Nottingham Venue reopened for CITB Courses

28 October 2024

With a surge in demand for face-to-face SMSTS and SSSTS courses and their respective refreshers, RISK have reopened their North Nottingham venue at Shirebrook, near Mansfield.

SMSTS Refresher and SSSTS Refreshers most in demand face-to-face

With the withdrawal of the 6-month grace period on SMSTS or SSSTS certificates, anyone wishing to renew, must have passed the refresher course before their current certificate expiry date. Both the SMSTS and SSSTS certificates are valid for 5 years, failing to re-sit the refresher course and pass the exam within this period will mean taking the relevant full course again.

A lot has changed with the SMSTS and SSSTS courses in the last 5 years

If you need to refresh your SMSTS or SSSTS certificate, the chances are you sat your last exam pre-covid and in a classroom environment. Now the majority of CITB courses are taken online with a digital exam (about 60% are sat in a virtual classroom, via video conference). There have been lots of changes to both the full course criteria and the examination process, for instance the pass mark has increased on both qualifications.

The classroom-based courses for both the SMSTS, SSSTS and their respective Refreshers are the same as online, however in a physical classroom they are via a paper-based exam and are handwritten.

How the SSSTS, SSSTS Refresher and SMSTS, SMSTS Refresher Exams work

SSSTS & SSSTS Refresher Exam

25 questions in total

22 multiple choice questions The first four questions are safety critical questions on asbestos, respiratory hazards, manual handling, work at height. Get one of these wrong and you fail the exam.
3 written questions
30 Minute Exam This splits into 20 minutes with no reference materials available, and the last 10 minutes where delegates can access the GE706 to check or support their answers. GE706 provided electronically and as hard copy for reference in a physical classroom.

Pass Mark 80%

Immediate re-sit if 69-79%

Note: There are four different exam papers in circulation for the SSSTS and SSSTS-R courses at anyone time. This is a second chance, but there isn’t a third.

SMSTS & SMSTS Refresher Exam

25 questions in total

Part A

18 multiple choice questions

Part B

7 written questions Each question is worth 2 marks (one for each key point). To score 2 points BOTH key points need to be included within the answer, only identify one and you will score zero.
30 Minute Exam This splits into 20 minutes with no reference materials available, and the last 10 minutes where delegates can access the GE700 to check or support their answers. GE700 provided electronically and as hard copy for reference in a physical classroom.

Pass Mark 81%

Immediate re-sit if 70-80%

Note: There are four different exam papers in circulation for the SMSTS and SMSTS-R courses at any one time. This is a second chance, but there isn’t a third.

Our Nottingham venue is ideal for taking the SMSTS, SSSTS and Refresher Certificate

Located 5 minutes of Junction 29 of the M1, the venue has ample free parking and breakout facilities, with snacks and refreshments available at any time. The training suites are first class, and the location is ideal for delegates from in and around Nottingham, Mansfield, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield and surrounding areas.

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