How Many Questions Are in the CSCS Test?

CITB publishes the headline format — 50 questions in 45 minutes — but not a question-by-question breakdown on its website. The test combines knowledge questions with behavioural case studies about how you should act on site. The CSCS Mock Test app builds its mocks from 38 knowledge questions plus 12 case-study questions (3 scenarios of 4), so you practise both kinds.

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 not all: CITB's own revision app includes hot spot questions, where you tap part of an image. CITB's website has a demo test — try it before test day so no format is a surprise.

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, across every question format in the app's bank.

The quickest way to find out where you stand is to answer some. There's a free CSCS sample test on the app's page — exam-style questions with the explanation after each one, and no sign-up.