The CITB Health and Safety Test (HS&E) Explained
The CITB health and safety test (HS&E test) is a 50-question, 45-minute test you take on screen at a test centre, and you pass with 45 correct answers out of 50.
There are three versions: the CITB Operatives Test for labourers and new entrants, the CITB Specialist Tests for supervisors and trades such as plumbing, and the CITB Managers and Professionals (MAP) Test. Every version costs £23.50 and uses the same pass mark. This page explains the format, where you sit the test, the languages you can hear it in and what happens after you book. We are an independent practice site, not CITB. Want to see how you would score today? Start a free CITB Practice Test: 50 questions, timed and marked like the real one.
Checked against citb.co.uk, 25 October 2026: 50 questions, 45 minutes, 45 out of 50 to pass, £23.50 for every version.
What is the CITB health and safety test?
The CITB health and safety test is CITB's health, safety and environment (HS&E) test: one test with several names. People call it:
- the HS&E test
- the CITB test
- the CITB HS&E test
- the CITB health, safety and environment test
- the touch screen test
The Construction Industry Training Board sets the test and Pearson delivers it: you book with Pearson online or by phone, or with a local Internet Test Centre. For who runs the test, see What Is CITB?. "Touch screen test" is the name searchers use; CITB's own pages say only that you take the test "on screen" at a "test station". Every version checks what you know about health, safety and environmental risks on a construction site, in the same format, and CITB sets three versions for different jobs.
What are the three types of CITB test?
There are three CITB tests: Operatives, Specialist, and Managers and Professionals (MAP).
| Test | Who usually sits it | What it adds | Revision book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operatives | Labourers and most entry roles | Five core areas: working environment, occupational health, safety, high risk activities and specialist | GT100, sections A to E |
| Specialist | Supervisors and some trades | The core questions plus one of 12 specialisms, such as Supervisory, Demolition or Plumbing (JIB) | GT100, sections A to E plus your chapter in section F |
| MAP | Managers and professionals | Five sections, A to E, updated June 2023 and not role specific | GT200 |
Checked against citb.co.uk, 25 October 2026.
CITB points you to the Card Finder to check which test your job needs.
How many questions are on the CITB test, and how long does it last?
Every CITB test has 50 multiple-choice questions and lasts 45 minutes, whichever paper you sit (checked against citb.co.uk, 25 October 2026).
- 50 questions, the same number in all three versions.
- 45 minutes, which gives you about 54 seconds a question.
- On screen at a test station. An optional tutorial first shows how the test looks, and CITB says: "The tutorial is not a practice test".
- No pause. Once the test has started, it cannot be interrupted.
You take the test on a computer screen at the test centre.
Can you take the CITB test online at home?
No. You cannot take the CITB HS&E test at home: you sit it at a Pearson Professional Centre or a CITB-approved Internet Test Centre, or through CITB's mobile testing service for groups. For where those centres are, see CITB Test Centres.
People search for an online test for three reasons. The test is taken on a computer, you book it online, and CITB sells a separate Health and Safety Awareness (HSA) eCourse. Pearson invigilates that eCourse exam remotely, but it is a different exam, not the HS&E test.
On the day, arrive at the test centre 15 minutes before your start time. CITB gives no refund if you arrive late.
What languages and support can you get in the test?
On-screen text is in English, but you can book a voiceover: 14 languages for Operatives, English and Welsh for Specialist, and English for MAP (checked against citb.co.uk, 25 October 2026).
| Test | Voiceover | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Operatives | 14 languages: English, Welsh, Bulgarian, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish | BSL video |
| Specialist | English and Welsh | none listed |
| MAP | English | On-screen Welsh translation |
- Every test station has headphones for an English voiceover.
- A translator (when no voiceover covers your language), reader, reader-recorder or BSL interpreter is booked through the Adjustments team on 0344 994 4491 or [email protected]. These come with a separate room and extra time, and waits can be longer.
- You do not need a disability under the Equality Act 2010 to ask for an adjustment.
- CITB pays an interpreter's fee once in your lifetime. For every later test, including a re-sit, you pay the fee.
Who needs to take the CITB test?
You need a CITB test pass if the site card you are applying for asks for one, and your job decides which version you sit.
- Operatives: labourers and most entry roles.
- Specialist: supervisors and some trades.
- MAP: managers and professionals.
Every version needs 45 out of 50 to pass. Your score report shows how you did; CITB Test Pass Mark and Results explains it.
Is the CITB test the same as a CSCS card?
No. The CITB HS&E test is the test, and CSCS issues the card. CSCS says that to apply for a CSCS card you must pass the right level of CITB HS&E test "within the last two years", or an approved alternative (checked against cscs.uk.com, 25 October 2026).
Many people call the HS&E test "the CSCS test" for that reason. You book and sit the test with CITB and Pearson, then apply for the card with CSCS. CITB asks you to keep your score report safe, "as it has important information on it relating to your card application". This site practises the test only: it is not CITB, Pearson VUE or CSCS.
What are the steps from booking to result?
Five steps take you from booking to a result: pick your test, book it, bring your ID, sit it, and get your score report.
- Pick your test. Check which version your job needs with the Card Finder.
- Book it. Book with Pearson online or on 0344 994 4488 for £23.50; How to Book Your CITB Test covers each route.
- Bring your ID. Bring original, in-date ID and arrive 15 minutes early; CITB Test ID Requirements lists what counts.
- Sit it. Answer 50 questions in 45 minutes.
- Get your score report. CITB gives you written confirmation of a pass or fail, and the report shows the areas where you dropped marks.
How can you practise before the real test?
Practise with a timed 50-question mock marked at 45 out of 50, the same way the real test is marked.
CITB recommends that you "work through all the sample questions in the revision materials" before you book. CITB may reword real questions, "however the meaning will remain the same", so learn why each answer is right rather than the exact words. For CITB's books and apps, see CITB Test Revision.