This CSFA cheat sheet distills the NBSTSA Certified Surgical First Assistant exam into a printable rundown of the facts examiners test most, organized by the three scored content domains. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free CSFA toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
CSFA exam at a glance
- Questions: 175 multiple-choice (150 scored + 25 unscored pretest)
- Time: About 4 hours; breaks allowed but not added back
- Passing score: Criterion-referenced pass/fail — minimum correct set by NBSTSA (verify the current number at nbstsa.org)
- Cost: Exam fee ~$240 AST member / ~$350 non-member + $60 application fee (dated anchor — verify at nbstsa.org)
What’s on the CSFA cheat sheet
- Perioperative Care (83 of 150 items, ~55%) — aseptic technique and sterile boundaries, retraction and traction/counter-traction, the methods of hemostasis, suture selection, and wound closure — the single largest domain.
- Advanced Science (46 items, ~31%) — advanced anatomy and physiology, malignant hyperthermia and anesthesia, the four types of shock, pharmacology, microbiology, and wound healing.
- Ancillary Duties (21 items, ~14%) — monopolar vs bipolar electrosurgery and energy devices, surgical smoke and OR fire safety, and professional, legal, and ethical duties.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Perioperative Care — it's 83 of 150 scored items (about 55%), and Intraoperative Procedures alone is 67. Master sterile boundaries, exposure, hemostasis, and closure first.
- Drill the highest-yield pairs until they're reflexes: free tie vs suture (stick) tie, absorbable vs non-absorbable suture, monopolar vs bipolar electrosurgery.
- Rehearse the two emergencies that always show up — rising end-tidal CO₂ as the earliest sign of malignant hyperthermia (dantrolene is the antidote), and the four types of shock.
- Read the sheet the morning of the exam for a last pass, then pair each review with a short timed practice set to keep your four-hour pacing sharp.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your CSFA practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
CSFA cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the CSFA cheat sheet downloads as a PDF with no sign-up and no account required. It sits alongside Career Employer's free CSFA practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole review layer is free in one place.
It compresses the highest-yield Certified Surgical First Assistant facts into a fast-scan reference: sterile boundaries and surgical conscience, retraction and traction/counter-traction, the mechanical/thermal/chemical methods of hemostasis, suture selection, monopolar vs bipolar electrosurgery, malignant hyperthermia, and the four types of shock — grouped by the three NBSTSA scored domains.
It's built from the current NBSTSA CSFA Examination Content Outline and reviewed against it, so the domain item counts and high-yield facts track the live exam. Fees and policies change, so verify the current details at nbstsa.org before you apply.
No — it's a cram and quick-reference layer, not a full course. The CSFA scores 150 of 175 questions in about four hours across applied first-assistant judgment, so use the sheet to lock in facts and the practice test to build readiness before you book.
Tap the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up again in your final week before the exam.
References
- 1.National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). “Surgical First Assistant Certifying Examination Content Outline (2024).” nbstsa.org, 2024. ↑
- 2.National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). “CSFA Certification & Eligibility.” nbstsa.org. ↑
- 3.Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). “About Surgical Assisting & Standards of Practice.” ast.org. ↑
- 4.Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS). “Managing an MH Crisis.” mhaus.org. ↑
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