How Many Questions Are in the CSCS Test?

The test is split into two parts: 38 knowledge questions covering health and safety topics, plus 3 behavioural case study scenarios about how you should behave on site — each scenario carrying 4 linked questions, for 12 case study questions in total.

The knowledge questions are drawn from a published bank covering topics like:

• General responsibilities and site induction
• Accident reporting and first aid
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Manual handling and working at height
• Fire prevention, electrical safety, and hazardous substances
• Environmental awareness

Most questions are standard multiple choice with one correct answer, but the CITB test also uses interactive formats: some questions ask you to select multiple correct answers, drag and drop items into the right order, or tap a hotspot on an image (for example, pointing out the unsafe part of a scaffold).

This catches a lot of people out — if you've only practised plain multiple-choice questions, the interactive formats can cost you time on test day. Make sure your practice app includes them.

The pass mark is 45 out of 50 on all three versions of the test — Operative, Specialist, and Managers & Professionals — so you can get at most 5 questions wrong. See our full guide to the CSCS test pass mark for details.

That 90% threshold is why preparation matters: the questions aren't individually difficult, but there's very little margin for error.

The best preparation is taking full 50-question timed mocks under the same 45-minute limit, so the real test feels familiar. The CSCS Mock Test app includes 3,000+ practice questions, realistic timed mock exams matched to your exam — Operative, Specialist, or MAP — and explanations for every answer, including all eight question formats the real test uses.