CRCST Infection Prevention Practice Questions (2026): 15 Free Questions with Answers

15 Free CRCST Infection Prevention Questions, Answered and Explained

Work through all 15 questions below. Every answer includes an explanation that cites its source. When you finish, head back to the full 50-question practice test.

1. Infection Prevention

   Question 1: Under OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard, the employer must offer the hepatitis B vaccination:

   • A) Only after an exposure incident
   • B) Within 10 working days of the employee initial assignment, at no cost
   • C) After one year of employment
   • D) Only to nurses and physicians
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   The vaccine is prevention, not treatment after the fact. OSHA requires it be offered within 10 working days of starting a job with occupational exposure, free of charge, and employees who decline sign a declination form. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

2. Infection Prevention

   Question 2: Immediately after a needlestick exposure to blood, the employee should:

   • A) Squeeze the wound hard to bleed it out
   • B) Wash the area with soap and water, flush mucous membranes with water if splashed, and report the incident right away
   • C) Wait to see if symptoms develop
   • D) Apply bleach to the wound
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Immediate washing reduces the inoculum, and prompt reporting starts the clock on medical evaluation and post-exposure follow-up. Squeezing or harsh chemicals damage tissue without removing the risk. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

3. Infection Prevention

   Question 3: OSHA prohibits recapping contaminated needles except when:

   • A) The employee is in a hurry
   • B) A one-handed scoop technique or a mechanical recapping device is used
   • C) The needle is visibly clean
   • D) No sharps container is nearby
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Two-handed recapping is a classic needlestick mechanism. The only acceptable exceptions keep both hands out of the needle path: scooping the cap with one hand or using a mechanical holder. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

4. Infection Prevention

   Question 4: A sharps container must be replaced when it is:

   • A) Completely full to the lid
   • B) Three-quarters full
   • C) Half full, to be extra safe
   • D) Only when housekeeping requests it
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   An overfilled container forces staff to push sharps down into a bed of needles, which is exactly how sticks happen. Replacing at three-quarters full keeps a safe margin below the lid. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

5. Infection Prevention

   Question 5: Standard Precautions require health care workers to treat:

   • A) Only blood from known infected patients as infectious
   • B) All blood and body fluids as potentially infectious, regardless of the patient diagnosis
   • C) Only surgical blood loss as infectious
   • D) Body fluids as infectious only in the OR
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Infections are often undiagnosed, so precautions cannot depend on a chart. Standard Precautions apply the same barrier protections to every patient, every time blood or body fluids may be encountered. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

6. Infection Prevention

   Question 6: OSHA requires handwashing immediately after glove removal because:

   • A) Gloves make hands sweat
   • B) Gloves can have tiny defects that let contaminants through
   • C) Soap is cheaper than gloves
   • D) It is a good time to take a break
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Even intact-looking gloves can have micro-tears, and contamination can occur during removal. Handwashing after doffing gloves is a required final barrier, not an optional extra. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

7. Infection Prevention

   Question 7: The correct order for donning PPE is:

   • A) Gloves, gown, mask, eye protection
   • B) Gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves
   • C) Mask, gloves, gown, eye protection
   • D) The order does not matter
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   PPE goes on from the body outward: gown first, then airway protection, then eyes, with gloves last so they cover the gown cuffs. This sequence keeps every layer doing its job. (Source: HSPA CRCST exam content outline)

8. Infection Prevention

   Question 8: Regulated medical waste, such as blood-soaked items, must be discarded in:

   • A) Regular trash bags
   • B) Leak-proof containers that are labeled or color-coded as biohazard
   • C) Recycling bins
   • D) Open cardboard boxes
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Regulated waste must be contained so it cannot leak or expose anyone during handling and transport. OSHA requires closable, leak-proof, labeled or color-coded containers for anything contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

9. Infection Prevention

   Question 9: OSHA requires the facility Exposure Control Plan to be:

   • A) Kept in the administrator office only
   • B) Written, accessible to employees, and reviewed and updated at least annually
   • C) Rewritten from scratch every month
   • D) Shared only with new hires
   Answer and explanation

   Correct answer: B

   The plan is the facility playbook for bloodborne pathogen safety. It must be in writing, available to every exposed employee, and revisited at least yearly so it reflects current procedures and technology. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

10. Infection Prevention

    Question 10: After an exposure incident, the employer must provide the exposed employee with:

    • A) Nothing, the employee handles it privately
    • B) A confidential medical evaluation and follow-up at no cost to the employee
    • C) Only a bandage from the first aid kit
    • D) A written warning
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    Post-exposure care is the employer responsibility, not the employee expense. OSHA requires a prompt confidential medical evaluation, testing of the source individual when possible, and follow-up, all at no cost. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

11. Infection Prevention

    Question 11: Contaminated PPE must be removed:

    • A) At home after the shift
    • B) Before leaving the work area
    • C) Only when visibly torn
    • D) In the cafeteria
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    PPE that leaves the work area carries contaminants into hallways, break rooms, and clean zones. OSHA requires removal before leaving, with disposal or laundering handled by the facility. (Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030)

12. Infection Prevention

    Question 12: Contact precautions for a patient with a wound infection require:

    • A) An N95 respirator and negative pressure room
    • B) Gown and gloves on room entry, with dedicated patient equipment when possible
    • C) No PPE at all
    • D) Only hand hygiene
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    Contact precautions block transmission by direct and indirect touch. Gown and gloves on entry keep clothing and hands clean, and dedicated equipment stops the pathogen from hitching a ride to the next patient. (Source: HSPA CRCST exam content outline)

13. Infection Prevention

    Question 13: A patient with active tuberculosis requires airborne precautions, which include:

    • A) A surgical mask and an open door
    • B) A fit-tested N95 respirator and a negative-pressure isolation room
    • C) Double gloves only
    • D) No precautions once treatment starts
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    TB spreads in tiny airborne particles that remain suspended in air. Airborne precautions pair a negative-pressure room, which keeps air from escaping to the hallway, with fit-tested N95 respirators that filter the particles staff would otherwise inhale. (Source: HSPA CRCST exam content outline)

14. Infection Prevention

    Question 14: A sterile package is found on the floor of the corridor. The technician must consider it:

    • A) Still sterile, since the floor was just mopped
    • B) Contaminated, and send it back for reprocessing
    • C) Sterile if the indicator changed color
    • D) Fine to use after wiping the outside
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    The floor is one of the most contaminated surfaces in the facility, and contact with it is a sterility-compromising event. Event-related sterility means any package that hits the floor is reprocessed, no matter how clean the floor looks. (Source: AAMI ST79)

15. Infection Prevention

    Question 15: Which of the following compromises the sterility of a sterile package?

    • A) Storing it in a closed cabinet
    • B) Moisture, a torn wrapper, or a broken seal
    • C) Writing the date on the label
    • D) Rotating stock first-in, first-out
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    Sterility is event-related, not time-related. Moisture wicks microbes through barriers, and any tear or broken seal opens a direct path for contamination, while intact, dry, properly stored packages remain sterile. (Source: AAMI ST79)

Back to the full 50-question free CRCST practice test

Sources

Every explanation on this page cites one of the references below. Always follow your facility's policies and the manufacturer instructions for use.

• AAMI ST79, Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities. Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne Pathogens standard. U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
• CDC Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008, updated 2019). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• HSPA CRCST Exam Content Outline. Healthcare Sterile Processing Association.

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