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United Kingdom · Theory test

CPCS training courses

No Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) rule makes you take a course before the test, but a CPCS Accredited Centre may ask you to do a minimum period of training first, after a profiling session that checks your skills against the category. NOCN Group, which runs CPCS, highly recommends refresher training even for experienced operators, because habits picked up on the job can lose you marks. CPCS training courses come from accredited centres and other providers, and each sets its own length and price.

  • ProfilingHow a centre works out your training
  • 3Routes into the test for eight categories
  • Set by each providerCourse length and price
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Do you need CPCS training courses before the test?

Not by scheme rule. NOCN’s Scheme Booklet for Operators says the employer and operator decide what training is needed, as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 makes training the employer’s duty. Training and testing are kept apart on purpose: a CPCS tester can’t be involved in your training, so the test is an independent check.

Training can come from a training provider, an in-house trainer or a co-worker. CPCS quality assures training only when it’s delivered within the scheme.

How the CPCS theory test works →Every step to a CPCS card →

NOCN’s own material and CPCS training providers

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
NOCN CPCS revision support documentsNOCN’s own revision material for each categoryOne page per category, from A02 Crawler Crane to D92 Demolition Operations. Depending on the category it holds the theory test question list (questions only), any chart used in the test, the practical test specification, the On-Site Assessment and the CITB training standard.
Free, says NOCNEvery document, downloaded as a PDF
NOCN: Revision support documents ↗
Official
NOCN Operative Health, Safety and Environment TestThe online HS&E test, with learning modulesBought through the NOCN Group Hub and taken online, at home or at a centre. The learning takes 45 minutes to an hour, and the book test button appears once it’s done. NOCN suggests a laptop or desktop with Chrome or Firefox, not a phone.
£22The learning modules come with the test
NOCN: Operative HS&E test ↗
NOCN Find a Test CentreNOCN’s search for CPCS Accredited CentresThe centres listed run the theory and practical tests. NOCN advises contacting two or three, as their dates, prices and timescales differ.
Centres set their own pricesNOCN lists no fee for the search
NOCN: Find a Test Centre ↗
In person
Pearson TQ Construction AcademyCPCS training and testing, in Kent or on your siteTrains at its academy in Swanley, Kent, or at a client’s premises, with its own accredited test centre. Its CPCS list runs from A09 Forward Tipping Dumper and A17 Telehandler to A58 and A59 360 Excavators and A73 Plant and Vehicle Marshaller. It says its centre has delivered over 5,204 CPCS tests with an average pass rate of 91%. Its entry requirement names the CITB HS&E test.
Not listed on its CPCS page
Pearson TQ: CPCS courses ↗
Essential Site SkillsCPCS courses sized to your experienceIts A17 Telescopic Handler course runs 2 to 4 days depending on experience, set after a learner analysis, with a two-day course for experienced operators. It asks for an Operatives HS&E test pass from the last two years and a good understanding of spoken and written English.
Not listed; enquiry by phone or form
Essential Site Skills: CPCS Telescopic Handler (A17) ↗Essential Site Skills: CPCS Excavator 360 above 10 tonne (A59) ↗
ACOP GroupSmall-group CPCS courses in LlanelliRuns the full range of CPCS and NPORS courses at Capel Quarry, Gorslas, near Llanelli, with spaces limited to 2 delegates. Its novice A59 tracked 360 excavator course is 10 days of training with the CPCS technical test on the 11th day.
Not listed on its course pages
ACOP Group: A59 courses ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Direct to test, experienced or novice

For the eight categories covered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) plant training standards, NOCN set out three routes when CPCS became a CITB Recognised Organisation on 31 July 2023:

  • Direct to test: the employer decides the training, and the operator goes straight to the CPCS theory and practical tests. NOCN recommends it for highly skilled operators.
  • Experienced route: a minimum number of training hours for people with some ability or transferable skills, then the tests.
  • Novice route: full training for complete beginners, then the tests.

The eight are the 360 excavator above 10 tonnes (tracked), forward tipping dumper (wheeled), articulated dump truck, ride on roller, telescopic handler excluding 360 slew, industrial forklift, plant and vehicle marshaller, and slinger/signaller. Each category now has its own NOCN training standard with minimum course hours, and the category pages below give them.

Telehandler (A17) training hours →360 excavator (A58 and A59) training hours →Dumper (A09 and A56) training hours →Plant and vehicle marshaller (A73) training hours →

What to ask before you book a CPCS course

NOCN advises contacting two or three centres, as their availability, prices and timescales differ. These questions help you compare them:

  • Is the centre on NOCN’s Find a Test Centre search for the category you want?
  • Does the price include the CPCS theory and practical tests, or only the training?
  • Which Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test does it ask for? CPCS accepts the NOCN test or the CITB test, but some providers name only the CITB one.
  • Can it arrange the vocational qualification (VQ), if you want a blue card rather than a red one?
  • Will it train and test on your site, or only at its own test site?
NOCN: Find a Test Centre ↗Red card or blue card →

Studying for the theory part

NOCN publishes a question list for each category’s theory test, plus the practical test specification, so you can see what the tester will ask and do. It doesn’t publish the answers, and it points candidates to sources such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Construction Plant-hire Association and machine manufacturers’ manuals.

NOCN’s theory test questions by category →Grants for employers and other costs →
Sources: NOCN and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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Telehandler A17360 excavatorDumperMarshaller A73