, leftD.Left, right, bottom, top

Question 16 of 25

A loaner set arrives from an outside vendor for an upcoming surgery. What is the first step the receiving technician should take with this loaner set?

A.Place the set directly on the sterilizer cart if it is in a rigid container.B.Count every item against the vendor's inventory list.C.Rewrap the set using facility packaging before counting.D.Attach a facility tray label to each instrument.

Question 17 of 25

A pre-vacuum sterilizer exposure phase lasts 3 minutes instead of the required 4 minutes at 132°C to 135°C. The biological indicator for the load is negative. Which statement about releasing this load is correct?

A.The load may be released if all Type 4 indicators reached their endpointsB.The load may be released after the drying phase is extendedC.The load must be reprocessed because the physical record alone is grounds for rejectionD.The load may be released because the biological indicator is negative

Question 18 of 25

A tray's external chemical indicator has reached its endpoint color. Which statement accurately describes the value of this result?

A.No biological indicator is needed for this loadB.The item is sterile and ready for useC.The load meets all AAMI release criteriaD.The tray has been exposed to the sterilization process

Question 19 of 25

While transporting a rigid laparoscope from the operating room to the decontamination area, which practice is correct?

A.Place it loose in a mesh-bottom basin with other instrumentsB.Keep it in a protective container or tray designed for endoscopesC.Coil the light cable around the shaft to keep it organizedD.Hold it by the lens end to avoid bending the shaft

Question 20 of 25

A team plans to track the rate of incomplete sets returned from the operating room. Before any data are collected, which step is essential to ensure consistent measurement?

A.Selecting the target rate for the next quarterB.Defining exactly what counts as an incomplete set and what denominator to useC.Training the surgical team to report all missing instrumentsD.Identifying the most common missing instrument

Question 21 of 25

A steam sterilizer load containing an implantable cardiac device is removed after the cycle, and the biological indicator later shows a positive result. What must the sterile processing department do with the items in that load?

A.Wipe each item with high-level disinfectant and return it to the operating room.B.Return the items to sterile storage and repeat the biological indicator test in the next load.C.Recall all items from the load and reprocess them, and investigate the sterilization failure.D.Release the items because the biological indicator may have been contaminated.

Question 22 of 25

A sterilization load contains an implantable device. What must be present before the device can be released for use?

A.A biological indicator that returns a negative resultB.An extended dry time of at least 30 minutesC.A signed verification from the manufacturerD.A chemical indicator strip that changed color

Question 23 of 25

A technician has finished processing instruments in the decontamination area and is about to enter the clean assembly area. What is the correct action regarding PPE?

A.Change only the outer gloves, then enter the assembly area.B.Remove all decontamination PPE before entering the clean work area.C.Keep the same PPE on because the processed tray is clean and cannot contaminate the assembly area.D.Remove the PPE only after reaching the storage zone in the clean assembly area.

Question 24 of 25

You are a scrub nurse in an operating room just after a procedure. A used hemostat has visible blood on its jaws. Which action is outside the scope of point-of-use treatment?

A.Applying an enzymatic spray designed for transport to the instrument.B.Disinfecting the instrument with a germicidal wipe before placing it in the transport container.C.Wiping gross soil from the instrument with a sterile water-moistened gauze.D.Placing the instrument in a container and covering it with a sterile water-moistened towel.

Question 25 of 25

In a gravity-displacement steam sterilizer, steam enters near the top and air is exhausted near the bottom. What physical principle allows this to happen?

A.Steam is less dense than the air it replaces, so it rises and forces the heavier air downward and out through the bottom drainB.The high velocity of the incoming steam forces air out through the top inletC.At the same temperature and pressure, steam is heavier than air, so it sinks and displaces air upwardD.A vacuum pump pulls the air downward before steam is introduced

Answer at least 15 questions to get a verdict.

How the verdict works: 80% or more correct = ready, 65-79% = almost, below 65% = not yet. It is a conservative bar for practice, not the official passing score. The questions are corrected on our server; none of them appears with its answer on our other CBSPD pages.

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