The CST Exam in 2027: Outline, Passing Score, and Forms Confirmed So Far

Nothing NBSTSA has published as of October 25, 2026 changes the CST exam itself for 2027. The content outline linked from NBSTSA's prepare page is still the one marked "Effective 1/1/2023," and the passing score is still 98 correct out of 150 scored questions, effective January 1, 2024. What is confirmed as new for 2027 is on the registration side: NBSTSA says it expects to run student registration itself from January 5, 2027, with a $220 student fee, which has its own guide.

What a 2027 CST candidate takes, as confirmed on October 25, 2026

Sources for the table: the outline, NBSTSA's prepare page, certification page, On Test Day page, application page and educator FAQs. The registration change is covered step by step in the CST 2027 student registration guide.

Passy's planned CST practice is built on that same 2023 outline, so you can see how full CST prep follows the current outline and compare it with what NBSTSA lists for your test date.

New CST forms each January are not a new exam

NBSTSA's exam development guide describes a yearly cycle: committees write and review items throughout the year, finish in December, and new test forms launch the following January. In years without a new standard setting, NBSTSA uses statistical equating so each new form is as difficult as the last. The December 2023 standard-setting report adds that later forms are built from the 2023 base form, parallel to it and following the outline's item counts.

What this means for you: a 2027 form will likely contain questions you would not have seen on a 2026 form, but unless NBSTSA announces otherwise it is built to the same outline and the same 98-of-150 standard. NBSTSA describes the January launch as its yearly routine; it has not published a notice specific to the 2027 forms.

How the current CST outline came about: the 2022 to 2024 cycle

The last full cycle shows what a real change looks like. Dates come from the job analysis report, the outline and the standard-setting report:

NBSTSA's reports page still lists the 2022 job analysis and the 2023 standard setting as its latest CST studies. None of the pages checked shows when NBSTSA first announced the 2023 outline, so past cycles do not tell you how much notice to expect.

If you want to rehearse under today's rules rather than wait for a future cycle, the CST prep page lists the 175-question, 4-hour mock exam planned for launch.

When could the CST outline change next?

NBSTSA states its cycle in more than one way. The exam development guide says it performs a new job analysis every 4 to 5 years in its text and every 5 to 7 years in its life-cycle graphic, and the 2023 job analysis report says 5 to 7 years. Counting 4 to 7 years from the 2022 survey points somewhere between 2026 and 2029. That is Passy arithmetic, not a date NBSTSA has given, and a new outline would come only after a new job analysis is finished.

If a change does come, keep three milestones apart:

1. Announcement. NBSTSA posts a new outline or a notice. As of October 25, 2026, there is none.
2. Effective date. The first exam forms built on a new outline. NBSTSA's guide says new forms launch in January and that a new cut score is announced together with the launch of new forms.
3. Retirement of the current outline. The last date the 2023-outline forms are given. Nothing has been set, because nothing has been announced.

Until NBSTSA posts at least an announcement with an effective date, treat any "new CST exam in 2027" claim as unconfirmed.

What the NBSTSA Practice Exam Hub is, and is not, for 2027

The "Coming soon" banner on NBSTSA's prepare page is for a prep product, not a new exam. The page describes the NBSTSA Practice Exam Hub as "Launched in late 2026" while still labeling it coming soon, and the educator FAQs say students can buy it starting January 2027. As checked on October 25, 2026, it is a $75, 150-question timed practice exam meant for one three-hour sitting, shorter than the real 175 questions in 4 hours. It is optional, and NBSTSA says practice results do not affect eligibility or become part of your certification record. Its access period, diagnostic report and place in the 2027 student setup are covered in the CST 2027 student registration guide.

How to prepare for a 2027 CST test date

• Study to the 2023 outline. The CST content outline guide breaks its 150 scored items into eight sub-areas.
• Check nbstsa.org twice. Look at the outline and prepare page when you apply and again before test day. If a new outline ever appears, compare its effective date with your ATT, which NBSTSA's policies limit to six months.
• Know how the attempt limit resets. NBSTSA limits candidates to three tests per calendar year, so attempts in 2026 do not count toward the three allowed in 2027.
• Build the plan around your date. The free CST study planner weights your weeks by the three subject areas, and you can compare the planned CST access periods for a 2027 test date; checkout is not open yet.