Mock tests
CACES questions and answers, explained
Pick a recommendation and a theme: each question opens on its right answer, the explanation and the syllabus point it trains.
Independent site, not linked to the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie), the INRS, testing bodies or training centres.
1.Who issues your operating authorisation for the machine you use at work?
- ✓ Answer: Your employer
- · The testing body that ran your CACES test
- · The occupational physician
- · The labour inspectorate
Article R4323-56 of the Labour Code (Code du travail) makes the employer responsible for the operating authorisation (autorisation de conduite). The CACES does not replace it: it is one way for the employer to check your knowledge and skills before signing.
Syllabus point: Duties of the manufacturer and the employer
2.Before giving you an operating authorisation, what must your employer check in particular?
- · That you hold a car driving licence, whatever the machine, and a clean criminal record
- ✓ Answer: That you hold a valid medical certificate of no contraindication
- · That you have at least three years of experience on this machine
- · That you have passed a foreign language test
The employer checks your valid certificate of no medical contraindication (attestation d'absence de contre-indications médicales) issued by the occupational physician, your assessment (CACES or equivalent) and that you know the site and its instructions. Experience or a car licence are not required as such.
Syllabus point: Duties of the manufacturer and the employer
3.Who must arrange the periodic thorough examinations of the machine you are given?
- · The driver, at the start of each shift
- · The manufacturer, on its own initiative
- ✓ Answer: The employer, as head of the establishment
- · The body that ran your CACES test
Periodic thorough examinations (vérifications générales périodiques) of lifting equipment are the duty of the head of the establishment, who uses a competent person and keeps the reports. The driver carries out start-of-shift checks and reports faults.
Syllabus point: Duties of the manufacturer and the employer
4.You believe a work situation poses a serious and imminent danger to your life. What may you do?
- · Carry on until the end of the shift, then mention it
- · Leave the site without telling anyone
- · Wait for the labour inspector's next visit before stopping work
- ✓ Answer: Alert your employer and withdraw from the situation
The Labour Code (Articles L4131-1 onwards) gives a right to alert and withdraw (droit d'alerte et de retrait): you report the danger to the employer at once and may withdraw, with no penalty or loss of pay if your reason is reasonable.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
5.At the start of your shift you notice the braking of your machine is abnormal. What do you do?
- ✓ Answer: You do not use it and you inform your manager
- · You use it at low speed until the break, braking earlier
- · You try to adjust the brakes yourself
- · You hand it over to a more experienced colleague
A machine with a faulty safety component must not be used. The driver reports the fault to management; repairs are for qualified staff. Handing it to a colleague does not remove the danger.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
6.You have just passed your CACES. May you operate the machine at your company the next day?
- · Yes, the CACES counts as an operating authorisation
- ✓ Answer: No, you also need an operating authorisation signed by the employer
- · Yes, provided you carry the certificate with you
- · No, you must first complete six months of practice supervised by a named mentor
The CACES certifies your knowledge and skills, but only the operating authorisation (autorisation de conduite) issued by the employer under Article R4323-56 of the Labour Code lets you operate, after medical fitness and site knowledge are checked.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
7.How long is a CACES R489, R485 or R486 valid?
- · 10 years
- · 2 years
- ✓ Answer: 5 years
- · It stays valid for your whole career
For these three recommendations the CACES is valid for 5 years. By then at the latest, the driver must refresh their knowledge and retake the theory and practical tests. The 10-year period applies to construction machinery (R482).
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
8.You are sent for the first time to a new site with your machine. What must you know before starting?
- · Only the delivery address
- · The racking manufacturer's name and the date it was installed
- · The customer's turnover
- ✓ Answer: The site's safety instructions and traffic plan
Each site has its own rules: traffic plan (plan de circulation), instructions, prevention plan or safety protocol. Your employer must pass them on before work starts and you must apply them. Without them you do not know the danger zones or priorities.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
9.Under the Labour Code, what must every employee take care of at work?
