The CSCS Green Card mock testis the single most important preparation step for anyone applying for the entry-level CSCS Green Labourer Card. The card itself is required on virtually every UK construction site, and to earn it you must first pass the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) Operatives test — 50 questions in 45 minutes, with a strict 90% pass mark. This complete 2026 guide walks you through exactly what to expect, the 16 syllabus topics CITB will examine you on, three worked sample questions, a focused two-week study plan, and the cheapest way to book the real test at Pearson VUE.
Quick Answer
The CSCS Green Card test is the CITB HS&E Operatives exam. 50 questions, 45 minutes, pass mark 45/50 (90%). It costs £22.50 to book at any Pearson VUE test centre, and the Green Labourer Card itself costs a further £36 once you pass. Most candidates pass first time after 2–4 weeks of mock test practice. Take a free 50-question mock test now to gauge where you are.
What is the CSCS Green Card?
The CSCS Green Labourer Card is the construction industry's entry-level skills card, issued by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. It proves to site managers, principal contractors and clients that you have demonstrated the minimum level of health and safety awareness required to work safely on a UK construction site. The card is plastic, credit-card sized, and shows your photograph, name and a unique CSCS registration number that any employer can verify on the official CSCS website.
To get the Green Card, you must pass the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test for Operatives and provide evidence of a Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment (or an approved equivalent qualification). The test is the gatekeeper — without a recent pass, your application will not be processed, however many years of site experience you have.
Who needs the Green Card?
The Green Labourer Card is intended for workers carrying out general labouring duties on construction sites. Typical holders include:
- General labourers and groundworkers on housebuilding, infrastructure and commercial projects.
- Traffic marshals and banksmen directing vehicles and pedestrians on site.
- Demolition operatives in the early stages of their career.
- Site cleaners and waste handlers working in active construction areas.
- New apprentices in their first months on site before they progress to a trade-specific card.
If you already hold a Level 2 NVQ in a recognised trade, the Blue Skilled Worker Card is usually a better fit — though both routes use the same CITB Operatives test. Supervisors and managers should pursue the Gold or Black card route via the Supervisor mock test or MAP test respectively.
Test format — 50 questions, 45 minutes, 45/50 pass mark
The CITB HS&E Operatives test is delivered on a touch-screen computer at a Pearson VUE test centre. You will sit in a quiet booth with a desk and a screen — no calculators, phones or notes are permitted, but headphones and the on-screen audio option are available if you find reading on screen difficult. The format is identical for every candidate:
- 50 multiple-choice questions drawn from the official CITB question bank.
- 45 minutes total — roughly 54 seconds per question.
- Pass mark 45/50 (90%) — you can afford to get five questions wrong and still pass.
- Four answer options per question, only one correct. Some “select two” questions appear and must both be right to score.
- No negative marking — always answer every question, even if you guess.
- Instant result — you find out whether you have passed before you leave the booth.
16 core topics covered in the Green Card test
The Operatives syllabus is grouped into five knowledge clusters but spreads across 16 examinable topics. Every CSCS Green Card mock test on this site samples from across all of them, so your practice score genuinely predicts how you will perform on test day.
- General responsibilities — your duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, induction and challenging unsafe acts.
- Accident reporting and recording — RIDDOR, the accident book and near-miss reporting.
- Emergency procedures and first aid — raising the alarm, evacuation, fire-extinguisher colour codes.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) — hard hats, hi-vis, footwear, gloves and eye protection.
- Manual handling — the TILE approach (Task, Individual, Load, Environment).
- Noise and hand-arm vibration — 80 dB(A) lower action value, 85 dB(A) upper action value, HAVS monitoring.
- Hazardous substances (COSHH) — risk assessments, safety data sheets, control measures.
- Asbestos awareness — categories, refurbishment surveys, the duty to manage.
- Welfare facilities — toilets, drinking water and rest areas every site must provide.
- Site induction and security — sign-in procedures, lone working, visitor controls.
- Signs, signals and barriers — prohibition, warning, mandatory and safe-condition signs.
- Dust, silica and respiratory risks — water suppression, on-tool extraction, RPE selection.
- Working at height — Work at Height Regulations, ladder safety (75° / 1:4), scaffold inspections (every 7 days), guardrails (950 mm).
