CSCS Specialist Mock Test
The CITB HS&E Specialist test combines the Operatives core knowledge with questions from the specialist topic you book. Same shape as every HS&E test: 50 questions, 45 minutes, 45 out of 50 to pass. Pick your specialism below for a timed paper that mixes both, drawn from the same bank as our free CSCS practice test.
Each paper mixes 20 questions on your specialism with 30 from the five core knowledge areas.
How the Specialist test is built
CITB states that the Specialist tests include questions from the five core knowledge areas contained in the Operatives test, as well as relevant questions in the chosen specialist areas. That has a practical consequence worth planning around: most of what you revise is the same material every operative on site revises, and the specialist section sits on top of it rather than replacing it.
The core, shared with Operatives
Working environment, occupational health, safety, high risk activities and specialist. 30 of the 50 questions in our mock come from here, drawn from the same 21 topic banks as the Operatives mock.
Your specialist section
Questions specific to the topic you booked, from demolition and tunnelling to the HVACR trades. 20 of the 50 in our mock. Each topic has its own page here setting out what it covers and who needs it.
Specialist banks you can practise now
12 of the 12 specialisms have a dedicated question bank on this site, with worked explanations after every question.
Topic names and codes verified against citb.co.uk, July 2026. Compare all twelve of the CSCS specialist tests.
Before you book
Confirm the version you need with the official CSCS Card Finder, because the card decides the test. If it turns out you need the standard version, take the CSCS mock test for Operatives instead; managers and professional-card applicants need the Managers & Professionals test. Then read how to book the CSCS test.
Specialist test: common questions
- What is the CSCS Specialist test?
- It is one of the three versions of the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. CITB describes it as being for trade-specific roles, and it draws questions from the five core knowledge areas in the Operatives test plus the specialist area you book. There are 12 specialist topics in 2026.
- Is the Specialist test harder than the Operatives test?
- It is the same length, the same 45 minutes and the same 45 out of 50 pass mark. What changes is the content mix: you keep the core knowledge and add a specialist section, so there is more to revise rather than a higher bar to clear.
- Which specialist test do I need?
- It follows from the card you are applying for, not from what you do day to day. Check with the official CSCS Card Finder before booking, because sitting the wrong version means paying the £23.50 again.
- Can I practise the specialist section here?
- Yes, for all 12. Pick your specialism above and each timed paper mixes 20 specialist questions with 30 core ones. CITB does not publish how its 50 questions divide between the core and the specialism, so that split is ours, not CITB's.