SSSTS safety critical questions explained

What are the SSSTS safety critical questions?

The SSSTS paper has 25 questions: 22 multiple choice and three short written questions. You get 30 minutes. The four safety critical questions come at the start of the paper.

This guide does not reveal or guess them. What matters is the rule: a wrong answer to any one of the four means the paper is not a pass.

Because they come first, the opening minutes matter more than they might seem.

How is the SSSTS paper marked?

There are three separate hurdles, and you need all of them.

The pass mark is 80%, which is 24 out of 30 marks. The short written questions can carry more than one mark, so the paper is not simply 25 marks.

Each multiple choice question is worth one mark. Each short written question is worth between one and three marks. Write clear, specific answers.

• A score of at least 80%
• All four safety critical questions answered correctly
• A pass in the trainer review, which looks at teamwork, engagement and the toolbox talk

What if I miss a safety critical question, and what are the resit rules?

You do not pass. A high total cannot make up for a wrong answer on one of the four.

The scheme rules do allow a second chance. If you reach 80% but fail the safety critical questions, and you passed the trainer review, you are eligible for a resit.

You are also eligible for a resit if you score between 70% and 77% and answered the safety critical questions correctly, again with the trainer review passed. A same-day resit may be offered if you agree and have had enough time to prepare.

The provider must use a different paper for the resit and sets any fee. If you do not resit on the same day, you can sit the exam on the final day of another course, or at a standalone session, within 30 days. You do not repeat the whole course, and the resit can be face to face or remote.

If you fail the resit, you must retake the SSSTS course.

Can I use a book, and what does the trainer review include?

The SSSTS exam is closed book, except for one allowance. You may use the supervision guide, Construction site supervision (GE706), in the last ten minutes.

The four safety critical questions come first, and the book is only allowed at the end. Plan to answer them from what you know.

The trainer review is marked pass or fail on three things: teamwork in the group exercise, active engagement with the course and group, and completing the toolbox talk. You must pass all three.

It must be finished before the exam. If you fail it, you cannot sit the exam at all.

How should I prepare for them?

Because they come first, read each one slowly. Do not rush the opening of the paper to save time for later questions.

Revise the core duties of a supervisor: the law, risk assessment, method statements, and the high risk activities such as work at height. Learn the reasons, not just the rules.

Our free practice paper is a safe way to rehearse reading questions carefully. It uses original questions and does not copy any real paper, and it does not replace the approved course.

When you revise, link each topic to what you would actually do on site as a supervisor, so the right answer feels natural under time pressure.