CITB Managers and Professionals Test Explained: Figures and Route

The CITB Managers and Professionals test is one of the three Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) tests. CITB's page does not say who the test is for. It is a separate route from the Operatives test, with its own CITB page, and it is not covered by this site. If you are unsure which test you need, confirm it with the official CSCS pages before you book or revise.

Key takeaways

What the test is

CITB runs three HS&E tests: Operatives, Specialist, and Managers and Professionals. CITB sets out the test on its own page, separate from the Operatives page, and that separation is the first thing to take from it. Each test has its own CITB page and description.

The About the HS&E test page gives the overview of all three. It is worth reading even if you already know which one you need, because it shows how the routes relate to each other and points you to the details for each.

This article keeps to what CITB's pages state. The CITB page states 50 questions, 45 minutes and a 90% pass mark (at least 45 of 50). If you are preparing for it, the CITB Managers and Professionals page is the place to get those details.

Why the routes are listed separately

CITB lists three tests on separate pages. Its Managers and Professionals page says the content is not role specific and does not say who the test is for. Use the CSCS Card Finder to see which test your card route needs.

CITB's page does not describe a different question style for this test.

For the content, rely on CITB.

Operatives, Specialist, and Managers and Professionals compared

If you want the full picture of the family, our introduction to what the CITB HS&E test is puts all three side by side. The Operatives test format page sets out the Operatives numbers.

Checking you are on the right route

A common mistake is to assume a route from a job title. Titles vary widely between companies. Someone called a supervisor on one project may be doing very different work from someone with the same title elsewhere. The route that applies to you depends on your card, and CSCS sets the card requirements.

Use this checklist:

• [ ] Find out which card you are applying for, renewing or upgrading.
• [ ] Look up that card in the official CSCS Card Finder.
• [ ] Read the CSCS card requirements for that card, which will say which test route applies.
• [ ] Read the matching CITB test page for the current description.
• [ ] If the pages seem to disagree or are unclear, ask CSCS or your training provider.
• [ ] Ask your employer what they expect, because they may have their own requirements on top of the card rules.
• [ ] Book only after you have done all of the above.

If you decide you are on the Managers and Professionals route, remember that this site is not preparation for it. If you are on the Operatives route, the free practice questions and CITB HS&E test practice pages are designed for you.

What to do if you are between roles

Many people do not fit neatly into one box. A skilled worker may be moving into supervision. Someone may hold an operative card and be stepping up to a role where the card requirements differ. A trainee may be on a programme that leads to a different card later.

In those cases:

• Work out what card you want in the next step, not just the one you hold now.
• Ask the card issuer, via the official pages, what applies to that card.
• Ask your employer or training provider whether they plan the move and what they will require.
• Do not book a test just because it is the one a colleague took. Their card may be different from yours.
• Keep any written confirmation you receive about which route applies to you.

Rushing this step is an easy way to waste money, because a test taken for the wrong route may not meet your card's requirements. Check first and book once.

Why this site does not cover it

This site is built around one defined job: original practice questions written to the public Operatives topic labels. We can describe the Operatives format accurately because CITB publishes it, and we can check our questions against general health and safety knowledge that we are confident about.

We have not written material for the Managers and Professionals test and we do not want to imply otherwise. Practising Operatives questions would give you a false sense of readiness for a different test. If you need preparation for this route, use CITB's own information and ask your employer or training provider about suitable courses and materials. For how we write and check our content, see the how we create content page.

A worked example: a team leader weighing up a move

Take a made-up case to see the checking process in action. Dana has worked on sites for several years and has just been asked to coordinate the work of several trades on a refurbishment. Her title is changing, and a colleague has told her she will "need the manager's test".

Dana does not book anything on the strength of that comment. She works through the steps in order:

1. She writes down the card she holds now and the card she thinks the new role will need.
2. She looks the new card up in the official CSCS Card Finder and reads the card requirements, which say which test route applies.
3. She opens the matching CITB page to read the current description of that test.
4. She asks her employer whether they have requirements beyond the card rules, and whether they will arrange or pay for anything.
5. She keeps a written note of what she was told and where she found it.

Two things are worth noticing. First, the colleague may well be right, but a colleague's card may differ from hers, so the comment is a prompt to check, not an answer. Second, Dana's old Operatives practice does not carry over automatically. CITB treats the routes as separate, so she would use CITB's own information for any new route. This site covers Operatives only, which is why it cannot prepare her for a different test.

Questions to put to your employer or training provider

When a role is changing, the conversation with the employer is as useful as the CITB page. These questions keep it concrete:

• Which card does this role need, and who decided that?
• Does the card route name the Managers and Professionals test, or a different one?
• Are there company requirements beyond the card, such as extra training or an induction course?
• Will the company arrange the booking, or am I expected to do it myself?
• Is there a date by which the card or test must be in place?
• Can you put the answer in an email so I have a record?

Employers and providers are better placed than a general website to answer these, because they know the project and the role. If their answer and the official pages seem to differ, go back to the official pages and ask CSCS directly instead of guessing. For the family overview, see what the CITB HS&E test is, and for the Operatives figures see the Operatives test format page.

FAQ

Sources

This article is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, approved by or endorsed by CSCS or CITB, and practice on this site is not an official result.

• CITB: Managers and Professionals test
• CITB: About the HS&E test
• CITB: Operatives test
• CITB: Specialist test

Independent guide, not affiliated with, authorised by, approved by or endorsed by CSCS or CITB. Last updated 2026-10-08.