Free, for good. No card.
- All 2,882 instrument cards
- Every General setup in full
- 5 exam questions a day
- Your own preference cards
Know the case before you scrub in.
The back table, the Mayo and every instrument on them, for 250+ cases, photographed in real ORs by surgical techs.
Scrub in freeFree for good, no card.
Fig. 1 · Laparoscopic cholecystectomy · back table · 18 instruments · tap a labelOpen this setup
Where are you headed?
Start where you are. Every path is free to begin.
Start here
First clinicals
Learn the setups and the 54 basic instruments before your first case.
Start with the basics5 examsCert exam coming up
Five free questions a day for your exam, with the reason behind every answer.
Pick your examYour preference cardsWorking the OR
Keep each surgeon’s card your way, private or shared with other techs.
Create a setupFor educatorsRunning a program
Case logs counted against AST and NCCT minimums, ready for the site visit.
See the portal
Fig. 2 · A setup
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (Lap Chole)
Everything for the case on one page, photographed in the room.
- 6photos of the back table and Mayo
- 18instruments, grouped by what they do
- 7steps, with what to hand next
- 30sspark notes and the case snapshot
Open the setupFree · General
250+ cases, laid out the way they’re done.
General is free. Every other specialty is Pro.
Case not here yet? We build the ones you ask for.Ask for a case
Fig. 3 · An instrument card
Every instrument, by every name it goes by.
Your Metz is someone else’s tissue scissors. Each of the 2,882 cards has the photos, every name it goes by, what it’s for and every size it comes in, free.
Pro adds the 3D model, cautions, inspection, how to pass it, and every setup it’s laid out on.
Straight Mayo ScissorCutting & Dissecting
Curved Mayo ScissorCutting & Dissecting
Metzenbaum ScissorCutting & Dissecting
Potts-Smith ScissorsCutting & Dissecting
Volkmann RetractorRetracting & Exposing
Deaver RetractorRetracting & Exposing
Goelet RetractorRetracting & Exposing
Kelly RetractorRetracting & Exposing8 of the 54 basicsBrowse all 2,882
Today’s five instruments
The Castroviejo Lacrimal Dilator belongs to which instrument class?
Fig. 4 · Exam prep
Five questions a day, free.
Written to each exam’s outline, with the reason behind every answer. Pro opens endless practice and the full timed exam.
Fig. 5 · Your preference cards
Hospital pref cards are never quite right. Keep your own.
One card per surgeon: your photos, the instruments picked from the library, gloves, sutures and the notes nobody writes down. Private, or shared with other techs.
Lap Chole · Dr. Patel
Example- Position
- Supine, left arm tucked
- Gloves
- 7 and 7½, double
- Sutures
- 0 Vicryl UR-6, 4-0 Monocryl
- Notes
- Maryland on the Mayo first.
For programs
Your cohort, ready for the site visit.
Every student’s case log, counted against AST and NCCT minimums as they go. Preceptors sign off, and verification PDFs are one click away.
See the educator portal
Case logExample
T. Nwosu Cohort 2027 · NCCT track
| 10/14 | Lap chole | 1st | ✓ JB |
| 10/14 | Inguinal hernia | 1st | ✓ JB |
| 10/15 | Total knee | 2nd | ✓ MR |
| 10/16 | C-section | 1st | ✓ MR |
First scrub 90 / 90Total 121 / 125Verified
NCCT: 125 cases, 90 first scrubAST: 120 cases, 30 General
Start free. Go Pro when it counts.
No trial that turns into a charge. Cancel from your account any time.
What is CSTSetup?
A study site and apps for surgical techs and students, made by surgical techs. It has the real back table for 259 procedures, 2,882 instruments with photos, and practice for the CST, TS-C, CRCST, CSPDT and CSFA. Programs use it to teach and students use it to study. You can start free, and Pro opens all of it.
Can I cancel?
Any time, from your dashboard, and you keep Pro until the period you already paid for runs out. No email, no phone call, no retention script.
Does it work on my phone?
One account covers the website and the apps. Study on the bus, review on the unit, and your progress is the same everywhere. It lives on the account, not the device.
I haven't set an exam date yet.
You don't need one. The daily lesson is 10 questions every day, built from what you are due to see again and what you miss most. Add a date later and your home page counts down to it; more practice is there whenever you want it.
What happens to my progress if I stop paying?
Nothing is deleted. Your streak, your history and everything you have mastered are still there if you come back, and the free tier keeps working.
Is this enough on its own?
For the setups and instruments, yes: 259 trays and 2,882 instruments, tested until you are quick with them. For the exam it is practice, written to the exam's official outline, with full timed exams. It does not replace your program's textbook.
Pass your exam. Know every case.
Everything in Free, plus:
- All 259 setups in every specialty: back table, Mayo and every step
- Practice that never runs out and full timed exams for the CST, TS-C, CRCST, CSPDT and CSFA, with the why behind every answer
- Flashcards on any tray, timed to come back before you forget
- Every instrument card in full: the 3D model, cautions, inspection, how to pass it
Every 4 weeksStudying for your exam? Cancel when you pass.
$12.99under 50¢ a day
Cancel any time from your account. Not worth it? Email us within 30 days of a charge for a refund, one per customer. Refund policy
Pro is also in the CSTSetup app, on the same account. Already have Pro? Log in
Ready for the room.
250+ cases and counting. On the website and in the app, with the same account.