- Excavations and confined spaces — shoring, edge protection, atmosphere testing, rescue plans.
- Electrical safety — buried and overhead cables, 110 V CTE on site, RCD protection.
- Plant, lifting and site transport — segregation, banksman signals and lifting plans.
Three sample Green Card questions (with worked answers)
These three sample questions cover three different topic clusters and reflect the level of specific detail the real CITB exam will demand. Try to answer each one before reading the explanation.
Q1. A scaffold has been erected on your site. How often must it be formally inspected while it remains in use?
- Every day
- Every 7 days ← Correct
- Every 14 days
- Every 28 days
Why: Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, scaffolds in use must be inspected at intervals of no more than 7 days, plus after any event likely to have affected their stability (high winds, accidental impact, alterations). The inspection report must be kept on site.
Q2. You spot a colleague using a power tool with no hearing protection in a clearly marked hearing protection zone. What should you do first?
- Carry on and report it later
- Politely challenge them and remind them PPE is mandatory ← Correct
- Take a photo for the file
- Wait until your supervisor walks past
Why: Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 every worker has a duty to take reasonable care for the safety of themselves and others. Challenging unsafe behaviour at the time is the correct first step — escalate to a supervisor only if the colleague refuses.
Q3. What is the lower exposure action value for daily noise exposure on a construction site?
- 70 dB(A)
- 75 dB(A)
- 80 dB(A) ← Correct
- 85 dB(A)
Why: Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 the lower action value is 80 dB(A) — at this level employers must provide hearing protection on request and offer health surveillance. The upper action value (mandatory protection) is 85 dB(A).
How to prepare — a focused two-week study plan
Two weeks of consistent practice is more than enough for most candidates to comfortably pass the Green Card test. The plan below splits roughly 30 minutes of study a day across mock tests, topic drills and review:
Week 1 — Familiarisation
- Day 1 — take a baseline 50-question mock test. Note your raw score and weakest topic.
- Days 2–4 — drill the weakest two topics (10 questions per topic, review every wrong answer).
- Day 5 — read the CITB revision summary covering working at height, manual handling and PPE.
- Day 6 — second full 50-question mock test. Aim for 40+/50.
- Day 7 — rest day or light review.
Week 2 — Polishing
- Days 8–10 — daily 25-question topic tests focusing on hazardous substances, electrical safety and emergencies.
- Day 11 — full timed mock test. Target 45+/50 consistently.
- Day 12 — review every wrong answer from the last three tests and write a one-line note on each.
- Day 13 — final timed simulation. If you score 48+/50, book the real test.
- Day 14 — test day. Light revision in the morning, arrive 30 minutes early.
For a slower drip-feed approach, try our 100-question marathon mock test once a week to build stamina and pattern-recognition.
Booking the real test — £22.50 at Pearson VUE
The CITB HS&E Operatives test costs £22.50 to book and is delivered at Pearson VUE test centres across the UK. Booking is straightforward:
- Visit citb.co.uk and create a CITB account if you do not already have one.
- Select the Operatives test (sometimes called HS&E Operatives) — this is the Green Card route.
- Choose a Pearson VUE test centre near you. London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and most large towns have at least one.
- Pay the £22.50 booking fee and receive a confirmation email with your test reference.
- On test day, bring two forms of photo ID (passport, driving licence or government letter — check the CITB list).
After you pass, the card itself costs a further £36 to issue via the CSCS application — see our pricing page for how Premium mock test access compares to the real test fee.
Five tips to pass first time
- Practise full 50-question mocks under timed conditions — single-topic drills are useful but the real skill is sustaining focus for 45 minutes.
- Always answer every question. There is no negative marking, so a guess is always better than a blank.
- Memorise the numbers. 80 / 85 dB, 75° / 1:4 ladder angle, 950 mm guardrails, 7-day scaffold inspections — these come up almost every paper.
- Flag and return. If a question is taking more than 90 seconds, flag it, move on, and come back at the end. Most candidates have 5–10 minutes spare at the end.
- Sleep, eat, arrive early. Three boring fundamentals that move pass rates more than any extra mock test the night before.
Ready to test yourself?
Try our free 50-question mock test — same format as the real CITB exam, no signup required.
Try our free 50-question mock test