How Much Does the CST Exam Cost? $340, the $220 Student Rate From 2027, Retakes and Renewal

The CST exam fee is $340. NBSTSA, which owns the surgical tech certification exam, lists two lower first-time rates: $230 for active members of the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) and $160 for military students. A retake is $300 each time. From January 5, 2027, NBSTSA expects to add a $220 rate for students. The rest of this guide shows what each route adds up to and where a fee can be lost.

CST exam fees, as checked on November 6, 2026

The amounts come from NBSTSA's FAQ and its application page, which agree with each other. A few details from the same pages:

• Full payment is due when you apply. NBSTSA accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, credit or debit, including a card in someone else's name. The FAQ also mentions check and money order.
• The AST discount is for first-time test takers. The retake fee is $300 whether or not you are a member. AST sets its own membership dues, which NBSTSA's pages don't list, so check them with AST before you count the $110 difference as savings.
• Rush is not for everyone. The 2026 exam application, as checked on October 28, 2026, offers rush processing to first-time test takers only.

The steps that go with these fees, from proof of graduation to the Authorization to Test (ATT), are in the CST application guide.

What changes on January 5, 2027: the $220 student rate

NBSTSA's educator FAQs say that from January 5, 2027, NBSTSA alone is expected to handle student registration, and that students will pay a discounted $220 instead of the regular $340. Students won't need an AST membership to get that rate. The same page says the $230 AST member rate continues, and that AST Gold Bundles paid for on or before December 31, 2026 will be honored, so a prepaid exam in one of those bundles isn't lost.

Two things NBSTSA had not published as of November 6, 2026: who counts as a student for the $220 rate, and whether students get a different retake fee. Until it does, plan a retake at $300. The CST 2027 student registration guide follows the change in detail.

What a CST attempt adds up to, by route

These totals are Passy arithmetic on NBSTSA's listed fees. The second column adds NBSTSA's optional $75 Practice Exam Hub.

Add $85 to a first attempt if you pay for rush processing. A first attempt at $340 followed by one retake comes to $640, and for an AST member, $530. NBSTSA's policies allow no more than three tests in a calendar year, so the most a non-member can spend on exam fees in one year is $940: $340, then $300 twice.

That $300 is the reason to prepare for one attempt, not two. When full prep opens, the planned CST question bank will hold 975 questions with an explanation for every answer; checkout is not open yet, so there is nothing to buy today.

What official CST practice costs

NBSTSA's prepare page lists one paid study tool and several free ones:

• Practice Exam Hub, $75. A 150-question timed practice exam with explanations and a diagnostic report, with 60 days of access. The educator FAQs say additional purchases cost $75 each and repeat the same questions in the first year, so a second purchase buys little.
• Free from NBSTSA. The content outline, which ends with five sample questions, the Study Evaluation self-rating form and the reference list.
• Free from Passy. The 20 free CST practice questions and the CST study planner.

The CST practice test guide explains what the Hub includes and what Passy could confirm about buying it.

How a CST exam fee can be lost

• The processing fee never comes back. If NBSTSA finds you ineligible, the FAQ says it refunds the exam fee minus the $100 processing fee, and minus the $85 rush fee if you paid it.
• The ATT lasts six months. NBSTSA's policies set a six-month time limit on the Authorization to Test and require the total testing fee each time you test.
• The wrong ID ends the attempt. NBSTSA's On Test Day page says both IDs must be current and match the name on your ATT letter, and that without proper ID you are denied entry and forfeit your exam fee.
• Rescheduling and late arrival have their own rules. They come from the candidate handbook, and the application guide linked above sets them out.

If an attempt does end in a fail, the failed CST exam guide covers the retake application and timing. A retake is also where a record of your misses pays off: full CST prep is planned with a Fix It list that saves each question you miss.

What it costs to keep the CST

These fees are on NBSTSA's FAQ and its renewal page. Until January 5, 2027, continuing education credits go to AST first, and AST charges its own processing fees. NBSTSA's renewal and CE FAQs say that from January 5, 2027, you enter credits in your NBSTSA account with no separate CE processing fee. The CST renewal guide has the credit rules and deadlines.

Your next step on CST costs

Pick your route in the table above and write down the total, including a retake if you want a cautious budget. If you are a student and can choose when to apply, compare the fee you would pay now with the $220 rate expected from January 5, 2027, and ask your program director whether your class holds a prepaid bundle. Then put the money you've committed to work: the CST study guide lays out eight weeks by scored items, and you can see which of the three CST subject areas full prep will cover at launch.