The CITB test: cost, booking, pass mark
The CITB Health, Safety & Environment test is the touch screen test every CSCS card needs. We send our own crew to it. Here is what it costs, how to book it, what to bring, and what it takes to pass first time.
Prices and rules checked against citb.co.uk and cscs.uk.com on 24 October 2026. CITB can change them; the official sites always win.
- £23.50 per attempt, every test type
- 50 questions, 45 minutes, on a touch screen
- Pass mark 45 out of 50
- Valid 2 years for a CSCS card application
- Fail: pay again, no resit within 48 hours
- Voiceover in 14 languages on the Operatives test
What the CITB health and safety test is
One test, many names. On site people call it the CITB test, the touch screen test, the H&S test, the HS&E test, the CITB ticket or just "the CSCS test". We have even seen "cibt test" on a booking form. They all mean the same thing.
The Health, Safety and Environment test is written and owned by CITB, the Construction Industry Training Board, and sat at Pearson VUE test centres across the UK. It checks that you know enough about site safety to be let through the gate: PPE, working at height, manual handling, fire, noise, dust, signs, first aid, what to do when something is wrong. Passing it is a condition of almost every CSCS card and most of the partner cards (CPCS, ECS, CISRS and so on). CSCS, the card scheme, does not run the test; CITB does.
Behavioural questions are part of it: a short situation on site, then "what should you do?" Since June 2019 these are mixed into the 50 questions rather than being a separate case-study section. The right answer is nearly always the same shape: stop, make it safe, tell the person in charge. "Carry on and mention it later" is never the answer.
Which CITB test do I need, and for which CSCS card?
Three versions. Same length, same pass mark, different questions. Book the wrong one and CSCS will not accept it.
For the green Labourer card, red Trainee, Apprentice and Experienced Worker cards, the blue Skilled Worker card and the gold Advanced Craft card. General site health, safety and environment. This is the one almost everyone on our sites sits.
Operatives content plus a section for your specialism. CITB runs 12: Supervisory, Demolition, Plumbing (JIB), Highway works, Specialist work at height, Lifts and escalators, Tunnelling, and five HVACR versions (heating and plumbing services, pipefitting and welding, ductwork, refrigeration and air conditioning, services and facilities maintenance). The gold Supervisor card needs the Supervisory one.
For the black Manager card and the white Academically or Professionally Qualified Person cards. Legal duties, CDM, risk management, occupational health. Same 50 questions and 45 minutes, harder content. Known as the MAP test.
Not sure? CSCS's card finder on cscs.uk.com asks your occupation and tells you both the card and the test. Our CSCS card types guide has every colour with what you need for each. The CPCS plant test is a different thing again; see CPCS cards.
How to book the CITB test
Book it yourself, directly. Anyone charging more than £23.50 for the booking is adding their own fee to the same form.
- Go to the Pearson VUE CITB booking site
Linked from citb.co.uk under "Book a test". You create an account, pick the test type (Operatives, Specialist or Managers & Professionals), pick a test centre and a slot, and pay £23.50 by debit or credit card. Have your email, full UK address and, if you have one, your CITB registration number ready. If you prefer the phone: 0344 994 4488, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to noon.
- Add a voiceover if you want one
On the Operatives test you choose the voiceover language during the online booking. Other support (translator, reader, BSL interpreter) goes through CITB's adjustments team on 0344 994 4491 or citb.adjustments@pearson.com, and takes longer to arrange. See languages below.
- Turn up 15 minutes early with ID and your confirmation
Bring your booking confirmation (email or letter) and photo ID with your signature; the accepted documents are listed below. The name on the booking must match the name on the ID exactly. No ID means you are turned away and the £23.50 is not refunded.
- Keep your score report
You get a score report at the centre showing pass or fail and which subject areas you got wrong. Keep it. The test ID number on it is what CSCS asks for when you apply for the card. Duplicates can be downloaded from your online account; by phone they cost £10.
- UK or international passport
- UK or European photocard driving licence
- eVisa, shown through your UKVI account on your phone (no signature needed)
- List A: a CSCS or CSCS partner card, a non-UK photocard driving licence, a passport without a signature, an EU national identity card, a CitizenCard or Young Scot card with the PASS hologram, UK Armed Forces or veteran ID, a Home Office travel document
- List B: a debit card, a credit card, or a paper driving licence issued before 31 March 2000
Changing the date. Online rescheduling is free up to 72 hours before the test; by phone it costs £5. Cancel at least 72 hours before for a refund. Inside 72 hours there is no refund and no reschedule. (CITB standard booking terms, April 2026.)
How much is a CITB test?
£23.50 per attempt. That is the whole CITB test cost, whichever version you sit.
