The CSCS card test
50 questions, 45 minutes, and a pass mark of 45. It is not a hard test, but the margin is thin enough that people fail it by turning up without looking at the material.
Updated 13 September 2026
It is not actually a CSCS test #
The CSCS card test is the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. CSCS issues the card; CITB runs the test. Everyone calls it the CSCS test anyway, and this page does too, but it explains why searching for it turns up two different organisations.
You take the test first and apply for the card afterwards. The pass has to be less than 2 years old when you apply.
A note on wording, because it causes confusion: a CSCS card test online, or a CSCS card online test, means booking online and sitting it at a test centre on a computer. The test itself is not taken at home. The CSCS card health and safety test is the same test under its full name.
Which test do you need? #
Three versions, and taking the wrong one means paying for it twice.
| Test | Cards it covers |
|---|---|
| Operatives | Labourer, Apprentice, Trainee, most Blue and most Gold cards |
| Specialists | Gold Supervisor, and certain Blue and Gold occupations |
| Managers and Professionals (MAP) | Black Manager and White AQP or PQP cards |
Each one builds on the one below it. The Specialists and MAP tests contain the whole Operatives syllabus plus their own material, so they are longer to revise rather than structurally different.
Cost, format and pass mark #
| Price | £23.50, changed 1 April 2026 |
| Questions | 50 |
| Time | 45 minutes |
| Pass mark (Operatives) | 45 out of 50, or 90% |
| Valid for | 2 years |
| Where | CITB test centres, booked direct with CITB |
CSCS test revision and practice questions #
CITB publishes the official revision material, and the question bank the live test draws from is public rather than secret. That is the whole trick: the CSCS card questions you will face come from a published set, so revision is a matter of working through it rather than guessing.
There is a free CSCS practice test on this site: twenty questions marked at the real 90% pass mark, with every answer explained and sourced. It is practice rather than a copy of the CITB bank, which is the right way round for finding gaps.
Two cautions on free CSCS card revision material found elsewhere:
- It goes stale. When the guidance changes, the expected answers change with it, and copied question banks do not get updated
- Behavioural case studies are not multiple choice in the usual sense. They present a scenario and expect the response the syllabus considers correct, which is learned rather than reasoned
Booking the test #
Book direct with CITB. A CSCS card test booking made through a third-party site costs the same test plus a booking fee, and the search results for CSCS card booking are dominated by those sites rather than by CITB. The CSCS card test price is the figure above wherever you book; what varies is the fee added on top.
For a CSCS card test near me, CITB lists its own centres. Booking through the official route is also the only way to be certain the result is recorded against your application.
Bring photographic identification. Turning up without accepted ID means the test is not sat and the fee is not refunded, which is the most common avoidable cost in the whole process.
After you pass #
The pass is recorded automatically and you can apply for the card straight away. You do not need to wait for a certificate, and you should not wait long by choice: the 2 year clock starts at the test, not at the application.
What you apply for next depends on your qualification, and the CSCS card guide sets out which colour goes with which. If you already hold a card and this is about keeping it, see CSCS card renewal.
Common questions #
What is the CSCS card test?
It is the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. CSCS does not run a test of its own, so what people call the CSCS card test is the CITB one, and you must pass it before you can apply for a card.
How much does the CSCS test cost?
£23.50. CITB changed the price on 1 April 2026, so older figures are out of date. Booking direct with CITB costs that; third-party booking sites charge more for the same test.
How many questions are in the CSCS test?
50 questions in 45 minutes. For the Operatives test the pass mark is 45 out of 50, which is 90%, so there is very little room for error.
What is the pass mark for the CSCS test?
45 correct out of 50 on the Operatives test. Nine of ten right is a fail if it is the wrong nine, because some questions are behavioural case studies that must be answered correctly.
How long is the CSCS test valid?
2 years. You must have passed it within that window at the point you apply for the card, so taking the test and then delaying the application can waste it.
Which CSCS test do I need to take?
Operatives for a Labourer, Apprentice, Trainee and most Blue and Gold cards. Specialists for Gold Supervisor and certain trades. Managers and Professionals for Black Manager and White cards. Taking the wrong level means paying again.
Where can I get CSCS test revision questions?
CITB publishes the official revision material, and the question bank the test draws from is public. Free CSCS card questions circulating elsewhere are often out of date, which matters because the answers change when the guidance does.
Can I book the CSCS test online?
Yes, direct with CITB. CSCS card booking sites that appear alongside the official one in search results charge a booking fee on top of the test price for making the same appointment.