CSCS Health & Safety

The operatives test has 50 questions and a 45-minute time limit, and you need to answer at least 45 correctly to pass. Behavioural questions are mixed in with the knowledge questions rather than forming a separate section.

Most people who revise pass first time. It is based on health-and-safety logic rather than memorising lists, so practise timed mocks until you are consistently scoring 45 out of 50 or higher and you will be ready.

You pass the CITB HS&E test first, then apply for the relevant CSCS card. PassNova gives you free practice for the test; you book the official test and card through CITB and CSCS.

The CITB HS&E test is sat at an official test centre or through CITB's approved internet-based testing — it isn't a quiz you can pass on just any website. PassNova is free practice to get you ready; you book the real test through CITB.

There's a fee for the HS&E test and a separate fee for the CSCS card, both set by CITB and CSCS rather than PassNova. Check the official CITB and CSCS sites for the current prices before you book.

It depends on your role and qualifications — common cards include the green Labourer card, the blue Skilled Worker card, gold supervisory cards and the black Manager card. Skilled and management cards usually require a relevant NVQ or SVQ as well as the HS&E test.

An HS&E test pass is valid for two years for the purpose of applying for a card, and most CSCS cards then last five years before they need renewing. Since February 2025 the green Labourer card is an exception — its first issue is valid for two years, moving to five years on renewal — so check the current rules for your specific card on the CSCS site. If your test pass lapses you may need to sit it again.

There's no limit — if you don't pass you can rebook and sit it again, paying the test fee each time. Practising timed mocks until you consistently score 45 out of 50 is the best way to pass first time.

The CITB Health, Safety & Environment test is the gateway to a CSCS card, which most sites require before you can work. Construction labourer / operative: You'll need a CSCS card or equivalent to train and work on a construction site. Groundworker: Site work needs a CSCS card or equivalent; groundworker is a labourer-route role. Site manager: Managers also need a CSCS card or equivalent to work on site. Forklift driver on construction sites: A CSCS card or equivalent is needed to work on a construction site.

Yes — CSCS Health & Safety practice on PassNova is 100% free. There's no paywall and no sign-up needed to start (Premium adds timed exam papers of 50 questions in 45 minutes). A free account is optional and only saves your progress and badges.

No. You can start practising CSCS Health & Safety instantly with no account, no email and no card. 104 courses are fully free; every Premium question bank has a free 15-question taster.

PassNova has 229 exam-style CSCS Health & Safety questions and 6 timed 25-question practice tests, each with a clear explanation, plus topic-by-topic study mode.

Worth knowing before you book: the CITB Health, Safety & Environment test for operatives is 50 questions in 45 minutes and you need 45 correct to pass. A pass is valid for two years for the purpose of applying for a CSCS card — leave it longer and you sit the test again. There are three versions (Operatives; Specialists; and Managers and Professionals), and CSCS's Card Finder confirms which one your occupation needs, so check before you pay. Industry Accreditation ("grandfather rights") is finished: IA cards issued from 1 January 2020 expired on 31 December 2024 and cannot be renewed that way, and CITB's grant funding for moving those cardholders onto recognised qualifications closed at the end of December 2025 — an IA card is no longer a route to anything. This bank covers the health, safety and environment knowledge the test examines, not the card application process. Checked against CITB and CSCS in August 2026.