CITB raised the price from £22.50 to £23.50 on 1 April 2026 (checked on citb.co.uk, 24 October 2026). It is the same for Operatives, Specialists and Managers & Professionals, and the same at every Pearson centre in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is no cheaper regional price and no discount for booking several at once, although firms booking four or more people can use CITB's group booking system and pay with vouchers.
What it does not include: the CSCS card itself (£36, applied for separately at cscs.uk.com), any training course your card needs (the Level 1 Award for a first Labourer card, for example), and revision material. If a website quotes you £50 or £80 "for the CITB test", the difference is their fee. The booking they make is the one you can make yourself in ten minutes.
| Item | Official price | Where |
|---|---|---|
| CITB HS&E test, any type | £23.50 per attempt | Pearson VUE CITB booking site, or 0344 994 4488 |
| Rebooking after a fail | £23.50 again | Same place; not within 48 hours of the fail |
| Reschedule | Free online, £5 by phone | At least 72 hours before |
| CSCS card application or renewal | £36 | cscs.uk.com or the My CSCS app; see CSCS cards |
| Practice | Free | Our mock test, CITB's sample test; CITB's app and GT100 book are paid |
Format and pass mark
50 questions, 45 minutes, 45 to pass. The time is generous; the margin for error is not.
You sit at a touch screen in a quiet room at a Pearson centre. Every question is multiple choice: most ask for one answer, some ask you to pick two or three, and some are a short scenario followed by "what should you do". You can flag a question and come back to it. 45 minutes for 50 questions is almost a minute each, and most people finish with time to spare.
The pass mark is 45 out of 50 on all three tests, according to CITB's Operatives, Specialist and Managers & Professionals pages. That is 90%: five wrong answers and you have failed. Treat anything under 48 in practice as not ready. The questions are drawn from five areas: the working environment, occupational health, safety, high-risk activities and (for Specialist tests) your specialism.
| Test | Questions | Time | Pass mark | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operatives | 50 | 45 min | 45 / 50 | 14 languages |
| Specialists (12 versions) | 50 | 45 min | 45 / 50 | English, Welsh |
| Managers & Professionals | 50 | 45 min | 45 / 50 | English voiceover, Welsh on screen |
How long the pass is valid
For a CSCS application the test must have been passed within the last 2 years. If your pass is older than that when you apply or renew, you sit it again first. The one exception CSCS publishes is the green Labourer card: the Operatives pass used for a first Labourer card is accepted for 3 years, but only when renewing that first 2-year card. Once a card is issued, the test date is irrelevant until the next renewal, so for most people that means one test every five years.
What happens if you fail
You pay £23.50 and book again. CITB's booking terms say you cannot resit within 48 hours of a failed attempt; beyond that there is no waiting period and no cap on attempts. There is no refund for a fail. The score report tells you which areas let you down, which is where the next week's revision goes. In our experience people who fail have usually not practised with timed questions; they knew the content but not the wording.
Taking the CITB test in another language
The questions on screen are always in English. On the Operatives test you can have them read to you in 14 languages through headphones.
You pick the voiceover when you book online; it is part of the normal booking, not a special request. The 14 languages CITB lists for the Operatives test are:
The Specialist tests have English and Welsh voiceover only. The Managers & Professionals test has English voiceover plus Welsh text on screen. If your language is not on the list, you can ask CITB's adjustments team (0344 994 4491, citb.adjustments@pearson.com) for a translator; you sit in a separate room with extra time, and it takes longer to arrange because CITB has to find someone qualified. A BSL signer video is available on the Operatives test at booking, and BSL interpreters through the adjustments team for the others.
Our advice to a new worker whose English is still coming: practise in your own language first, so you learn the concepts, then switch to English for the last week so the wording on the day is familiar. The free mock test runs in English, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Spanish and Portuguese, and Site English has the safety phrases you will hear on site, with sound.
How to pass first time
£23.50 a go adds up. This is what we tell our own crew before they book.
- Do timed practice until you are at 48 or more
Our mock test is free, timed like the real thing and shuffles questions every attempt; no account needed. CITB also publishes a free sample test online and sells an official revision app and the GT100 book, which carry the official questions and answers. Buy the book if you can; it is a few pounds against £23.50 a retake.
- Learn how the behavioural questions think
Stop. Make it safe if you can without risk. Report it to your supervisor. Never "finish the job first", never "fix it yourself" when it is not your trade, never ignore it because it is someone else's. Once you see the pattern they are the easiest marks on the paper.
- Know the numbers they like
Signs and their colours, who is responsible for what under the law, what each piece of PPE protects, the order of a fire drill, when a ladder is acceptable. Those are the questions people get wrong on a first attempt.
