Certification

Sterile Processing Technician Certification: CRCST vs CSPDT

Which Sterile Processing Technician Certification Should You Get?

Sterile processing technician certification comes from two national bodies: HSPA, which awards the CRCST, and CBSPD, which awards the CSPDT. The CRCST is the one most programs train for (120 of the 212 programs verified in November 2026, against 46 for the CSPDT), and it needs 400 hands-on hours, which you can log before the exam or within six months after it. The CSPDT accepts a passed training course as one of its four eligibility routes. CER, CIS and CHL are credentials you add later. Compare the two entry exams on the CRCST guide and the CSPDT guide.

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated November 11, 2026

A needle holder, scissors and forceps laid in a row on a pale blue sterile wrap — Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels

Which Sterile Processing Certification Should You Take First?

For most people the first credential is the CRCST from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA, formerly IAHCSMM). Of the 212 sterile processing programs verified in November 2026, 120 name the CRCST as the exam they prepare you for. The CSPDT from the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) is named by 46, and 17 programs prepare you for both.

The exam the programs near you name is the clearest local signal of which credential to start with. The CSPDT has its biggest foothold in North Carolina, where 9 programs name it, followed by Illinois with 6 and New York and Texas with 4 each.

Here is how the two entry-level exams compare on the certifying bodies’ own pages.

	CRCST (HSPA)	CSPDT (CBSPD)
Exam fee	$140, retakes $140	$135, convenience fees may apply
Questions	150 multiple choice, 3 hours	150, including 25 unscored
Hands-on hours	400 in a sterile processing department	Not required if you pass a training course
Test before the hours?	Yes, as provisional, with 6 months to finish	A course alone qualifies you
How you apply	Online or paper, test at Prometric	Paper application by mail
Renewal	Every year: 12 CE credits and $50	Initial certification valid 5 years
Programs naming it	120	46

The short version: the CRCST asks more of you up front, because 400 hours in a real department is a lot of work, but it is the credential far more programs and job routes are built around. The CSPDT is faster to qualify for if a course is your only experience.

CRCST: Why the 400 Hours Shape Everything

HSPA requires 400 hours of hands-on experience in a sterile processing department, paid or volunteer, and it splits them by task area:

Decontamination: 120 hours
Preparing and packaging instruments: 120 hours
Sterilization and disinfection: 120 hours
Storage and distribution: 24 hours
Quality assurance: 16 hours

You can reach full certification two ways. Log the 400 hours within the five years before you apply, then test. Or pass the exam first and hold provisional CRCST status, then submit the hours within six months. Miss the six months and the provisional certification is forfeited. HSPA offers a one-time two-month extension only to people already working or volunteering in a department. Hours signed off by a technician or a private instructor do not count.

This is why a program’s clinical hours matter more than its classroom hours. Of the 120 CRCST-track programs, 37 build in at least 400 clinical hours, so you finish with the full requirement done. Delaware County Community College pairs 60 hours of Wednesday evening classes with a 400-hour placement for $1,295. Bergen Community College charges a $2,950 course fee for a 460-hour course that includes a required 400-hour unpaid clinical internship.

Other programs give you some hours and leave the rest to you. Wilson Community College includes 100 clinical hours for $348 in fees, and Guilford Technical Community College says its clinical or simulation portion does not count toward the 400. Plan your hours with the CRCST hours planner before you enroll. The full exam breakdown is on the CRCST certification guide.

CSPDT: Four Ways to Qualify

CBSPD lists four eligibility routes, and you need only one:

12 months of full-time work, or the part-time equivalent, doing sterile processing tasks, verified by your manager.
Six months each of allied health work and sterile processing work.
A sterile processing technician training course passed with a grade of 70 or higher.
12 months of healthcare product sales or service related to sterile processing.

The course route is the draw. You can sit for the CSPDT straight out of a short course without logging 400 hours first. That suits someone who wants a credential on the résumé before the first job.

