SMSTS and SMSTS-R · built to CITB's 18 + 7 question paper · facts checked October 2026
Free SMSTS Mock Test
Take a free, timed SMSTS mock test built like the real CITB paper: 18 one-mark questions, then 7 two-mark questions on the seven focus areas, 32 marks, 26 to pass, in 35 minutes. Every attempt draws a new paper from our bank of 1,295 original questions. When you finish, you see your score out of 32, whether you would pass and which focus areas cost you marks.
By the SMSTS Mock Test Team. Every exam figure on this page is checked against CITB's Site Safety Plus scheme rules.
Timed SMSTS mock
SMSTS mock exam
- 25 questions · 35 minutes · 26 marks to pass (out of 32)
- Built like the real paper: 18 one-mark questions and 7 two-mark tick-two questions, 32 marks, pass at 26.
- Open-book rule on the real exam: GE700 and the XA6 workbook, in the last 15 minutes only.
- At the end you see the answers and explanations for 10 questions, or for every question on a paid plan.
- The clock keeps running if you leave the page, as it would in the exam room.
Ready when you are
Find a quiet 35 minutes. The clock starts when you press start, and you see your score the moment you submit.
Free: 1 mock a week without an account, 3 a week with a confirmed email account.
The SMSTS exam at a glance
25
questions on the paper
32
marks available
26/32
needed to pass (81%)
35
minutes to finish
15
open-book minutes at the end
Checked against CITB rules
Paper layout, pass mark and open-book rule checked against CITB's Site Safety Plus scheme rules, Appendix G, February 2026.
Real exam conditions
18 one-mark questions, then 7 two-mark questions on the focus areas. 35-minute timer, with GE700 and the XA6 workbook allowed in the last 15 minutes.
A new paper every attempt
Each mock draws a fresh paper from our bank of 1,295 original questions, so a retake is a different test.
Each mock follows the layout CITB sets for the real exam: 18 one-mark multiple choice questions, then 7 two-mark questions on the seven focus areas. You get a new random paper from our bank of 1,295 original questions every time you start. When you finish, you see your score out of 32 and whether you would pass. Free use shows the answers, explanations and sources for 10 questions; a paid plan shows them for every question.
The SMSTS exam in numbers
| Part of the exam | The rule |
|---|---|
| Questions | 25, selected by CITB |
| Question types | 18 multiple choice (one mark each) and 7 multi-response or short written answer (two marks each) |
| Two-mark topics | All 7 two-mark questions are on the seven focus areas |
| Total marks | 32 |
| Pass mark | 26 out of 32 (81%) |
| Time | 35 minutes |
| Open book | GE700 and the XA6 delegate workbook, for the last 15 minutes only |
Source: CITB Site Safety Plus scheme rules, Appendix G, version 03.04, February 2026. Checked 25 October 2026.
Re-sits, the trainer review and what a score of 23 to 25 means are on our SMSTS pass mark and exam format page.
What questions are on the SMSTS exam?
The SMSTS exam has 18 one-mark multiple choice questions on the whole course, then 7 two-mark questions, all on the seven health and safety focus areas. The focus areas are:
- working at height
- vehicles and pedestrians
- manual handling
- asbestos
- dust
- noise
- vibration
The one-mark questions can come from any part of the course. CITB's course page says the five days cover legal responsibilities, health and safety law, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, risk assessments, site setup, managing hazards, occupational health and environmental issues. CITB selects the 25 questions on each paper.
Our mocks draw the one-mark questions from five parts of the course: legal and management, health and welfare, general safety, high risk activities and environment. Here is one question of each type from our bank. Open the answer when you have picked yours.
Sample question 3 · General safety · 1 mark
A mobile elevating work platform is used outdoors to lift people and is exposed to conditions that cause deterioration. If there is no written examination scheme, how often does LOLER 1998 require it to have a thorough examination?