- Book when you are ready, not before
In our experience slots come up within days, so there is no need to book months out. Sit it on a morning you are not working, with ID in your pocket the night before.
Passed? Get on the crew list.
Firms that need your trade text you when they have work. One minute, free, no account. Add your card once it arrives and you are ready to go.
After the test: getting the card
The CITB ticket is one half. The card is the other.
With your pass in hand you apply to CSCS at cscs.uk.com or in the My CSCS app for £36, entering the test ID from your score report and uploading your qualification (or proof you are registered on one). For a first green Labourer card you also need the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, a one-day course; the test alone is not enough. Approved applications get a digital card in the My CSCS app you can show at the gate straight away, with the plastic card in the post after.
Everything about the card, which colour, how to apply, renewing and what to do when it has expired, is in our CSCS card guide. First card from scratch: your first CSCS card. Card already out of date: CSCS card expired.
Every CSCS, ECS and CPCS card with a photo, alerts 30 and 7 days before it expires, and a verified ID pass per worker, so nobody is turned away at the gate. Free for the first three months.
CITB test questions people ask us
How much is a CITB test?
£23.50 per attempt for every test type (Operatives, Specialists, Managers and Professionals), the CITB price since 1 April 2026. It was £22.50 before that. You pay when you book on the Pearson VUE CITB site or by phone. Nothing else is needed for the test itself; the CSCS card is a separate £36 application.
What is the pass mark for the CITB test?
45 correct out of 50 (90%) for the Operatives, Specialist and Managers and Professionals tests, according to CITB's own test pages. Five wrong answers and you have failed, so aim for 48 or more in practice before you book.
Is the CITB test the same as the touch screen test or the HS&E test?
Yes. The CITB Health, Safety and Environment test, the HS&E test, the health and safety test, the touch screen test, the CITB ticket and the CSCS test are all the same 45-minute test sat on a touch screen at a Pearson VUE centre. CITB runs the test; CSCS issues the card that needs it.
How long is the CITB test valid for?
For a CSCS card application the test must have been passed within the last 2 years. The one exception CSCS lists is the first green Labourer card: the test used for that application is accepted for 3 years when you renew that initial 2-year card. Once the card is issued, the test date no longer matters until your next renewal.
What happens if I fail the CITB test?
You pay again and rebook. CITB's booking terms say you cannot resit within 48 hours of a failed attempt, and there is no refund for a fail. There is no limit on the number of attempts. Your score report shows which subject areas you got wrong, so revise those before the next go.
What ID do I need for the CITB test?
One primary ID with your photo and signature: a UK or international passport, a UK or European photocard driving licence, or an eVisa shown through your UKVI account. If you have none of those, two secondary IDs, one from each CITB list, for example a CSCS card plus a debit card. No ID means no test and no refund.
Can I take the CITB test in my own language?
The Operatives test has a voiceover in 14 languages: English, Welsh, Bulgarian, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian and Spanish. The questions on screen stay in English; the voiceover reads them to you through headphones. You pick it when booking online. The Specialist tests offer English and Welsh only; the Managers and Professionals test offers English voiceover and Welsh on-screen text. For other languages you can apply to CITB's adjustments team for a translator.
How do I book the CITB test?
Online through the Pearson VUE CITB booking site (create an account, pick the test type, pick a centre, pay £23.50), by phone on 0344 994 4488, or at a local Internet Test Centre. In our experience slots at Pearson centres are usually available within days. Arrive 15 minutes early with your booking confirmation and ID.
Which CITB test do I need for my CSCS card?
Operatives for the green Labourer card, red Trainee and Apprentice cards, blue Skilled Worker and gold Advanced Craft cards. The Specialist Supervisory test for the gold Supervisor card, and the Managers and Professionals test for the black Manager card and white AQP and PQP cards. Some trades (plumbing/JIB, demolition, highways, HVACR, tunnelling) have their own Specialist test. CSCS's card finder tells you exactly which.
Where can I practise the CITB test for free?
Our mock test at graftum.com/cscs-mock-test is free, timed and available in 7 languages, with no sign-up. CITB also publishes a free sample test on its website and sells an official revision app and the GT100 question book. Practise until you are consistently at 48 or more out of 50.
Sources: citb.co.uk (HS&E test pages, ID policy, support page, standard booking terms and conditions April 2026 v17) and cscs.uk.com (test FAQ, renewal and Labourer card pages), all read on 24 October 2026. Graftum is not affiliated with CITB or CSCS. Check the official sites for today's price before you book.
Pass it once, then get to work.
Practise free in your language, book the test yourself for £23.50, and put yourself on the crew list so firms needing your trade can text you.
