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What is the CITB HS&E test?

It is a short computer test on staying safe and healthy on a building site. You need a recent pass to get or renew most CSCS cards.

Facts checked 25 October 2026

Who runs it

CITB (the Construction Industry Training Board) owns the test. Pearson VUE runs the test centres and sits you at the computer. CSCS is a separate company: it issues the card once you have passed and have the right qualification.

Who needs it

Almost everyone applying for a CSCS card needs a pass from the last 2 years. That includes renewing a card: an old pass does not carry over. Some sites also ask for it before you start, even if you hold another scheme's card.

The test in numbers

• 50 questions, all on a touch screen.
• 45 minutes.
• You need 45 right to pass.
• £23.50 for each attempt.
• Taken in person only. There is no test from home.

Three versions

The version you sit depends on your job and the card you are applying for.

• Operatives: Labourers and most skilled trades. This is the test most people take for their first card.
• Specialist: Supervisors and some trades, such as demolition, highway works and plumbing. It is the Operatives core plus questions on one specialist area.
• Managers and Professionals: Site managers, and people with a construction degree or professional membership. Updated in June 2023.

Not sure? The CSCS card finder tells you which test your job needs. Our card guide gives the short version.

What it covers

The questions cover the working environment (your duties, risk assessments, reporting accidents, fire and waste), health (dust, noise, chemicals, lifting, welfare), general safety (PPE, signs, electricity, tools) and high-risk work (work at height, excavations, lifting operations and vehicles). Some versions add a section on one specialist area.

The old behavioural case studies were removed in June 2019. Every question now has a single right answer or a fixed set of right answers.