CSCS Practice Test

CSCS Test Cost (2026): The £23.50 Fee, Refunds and Resits

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What getting your card actually costs, as a bar chart: HS and E test 23.50, CSCS card application 36.00, phone reschedule 5.00, phone cancellation 10.00. Headline figures: 23.50 pounds per test attempt, 36 pounds card application, 59.50 pounds minimum passing first time, 83 pounds if you fail once. Sites still quoting 22.50 are using the old fee.

How much is a CSCS test? £23.50 per attempt. That is the price CITB sets for every version of the Health, Safety and Environment test, the exam UK construction workers pass before applying for a CSCS card, from Operatives to Managers and Professionals and the specialist tests. You pay it in full when you book.

CITB test cost: every charge to plan for

  • Test fee: £23.50 per attempt, paid when you book. A fail means paying the full fee again to resit.
  • Rescheduling: free online at least 72 hours ahead; £5 if you do it by phone.
  • Cancelling: a full refund online at least 72 hours ahead; a £10 admin fee if you do it by phone.
  • Lost pass certificate: download your score report from your online account, or pay £10 for a duplicate by phone.
  • Interpreter on a resit:CITB pays an interpreter’s fee once only. On any later test it is charged on top of the £23.50.

What the £23.50 does and does not cover

The fee buys one sitting of one version of the test, booked through Pearson VUE on CITB’s behalf. It covers the appointment, the on-screen tutorial beforehand and your score report at the end, which shows whether you passed and the subject areas where you dropped marks. It does not cover a resit, any qualification your card needs, or the card itself.

The card is a separate purchase from a separate organisation. Once you pass, you apply to CSCS and pay CSCS £36 for the card (the Apprentice card is free), and none of that goes through CITB. What the card costs to apply for, replace and renew is on CSCS card cost.

Changing or cancelling without losing the fee

The 72-hour mark is the one to remember. Change or cancel at least 72 hours before your appointment and you keep your money, less any phone charge. Inside 72 hours you can do neither, so the fee is gone and a fresh £23.50 is needed to book again.

  • Reschedule: free online, £5 by phone on 0344 994 4488. The new date must fall within 2 years of your original payment.
  • Cancel: full refund online, or a refund less a £10 admin fee by phone. Refunds are paid within 15 working days of your request.
  • Paid with a voucher: no refund, but you can still reschedule.

The other way to lose the money is on the day. CITB refunds nothing if you arrive late or do not arrive, whatever the reason, weather and transport included, and nothing if you are turned away without the right identification. The ID rules are stricter than people expect, so read the CSCS test ID requirements before the day rather than on it. If a reader, interpreter or signer was arranged for you and you do not sit the test, CITB also charges for that adjustment, and you cannot sit another test until it is paid.

What a resit costs

Every attempt is charged in full. Two attempts cost £47 in test fees and three cost £70.50, and you cannot resit within 48 hours of a fail. If you sat with an interpreter, remember that CITB covers an interpreter’s fee once in your lifetime: on any later test, resits and renewals included, it is charged on top of the £23.50.

How soon to rebook, and how to use your score report so the next attempt is the last, is covered in the retake rules and costs.

Booking with CITB or through a third-party site

Booked directly, the test is £23.50 with nothing on top. Book online through Pearson VUE, by phone on 0344 994 4488 (Welsh-language line 0344 994 4490), or through an approved Internet Test Centre. Each route is explained step by step in how to book the CSCS test.

Third-party booking sites are resellers, and reselling is allowed. CITB publishes a third party booking agent resale policy that lets agents sell the test on, under conditions. The ones that matter when you are paying: the agent must say on its website that it is not associated with CITB, show the £23.50 test price before you buy, and show any admin fee separately before you enter any personal details. A bigger total is not automatically a scam, but everything above £23.50 is the agent’s charge, not the test’s.

CITB says plainly why the policy exists: candidates may be charged excessive prices, or misled into thinking they are dealing with CITB. It also reserves the right to void a test result if the agent’s candidate details are not to its satisfaction. Booking yourself avoids both. An employer booking the test for its own staff does not count as a third-party agent.

You may also see the old £22.50 figure quoted. That price is out of date, and a page still showing it is a reasonable signal that its other facts have not been checked recently either.

Pass first time, pay once

The cheapest CSCS test is the one you only sit once. Practise free with our CSCS mock test for Operatives and CSCS test questions and answers until you consistently score 45/50 or better.

Fees, refund, rescheduling and resit rules checked 18 September 2026 against CITB’s HS&E test booking terms and conditions (April 2026), where condition 3.1 reads “The price for each type of HS&E Test shall be £23.50”, and against its third party booking agent resale policy.

CSCS test cost: common questions

Is the CITB test price the same for every version?
Yes. CITB's booking terms set the price of each type of HS&E test at £23.50, so the Operatives, Managers and Professionals and specialist tests all cost the same. You pay in full when you book.
Can I get a refund if I cancel my CSCS test?
Yes, if you cancel at least 72 hours before the appointment. Cancel online and you get a full refund; cancel by phone and CITB keeps a £10 administration fee. Inside 72 hours there is no refund. A test paid for with a voucher is not refunded, though you can still reschedule it.
What happens to my £23.50 if I miss the test or arrive late?
You lose it. CITB gives no refund if you arrive late or do not arrive, whatever the reason, and none if you are turned away for not having the right ID. You have to book and pay again.
How much does it cost to resit the CSCS test?
The full £23.50 again, every time. You cannot resit within 48 hours of a fail. If you sit the test with an interpreter, CITB covers the interpreter's fee once only, so on a resit that fee is charged on top of the £23.50.
Why do some websites charge more than £23.50 for the CITB test?
They are resellers. CITB lets third-party agents resell the test under a published policy, provided they show the £23.50 test price, and any admin fee separately, before you enter personal details. Anything above £23.50 is the agent's charge, not the price of the test.