Free CER Endoscope Reprocessor Practice Test 2026
200 original questions on the HSPA CER exam content outline: pre-cleaning, leak testing, manual cleaning, high-level disinfection, drying, storage and tracking. Four 50-question practice tests. Tuned for mobile. Free to start, no account needed.
Try one now
Pick an answer
What is a main patient benefit of an endoscopic procedure over open surgery?
Train on mobile
Test on desktop
The CER (HSPA) exam at a glance
The Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER) exam is the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association's (HSPA) certification exam for people who pre-clean, leak test, clean, inspect, disinfect or sterilize, transport and store endoscopes. HSPA's handbook gives it 150 multiple-choice questions, 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest items, taken on a computer at a Prometric test center in 3 hours. Pass or fail depends on the number of scored questions answered correctly against a passing point HSPA sets by the Angoff method and does not publish as a percentage. CER is a standalone certification: the CRCST is not required, but candidates need at least three months of hands-on endoscope reprocessing experience within the past three years, and certification is renewed every year with continuing education.
Tigertest has 200 CER (HSPA) practice questions with explanations, free to start with no account required.
- Questions
- 150 multiple choice (125 scored, 25 pretest)
- Time
- 3 hours
- Pass mark
- Set number of scored questions correct (Angoff method); no percentage published
- Largest section
- Endoscope processing steps, 32%
- Eligibility
- Three months of hands-on endoscope reprocessing within the past three years
- Where
- Computer based at Prometric test centers
- Renewal
- Every year, with continuing education
- Run by
- Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA)
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow HSPA's CER Exam Content Outline (revised May 2022) and Certification Handbook (revised January 2026), checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with HSPA: Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER).
How It Works
Train by Outline Section
Five training sets follow the HSPA CER outline: microbiology and endoscope design; work area and manual cleaning; disinfection and sterilization; handling, transport and storage; and tracking, repair and human factors. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Weighted Practice Tests
Four practice tests of 50 questions, each weighted like the seven sections of the real exam. Aim for 70% or better. No question appears in more than one test, and every one comes with an explanation.
Built on the HSPA CER Content Outline
HSPA publishes the weight of each of the seven sections, and every practice test here keeps that balance, scaled to 50 questions: 16 on the processing steps, 8 on handling and storage, 6 each on microbiology and work area design, 5 each on design and tracking, and 4 on human factors. Sterile processing program instructors can set Tigertest as CER review at tigertest.io/teach and see which topics the class misses most.
Help Make Tigertest Better
Have an idea, a topic you'd like covered, or a question that could be clearer? We read every message and use it to improve every test.
Share FeedbackHow to Pass the CER Exam
1. Master the processing steps
Processing steps are 32% of the exam. Know the order from point-of-use pre-cleaning and leak testing through manual cleaning, inspection, high-level disinfection, rinsing, alcohol flush, drying and documentation, and why each step comes where it does.
2. Know the scope you are holding
Learn the parts of a flexible endoscope, from the control head valves and biopsy port to the bending section and light guide connector, and why channels and elevators are hard to clean. Know the Spaulding classes and which scopes and accessories need sterilization.
3. Do not skip storage and records
Handling, storage, tracking and human factors are over a third of the exam. Know cabinet storage, hang time set by risk assessment, ready-for-use cues, the scope and patient identifiers in every record, loaner and repair tracking, and when competency is checked.
4. Fix your misses, then retest
Tigertest tracks your accuracy by category. Aim for 70% or better on every practice test before your exam date. After each test, drill the questions you missed and retrain the weakest category.
CER Exam Frequently Asked Questions
What is the HSPA CER exam?
It is the certification exam for the Certified Endoscope Reprocessor credential from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA). It covers pre-cleaning, leak testing, manual cleaning, inspection, high-level disinfection or sterilization, transport and storage of endoscopes. CER is a standalone certification, so the CRCST is not required, but HSPA asks for at least three months of hands-on endoscope reprocessing experience within the past three years.
How many questions are on the CER exam?