North Carolina community colleges run some of the lowest-priced CSPDT courses in the country. Vance-Granville Community College runs an 11-week evening course for a $322.60 total that includes the book bundle, and it prepares you for both exams. Durham Technical Community College charges a $257.25 course fee for 216 contact hours, including 30 hours of clinical work at an offsite hospital. Three CSPDT programs include the exam voucher in the price, among them Corning Community College at $1,560 and Temple College at $2,234. More detail is on the CSPDT certification guide.

CER, CIS and CHL: Credentials You Add Later

HSPA calls the CRCST its introductory certification. The others build on it or sit beside it.

Credential	What it covers	Needs CRCST first?	Experience	Exam
CER (Certified Endoscope Reprocessor)	Reprocessing flexible endoscopes	No, it stands alone	3 months, paid or volunteer, within 3 years	$140, 150 questions
CIS (Certified Instrument Specialist)	Advanced surgical instrumentation	Yes, a full CRCST	200 hands-on hours, separate from CRCST hours	$140, 150 questions
CHL (Certified Healthcare Leader)	Leading a sterile processing department	Yes, a current CRCST	From October 2026: 2,080 hours in sterile processing or leadership, or an associate degree	$140, 150 questions

The CER is the only one you can take without a CRCST, which makes it useful for technicians who work mainly in endoscopy or GI units. Two programs in the set name it, including Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia, which pairs central sterile processing with endoscope reprocessing and reports an 89% endoscope reprocessing pass rate against a 62% international average.

The CIS and CHL are for later. You need a full CRCST, not a provisional one, plus experience, so they are a second or third step once you are working. CBSPD has its own parallel exams: a Surgical Instrument Specialist (CSIS), a GI Scope exam and a Management exam.

Sterile Processing Certifications by the Numbers

Credential	Certifying body	Programs naming it	Of those, with clinical hours	Exam fee included
CRCST: Certified Registered Central Service Technician	Healthcare Sterile Processing Association	120	101	10
CSPDT: Certified Sterile Processing and Distribution Technician	Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution	46	34	3
CER: Certified Endoscope Reprocessor	Healthcare Sterile Processing Association	2	2	0
CIS: Certified Instrument Specialist	Healthcare Sterile Processing Association	1	1	0

Certifications named on each program's own page, November 2026; a program can name both. 149 of the 212 programs name at least one.

How Programs Prepare You for the Exam

Programs differ less in what they teach than in how much of the path to certification they cover. These four points separate them:

Clinical hours. 164 of 212 programs include some clinical time, and 43 state 400 hours or more. A 400-hour program finishes the CRCST requirement for you.
Exam fee. 14 programs include the exam fee or a voucher in the price.
Textbook. 19 include the textbook. The CRCST track uses HSPA’s own manual.
Results. A few schools post their own pass rates.

Here are CRCST and CSPDT programs that cover the most ground, from the schools’ own pages.

Program	Exam	Clinical hours	Exam fee included	Published price
McHenry County College, IL	CRCST	400 after the exam	Yes	$1,999
Rowan College at Burlington County, NJ	CRCST	400	Yes, one attempt	$2,750 course fee
Delaware Technical Community College, DE	CRCST	400	Yes	$3,595
University of Central Missouri, MO	CRCST	400	Yes	$3,645
Alamo Colleges District, TX	CSPDT	112	Yes	$3,855

McHenry’s order is worth noticing: you pass the CRCST first, then complete a 400-hour clinical internship on a preceptor’s schedule, which is the provisional route built into the course.

For results, Lorain County Community College reports a 94.5% CRCST pass rate for 2024-2025 with 17 attempting. Santa Fe College reports that 20 of 22 graduates in its class of 2025 passed the certification exam. Nashville State Community College reports a 100% pass rate for 2023.

