The exam itself
CRCST vs CBSPD
Two certifications for the same job, compared only on what each body actually publishes.
The short answer
CRCST is issued by HSPA and CSPDT by the CBSPD, for the same job. The CRCST costs $140 and requires 400 hands on hours, which you may complete after passing. The CSPDT costs $135 and requires 12 months of employment or a completed training course before you may sit. Read from both bodies on August 8, 2026.
SterileExam is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by either HSPA or the CBSPD. Everything below was read on each organisation's own page on the date shown.
| CRCST (HSPA) | CSPDT (CBSPD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $140 | $135 |
| Questions | 150 | 150 |
| Time allowed | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Published passing score | Not published | 70 scaled |
| How you qualify to sit | 400 hands on hours, or sit first under provisional certification | 12 months of employment, or a completed training course |
| Certification lasts | 1 year, renewed annually | 5 years |
Where the 70% myth comes from
Search whether you need 70% to pass the CRCST and you will find that number everywhere. It is not HSPA's number. The CBSPD publishes a passing scaled score of 70 for the CSPDT, which is a different exam from a different organisation.
For the CRCST, the cut is set by Angoff, supplemented by the Beuk Relative-Absolute Compromise method
and the candidate receives a pass or a fail rather than a score. The detail is on the exam page.
The difference that actually decides it
Not the fee, which is five dollars apart. It is the door.
The CSPDT asks for 12 months of employment performing sterile processing work, or the completion of a training course, before you are allowed to sit. The CRCST asks for 400 hands on hours, which is roughly ten weeks of full time work, and it lets you sit the exam before you have them: Provisional Certification: I will complete the required 400 hours of hands-on experience within 6 months of passing the certification exam.
If you are already working in a department, both are reachable. If you are trying to get in, those are very different requirements.
One more practical difference
The CBSPD runs fixed exam windows with published application deadlines, and the application has to be printed and mailed rather than submitted online. Missing a deadline means waiting for the next window. Check the current dates on their own page before planning around either credential.
What this page deliberately does not compare
- Difficulty. CBSPD does not publish a pass rate for the CSPDT exam. HSPA publishes a pass rate and the CBSPD does not, so any comparison would be a number set against an absence.
- Scored question counts. HSPA does not publish how many of the CRCST's questions are unscored pretest items, so the scored counts cannot be compared. The CBSPD states that 25 of its 150 are unscored pretest items, which is more disclosure than the other side offers, not a reason to assume the difference.
- Employer preference. Neither body publishes it, and it varies by market.
So which one
This site prepares people for the CRCST, and says so rather than pretending to be neutral. The reason is the entry route above: it is the credential you can pursue before you have a year in the department. If you already have that year and your employer names the CSPDT, the honest answer is to sit the one they name.
Common questions
What is the difference between CRCST and CSPDT?
They are two different certifications from two different bodies for the same job. CRCST comes from HSPA and CSPDT from the CBSPD. The largest practical difference is how you qualify: the CRCST asks for 400 hands on hours and lets you sit the exam first, while the CSPDT asks for 12 months of employment or the completion of a training course.
Do you need 70% to pass the CRCST?
No, and the figure appears to be borrowed from the other certification. The CBSPD publishes a passing scaled score of 70 for the CSPDT. HSPA publishes no passing score for the CRCST at all, and candidates receive a pass or fail rather than a number.
Which certification do employers want?
That varies by employer and by region, and neither body publishes data on employer preference. Anyone giving you a confident national answer is guessing. What can be checked is what each certification costs, requires and lasts, which is what this page compares.
Which exam is harder?
This page does not answer that, because it cannot be answered from published data. HSPA publishes a pass rate for the CRCST and the CBSPD does not publish one for the CSPDT, so a comparison would be a number set against an absence.