- ✓ Answer: Their own safety and that of people affected by what they do
- · Only their own personal safety
- · Only the safety of customers and visitors, not colleagues
- · Meeting deadlines above all
Article L4122-1 of the Labour Code requires every worker to take care of their own health and safety and also that of others affected by their acts or omissions, according to their training and means.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
10.A colleague suggests disabling a safety device on the machine to save time. What do you answer?
- · You agree if the team leader gives you the go-ahead verbally
- ✓ Answer: You refuse: safety devices are never disabled
- · You agree during busy periods
- · You agree as long as you stay careful
Safety devices exist to prevent serious accidents. Disabling one puts the driver and others at risk and makes the driver liable. A device that is in the way or faulty is reported to management, never bypassed.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
11.During an inspection, the labour inspectorate asks for your operating authorisation. What is expected?
- · It only exists at the manufacturer's office
- · Only the CACES may be requested
- ✓ Answer: You must be able to show it
- · It is only required on public roads
The driver must hold the operating authorisation (autorisation de conduite) and be able to show it to the competent prevention bodies such as the labour inspectorate or the Carsat. The CACES alone does not prove the employer has authorised you.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
12.Who issues the certificate of no medical contraindication to operating?
- · Your family doctor
- · The labour inspector
- · The CACES trainer
- ✓ Answer: The occupational physician
Since 1 October 2025 this certificate (attestation d'absence de contre-indications médicales) is issued by the occupational physician (médecin du travail). It is valid for 5 years and the employer must check it before issuing the operating authorisation.
Syllabus point: Occupational safety bodies and their missions
13.Which body checks that the Labour Code is applied in companies and can issue official reports of offences?
- ✓ Answer: The labour inspectorate
- · The Carsat
- · The works council (CSE)
- · The machine manufacturer
The labour inspector (inspecteur du travail) checks compliance, can visit workplaces, request documents and record offences in an official report (procès-verbal). The Carsat advises and insures; the CSE represents staff.
Syllabus point: Occupational safety bodies and their missions
14.Which regional health insurance body advises companies on occupational risk prevention?
- · The regional prefecture
- ✓ Answer: The Carsat (Cramif in Île-de-France, CGSS overseas)
- · The chamber of commerce and industry for your area
- · The body that trained you
The regional funds (Carsat, Cramif, CGSS) have a prevention department that advises companies, may inspect them and handles complaints about the CACES scheme. The CACES itself is based on recommendations from the national health insurance (Assurance Maladie).
Syllabus point: Occupational safety bodies and their missions
15.You pass the CACES theory test but fail the practical. What happens to the theory result?
- · It is lost, you must retake everything
- · It is kept with no time limit, at any testing body
- ✓ Answer: It is kept for 12 months with the same testing body
- · It is kept for 1 month only
The recommendation keeps the part you passed for 12 months. Within that period, after suitable training, the candidate retakes only the failed part, with the same certified testing body (organisme testeur certifié).
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
16.What do you need to pass the CACES theory test?
- · At least 50/100 overall, whatever the results in each topic
- · At least 70/100, even with one topic at zero
- · No mistakes at all on the 100 questions
- ✓ Answer: At least 70/100 and at least half the points in every topic
The test has 100 questions scored 1 or 0. You need an overall score of at least 70/100 and, in addition, at least half the points in each topic of the assessment sheet. One very weak topic means failure even with a good total.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
17.As a rule, to whom does the testing body hand the CACES certificate?
- ✓ Answer: To the employee who earned it, who then shows it to the employer
- · Directly to the labour inspectorate, which then passes it on to the employer
- · To the machine manufacturer
- · To the occupational physician
The certificate belongs to its holder, who shows it to the employer so the operating authorisation (autorisation de conduite) can be issued. If given to the employer, it must be passed back to the employee. Keeping a copy helps to get a duplicate.
Syllabus point: Duties and responsibilities of the driver
18.Which CACES covers a pedestrian stacker with a lift height of 2 m?
