SMSTS exam format, pass mark and resit rules

What is the SMSTS exam format?

You sit the exam at the end of the five-day course, under exam conditions. The paper has two kinds of question.

Check your own paper's instructions on the day, as the provider sets out the rules for the room.

For short written questions, keep your answers clear and on point.

• 18 multiple choice questions, 1 mark each
• 7 multi-response or short written questions, 2 marks each
• 25 questions and 32 marks in total
• 35 minutes in all

What is the pass mark?

You need 81%, which is 26 out of 32 marks. A multi-response question is worth two marks, so those questions carry a lot of weight. Read each one carefully, because the number of answers asked for is part of the question.

The pass mark is based on your total, not on each type of question. You need 26 of the 32 available marks.

As an example, if you answered all 18 single-mark questions correctly, you would still need 8 of the 14 marks on the multi-response and written questions. That is only an illustration, and the real balance will be different for every candidate.

Do not aim for the minimum. Revising towards a comfortable margin protects you if a few questions go against you.

Is the SMSTS exam open book, and what is the trainer review?

Not fully. The first 20 minutes are closed book. In the last 15 minutes you may use the permitted publications.

The permitted publications are the CITB books Construction site safety (GE700) and the Construction site management delegate workbook (XA6). Each delegate gets their own copies on the course. Do not plan to rely on them. Fifteen minutes is short, and a book helps you check a fact, not learn the subject.

Before the exam your trainer assesses how you took part in the core exercises and the course overall. It is marked pass or fail. If you fail it, you cannot sit the exam.

Treat the exercises as part of the assessment, not a break from it.

What topics does the paper draw on?

The questions come from the four areas of the course: legal and management, health and welfare, general safety, and high risk activities. Revise all four. The scheme document also says the two-mark questions all relate to seven focus areas: working at height, vehicles and pedestrians, manual handling, asbestos, dust, noise and vibration.

We do not reproduce any real exam questions.

A good way to revise is to take each area in turn, write down the main duties and the reasons behind them, and then test yourself.

What happens if I fail?

If you score 23 to 25 out of 32, and you passed the trainer review and completed the core exercises, you can have one resit. It may be offered on the same day. Otherwise it must be within 30 days, on the final day of another course or at a standalone session.

A same-day resit needs your agreement and enough time to prepare. The provider sets any fee for the resit. If you fail the resit, you must take the SMSTS course again. If your first score is below 23, ask your provider what your options are.

Our free practice paper follows the same question count and mark split as the real one, but it is not a substitute for the approved course.

If you want to see how a resit differs from the first attempt, ask your provider. The scheme document says a dedicated resit paper is used, and resits may be face to face or remote.