Sterile Processing Technician Certification Online

You can do much of the coursework online, but not the certification itself. The CRCST is a computer-based exam taken in person at a Prometric testing center, and every CRCST route ends with 400 hours inside a real department.

Of the 212 programs, 71 offer online or hybrid study and only 3 are fully online. Kishwaukee College in Illinois runs a 16-week online CSPDT course for a $1,300 total that includes textbooks and supplies. Lehman College in the Bronx offers an 80-hour online CRCST course with an optional clinical placement. Herzing University delivers 300 lecture hours online plus 120 lab hours, and its graduates can register for the CSPDT or the provisional CRCST.

An online CRCST course leaves you to find the 400 hours. That works well if you already work in a hospital, for example in environmental services or patient transport, and can move into the sterile processing department. It is harder if you have no hospital connection. See the online sterile processing programs for the full list.

Does Your State Require Certification?

Some states require sterile processing technicians to hold a national certification by law. Which credentials count, who is exempt and how long a new hire has to certify are set state by state, and each law is laid out from the statute itself on the sterile processing certification requirements by state guide, and the state certification checker answers it for your state in one step.

Even where no law applies, a hospital can make certification a condition of hire. The program pages in states like California and New Jersey show how many courses build in the full 400 hours.

What Certification Costs, and What It Costs to Keep

The exam fees are the fixed part: $140 for the CRCST and $135 for the CSPDT, with the same $140 charged for a CRCST retake. Course prices vary far more. Across the 85 programs with a published price, the range runs from $180 to $23,000, with a median of $2,095.

Once certified, the two bodies handle renewal differently:

HSPA: every year, 12 continuing education credits per credential and a $50 fee, however many HSPA credentials you hold.
CBSPD: your first certification is valid for five years.

If money is the main constraint, look first at programs that include the exam fee, because they remove a cost you would otherwise pay on top. The course cost calculator adds the exam, books and fees a course leaves out, and the course cost guide compares published prices.

How to Choose a Sterile Processing Certification Program

Use this checklist against each program you consider:

Which exam does it name? Match it to the credential employers near you list. 120 programs name the CRCST, 46 the CSPDT.
Does it include 400 clinical hours? Only 43 of 212 programs do. Without them you either find hours yourself or test as provisional and log them within six months.
Who arranges the clinical placement? At LaGuardia Community College the student secures the facility for the 400-hour internship; at JVS Boston the hours are completed with an employer partner.
Is the exam fee in the price? 14 programs include it.
Can you attend? 38 programs list evening sessions and 8 list weekend sessions.

Ready to compare programs near you? Start with the program finder, or read how to become a sterile processing technician for the full path from first class to first job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HSPA the Same as IAHCSMM?

Yes. The Healthcare Sterile Processing Association was formerly IAHCSMM. The CRCST, CER, CIS and CHL are the same credentials under the new name, and older textbooks and job posts still use IAHCSMM.

Can You Take the CRCST Exam Before You Have 400 Hours?

Yes. HSPA lets you pass the exam first and hold provisional CRCST status, then submit 400 hands-on hours within six months. If you miss that window the provisional certification is forfeited; a one-time two-month extension is open to people working or volunteering in a sterile processing department.

How Many Questions Are on the CRCST and CSPDT Exams?

Both have 150 multiple-choice questions. The CRCST gives you three hours at a Prometric testing center. The CSPDT's 150 include 25 unscored pretest questions.

Who Can Sign Off on CRCST Hours?

HSPA does not accept hours documented by technicians or private instructors. The hours have to be completed in a sterile processing department, on a paid or volunteer basis.

Does a Program Certificate Make You Certified?

No. A school's certificate or diploma shows you finished the course. Certification comes only from passing the HSPA or CBSPD exam, and some programs, such as McHenry County College, include that exam fee in the course price.

How Long Is a CBSPD Certification Valid?

CBSPD says initial certification is valid for five years. HSPA certifications renew every year with 12 continuing education credits per credential and a $50 renewal fee.