How Our SMSTS Practice Questions Are Written and Checked

Last updated: 7 November 2026

Every question on this site is written for practice. None is a real or old CITB question. SMSTS Mock Test is an independent practice site, run by the SMSTS Mock Test Team and not by CITB. This page explains what our questions are based on, how the mocks match the real paper, and how we check and correct them.

1. Why we do not use real CITB questions

CITB's quality rules for Site Safety Plus training providers forbid it. They 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.) CITB's principal scheme rules add that a question paper must never be shared with a third party.

So every question in our bank is our own, written in our own words.

2. What each question is based on

Each question starts from one of CITB's learning outcomes for SMSTS and SMSTS-R (scheme rules Appendix G, version 03.04, and Appendix H, version 02.05). The answer comes from the law or official guidance, including:

the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
the Work at Height Regulations 2005
the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
HSE guidance, such as the HSG and INDG series

We read the law on legislation.gov.uk and the guidance on hse.gov.uk. Some environment questions use GOV.UK guidance.

3. How the mocks match the real paper

Each full mock follows CITB's layout for the SMSTS exam: 25 questions, 18 worth one mark and 7 worth two, all 7 two-mark questions on the seven focus areas, 32 marks in total, 26 to pass, 35 minutes. On the real paper you may use GE700 and the XA6 workbook for the last 15 minutes. The SMSTS-R mode uses the same layout and notes that only GE700 is allowed. Each attempt draws a new random paper from the bank.

Our two-mark questions are choose-two. 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.

You can sit a full paper on our SMSTS mock test page.

4. The question bank

The bank holds 1,295 original questions: 1,036 with one correct answer and 259 choose-two questions, 37 for each of the seven focus areas. Every question has:

the correct answer
a short explanation
a quoted passage from its source
a link to that source

5. How questions are checked and corrected

Questions are written by the SMSTS Mock Test Team from legislation.gov.uk and HSE guidance. Every answer is linked to a quoted source, and the quote is checked against the saved text of that source. We review the bank when the law or CITB's scheme rules change. The last review of the bank was on 7 November 2026.

If you think a question is wrong, out of date or unclear, report it through our Contact page. We check the report against the source, fix the question if it is wrong and tell you what changed.

6. Who we are

SMSTS Mock Test is run by the SMSTS Mock Test Team. We are independent and are not CITB. We do not run or sell the SMSTS or SMSTS-R course. More about us is on our About page.