- At least every 6 months
- At least every 24 months
- At least every 12 months
- At least every 3 months
Show the answer
Correct: A. At least every 6 months
Under regulation 9(3), equipment for lifting people and lifting accessories need a thorough examination at least every 6 months. Other lifting equipment needs one at least every 12 months, unless an examination scheme sets different intervals.
Sample question 7 · Focus area: Manual handling · 2 marks
Which TWO duties come first under regulation 4 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992? Choose two.
Tick two answers.
- Give every worker who lifts or carries materials a back support belt to wear at all times
- Avoid manual handling that involves a risk of injury, so far as is reasonably practicable
- Assess only the lifts that are heavier than 20 kg, and ignore the lighter ones
- Where it cannot be avoided, make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the operations
- Set a legal maximum weight of 25 kg for every lift that any worker carries out
Show the answer
Correct: B and D. Avoid manual handling that involves a risk of injury, so far as is reasonably practicable / Where it cannot be avoided, make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the operations
The order is avoid, assess, then reduce the risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable. The regulations set no maximum weight: weights in HSE guidance are filters for deciding when a fuller assessment is needed.
Eight more worked examples, with the reasoning for every answer, are in our SMSTS test questions and answers.
How hard is the SMSTS exam?
The SMSTS exam leaves little room for error: you need 26 of the 32 marks (81%), so you can drop only 6. What makes it hard:
- Two-mark questions decide it. Three wrong two-mark questions cost 6 marks, which leaves you on exactly 26.
- The clock is short. 35 minutes for 25 questions is 84 seconds a question.
- The books stay shut for 20 minutes. GE700 and the XA6 workbook open only in the last 15 minutes, so most answers have to come from memory.
- You must pass the trainer review first. On the SMSTS course, failing the trainer review means you cannot sit the exam.
- There is one re-sit. A score of 23, 24 or 25 earns one re-sit, on the same day or within 30 days. A failed re-sit means taking the full course again.
CITB does not publish an SMSTS pass rate. Figures you see online are a provider's or a website's own. Our SMSTS pass mark page explains the re-sit rules in full.
Is SMSTS harder than SSSTS?
SMSTS is the longer course with the higher pass mark: 81% against 80% for SSSTS, the supervisors' course. Both exams have 25 questions.
| Exam rule | SMSTS | SSSTS |
|---|---|---|
| Course length | 5 days | 2 days |
| Questions | 25 | 25 |
| Total marks | 32 | 30 |
| Pass mark | 26 (81%) | 24 (80%) |
| Time | 35 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Open book | GE700 and the XA6 workbook, last 15 minutes | SSSTS Workbook, last 10 minutes |
Sources: CITB scheme rules, Appendix G version 03.04, February 2026 (SMSTS), and Appendix C version 01.01, September 2026 (SSSTS). Checked 25 October 2026.
How our SMSTS mock exams work
- Same layout as the real paper. 18 one-mark questions, then 7 two-mark questions on the focus areas.
- A 35-minute timer. The same time limit as the real exam.
- Scored out of 32. You pass at 26, the same mark as the real paper.
- Two-mark questions are choose-two. You pick the two correct answers. On our mocks you get both marks only for a fully correct answer. CITB does not publish how part marks work on the real paper, and the real paper may also use short written answers.
- A new random paper each attempt. Every start draws a fresh paper from 1,295 original questions.
- Answers explained. When you finish, you see the correct answer, a short explanation and the law or HSE guidance it comes from: for 10 questions on free use, and for every question on a paid plan.
Drills let you work on one area at a time. A module drill gives you 20 questions on one part of the course. A focus-area drill gives you 10 two-mark questions on one focus area, from a bank of 37 for each area.