HSPA's certification handbook gives the CER exam 150 multiple-choice questions: 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions mixed in so they cannot be told apart. It is taken on a computer at a Prometric test center, there is no paper version, and candidates have 3 hours. Questions can be marked for review and changed later in the exam.
What score do you need to pass the CER exam?
HSPA does not publish a percentage. Pass or fail is decided by the number of scored questions answered correctly, against a passing point set by the Angoff procedure with the Beuk compromise and approved by the Certification Council. Result reports show each section as At or Above, Below or Well Below, and HSPA does not give percentage scores. The 70 percent line on these practice tests is a readiness target, not HSPA's standard.
What is on the CER exam?
HSPA's content outline has seven sections. Endoscope processing steps is the largest at 32 percent, from point-of-use care and leak testing through high-level disinfection, drying, sterilization, documentation and recalls. Handling, transport and storage is 16 percent, microbiology and infection control and work area design are 12 percent each, endoscope design and endoscope tracking, repair and maintenance are 10 percent each, and human factors is 8 percent. Each practice test here keeps that balance.
Are these the real CER exam questions?
No. Every question is original, written by Tigertest from HSPA's published content outline and from public guidance such as CDC's Essential Elements of a Reprocessing Program for Flexible Endoscopes. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for use for each scope and product. Tigertest is not affiliated with the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association.
I teach a sterile processing program. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
CER (HSPA) sample questions and answers
6 of the 200 practice questions, one from each topic, with the answer explained.
1. Which practice lowers the chance of damaging a scope during manual cleaning?
- A.Stacking scopes together
- B.Coiling it loosely in the basin
- C.Coiling it tightly to fit
- D.Letting the tip hang over the edge
Answer: B. A loose coil avoids kinks in the insertion tube, and keeping the distal tip inside the basin protects it from knocks.
2. What does a venting cap do on an endoscope?
- A.Seals the biopsy port shut
- B.Blocks the suction channel
- C.Holds the distal lens in place
- D.Equalizes internal pressure
Answer: D. The venting cap opens the scope's sealed interior to the air so pressure inside and outside match, as during gas sterilization or shipping, per the IFU.
3. A disinfectant concentration check shows the solution was below its MEC this morning after three scopes were processed. What must happen to those scopes?
- A.They are recalled and reprocessed
- B.Nothing, since they look clean
- C.They get an extra water rinse
- D.They go to low-risk patients only
Answer: A. Scopes disinfected in a solution below its MEC may not be high-level disinfected, so they are pulled back and reprocessed, and the event is investigated.
4. What must the employer offer reprocessing staff with occupational exposure to blood?
- A.Extra paid vacation days
- B.A personal scope of their own
- C.The hepatitis B vaccine series
- D.A free annual gym membership
Answer: C. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires the employer to make hepatitis B vaccination available to employees with occupational exposure.
5. Which person is most at risk of infection from a poorly reprocessed scope?
- A.The technician who stores it
- B.The scope's sales rep
- C.The next patient
- D.The doctor who used it
Answer: C. The next patient is the susceptible host who receives the scope's contamination, which is why every scope is fully reprocessed after each use.
6. Who should be able to tell at a glance whether a stored scope is ready?
- A.Anyone taking it from storage
- B.Only the department manager
- C.Only the scope's vendor
- D.Only the physician using it
Answer: A. A clear ready-for-use cue and storage record let any staff member confirm a scope is processed and within its hang time.
Related practice tests
Every test on Tigertest is free to start, with no account needed.
- NCLEX-RN Practice TestNCSBN 2026 RN test plan
- NCLEX-PN Practice TestNCSBN 2026 PN test plan
- NAPLEX Practice TestNABP · North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination
- CNA Practice TestNurse aide written exam
- PTCB Practice TestPharmacy technician certification
- Phlebotomy Practice TestPhlebotomy certification practice
Ready to Pass the CER Exam?
Start for free. No account required. 200 questions across every section of the HSPA CER content outline.
Start practicing