SMSTS-R refresher mock test
The SMSTS-R exam is the same paper as SMSTS: 25 questions, 32 marks, 26 to pass, 35 minutes. CITB's refresher rules (Appendix H, version 02.05, February 2026) change three things:
| Rule | SMSTS | SMSTS-R |
|---|---|---|
| Open book, last 15 minutes | GE700 and the XA6 workbook | GE700 only |
| Trainer review | Yes. Fail it and you cannot sit the exam | None |
| If you fail the re-sit | Take the full SMSTS course again | Take the SMSTS-R course again |
The refresher is a two-day course of at least 15 hours, for people who hold an in-date SMSTS certificate. If your certificate has expired, you take the full SMSTS course again. Our SMSTS-R mode uses the same 18 + 7 layout and reminds you that only GE700 is allowed in the open-book part. Both exams allow one re-sit at 23, 24 or 25 out of 32. The details are in our SMSTS re-sit rules.
Your results after each mock
When you finish a mock, you see:
- your score out of 32
- whether you reached the pass mark of 26
- your marks on each two-mark question, so you can see which focus area cost you marks
- the correct answer, the explanation and the source for 10 questions on free use, or for every question on a paid plan
On the real exam, a score of 23, 24 or 25 earns one re-sit. Your results show your own answers on the paper you sat. We do not publish the question bank as a PDF.
Free SMSTS mocks and paid plans
You can take 1 full mock a week without an account. Create an account and confirm your email address, and you can take 3 a week. Unlimited mocks and drills are available on a paid plan.
How to revise for the SMSTS exam with mocks
Sit one full paper timed, then drill the focus area that cost you most, then sit a fresh paper.
- Sit a full mock against the 35-minute clock. Keep your books closed for the first 20 minutes, as in the real exam.
- Read every explanation, including the ones for questions you got right by guessing.
- Run a focus-area drill for each two-mark question you lost. Losing three two-mark questions takes you from 32 to 26, the lowest pass.
- Run a module drill on the part of the course where you dropped one-mark questions.
- Sit a fresh paper. Each attempt gives you a new random paper.
- Learn where things are in GE700 and the XA6 workbook. You can open them only in the last 15 minutes, so there is little time to search.
Are these real CITB questions?
No. Every question on this site is original, written for practice by the SMSTS Mock Test Team. CITB's quality rules for training providers say: "The current exam papers must not be used as a mock test in any event." They also say: "Old versions of examination papers must be destroyed and not used as mock papers in any event." (CITB Site Safety Plus Quality Assurance Requirements, May 2026.)
SMSTS mock test FAQs
Is the SMSTS mock test free?
Yes, up to a weekly limit. You can take 1 mock a week without an account, or 3 a week with an account and a confirmed email address. Unlimited mocks and drills are available on a paid plan.
Does the SMSTS mock test show the answers?
Yes, when you finish the mock. Free use shows the correct answer, an explanation and the source for 10 questions on each paper. A paid plan shows them for all 25. Our SMSTS test questions and answers page has 10 worked examples free to read.
Does the real SMSTS exam have written questions?
It can. CITB describes the 7 two-mark questions as "multi-response or short written answer". On our mocks, every two-mark question asks you to choose the two correct answers.
What is the SMSTS pass rate?
CITB does not publish an SMSTS pass rate. The pass mark is 26 out of 32 (81%). Read how the mark and the re-sit rules work on our SMSTS pass mark page.
Is there an SMSTS mock test PDF?
No. We do not publish the question bank as a PDF. The mocks run online so that each attempt can draw a new paper. You can print the 10 worked examples on our SMSTS test questions and answers page from your browser.
Is there an SMSTS mock test app?
There is no app. The mocks run in the web browser on your phone, tablet or computer, so there is nothing to install.
Is this site run by CITB?
No. SMSTS Mock Test is an independent practice site. We are not CITB, we do not run or sell the SMSTS course, and we do not issue certificates.
Can I take the SMSTS mock more than once?
Yes. Each attempt gives you a new random paper from our bank of 1,295 questions. Your weekly free limit still applies unless you are on a paid plan.
What is SMSTS?
SMSTS is CITB's Site Management Safety Training Scheme, a five-day course for site managers that ends in a 25-question exam. Read more about what SMSTS is.
Sit one full paper timed, then practise the focus area that cost you most.
Start a timed SMSTS mock