- · R485 category 2
- ✓ Answer: R485 category 1
- · R489 category 1B
- · R489 category 1A
R485 covers pedestrian-controlled stackers. Category 1 covers lift heights above 1.20 m and up to 2.50 m; above 2.50 m it is category 2. R489 covers ride-on trucks.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
19.A pedestrian stacker lifts up to 3.20 m. Which CACES is needed?
- · R485 category 1
- · R489 category 5
- ✓ Answer: R485 category 2
- · R482 category A
Above a 2.50 m lift height, a pedestrian stacker falls under R485 category 2. Category 2 also allows you to be authorised on category 1 stackers.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
20.A pedestrian stacker (lift above 1.20 m) has a fold-down platform to carry the operator. Which CACES applies?
- · R485 category 1
- · R485 category 2
- · R489 category 2A
- ✓ Answer: R489 category 1B
As soon as a pedestrian stacker can carry its operator on a fold-down platform, it falls under R489. With a lift above 1.20 m it is category 1B; up to 1.20 m it would be 1A.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
21.Which recommendation covers a rough-terrain forklift?
- ✓ Answer: R482, construction machinery
- · R489 category 3, counterbalance trucks
- · R485 category 2
- · R486, aerial platforms
Rough-terrain trucks are excluded from R489 and R485: they fall under recommendation R482 on construction machinery. Each family of machines has its own recommendation and categories.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
22.An electric pedestrian pallet truck, without a platform, lifts 20 cm. Which statement is correct?
- · It requires an R489 category 3 CACES
- ✓ Answer: It comes under R366, but an R485 CACES allows authorisation to operate it
- · It requires an R485 category 2 CACES only
- · It requires no particular training, since it only lifts the load a few centimetres
Pedestrian pallet trucks, with or without auxiliary lift up to 1.20 m, are covered by recommendation R366. R485 states that an R485 category 1 or 2 CACES allows the employer to authorise them. Training is still compulsory.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
23.Which R489 CACES covers a counterbalance forklift with a rated capacity of 4 tonnes?
- · Category 4
- · Category 5
- · Category 1B
- ✓ Answer: Category 3
Category 3 covers counterbalance trucks up to 6 tonnes rated capacity; above 6 tonnes it is category 4. Category 5 is for reach trucks.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
24.Which R489 CACES is needed for a truck whose mast moves forward along support legs?
- ✓ Answer: Category 5, reach truck
- · Category 3, counterbalance truck
- · Category 6, elevating cab
- · Category 2A, 2-tonne platform truck
On a reach truck the load is brought forward by moving the mast between the support legs. This is R489 category 5, which also includes single-side loading trucks.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
25.You hold the R489 category 1B CACES. Can your employer authorise you on a ride-on pallet truck (1A)?
- · No, a separate 1A CACES is needed
- ✓ Answer: Yes, category 1B covers 1A
- · Yes, but only for six months
- · No, 1A falls under R485
The recommendation states that the 1B CACES (ride-on stackers) allows authorisation on category 1A trucks. Likewise, category 2B covers 2A. The authorisation itself is still issued by the employer.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
26.A mechanic moves trucks of all categories for servicing, without any production handling. Which R489 category applies?
- · Category 3 only
- · None, mechanics are exempt
- ✓ Answer: Category 7, non-production driving
- · Category 2B, tow tractors
Category 7 covers moving, loading onto transporters and transferring trucks of categories 1 to 6 with no production activity: maintenance, demonstration or testing. Mechanics are not exempt.
Syllabus point: Trucks covered or excluded, uses and CACES categories
R489 · forklifts
26
questions on “General knowledge”
This theme is worth 15 points out of 100 in the test.
This page opens our whole CACES theory question bank: 672 questions written by Radif Partners from the knowledge syllabuses published in the French Health Insurance recommendations. They are spread as follows: 162 questions serve R489, 173 R482, 164 R486, 169 R490 and 166 R485, since a general question can serve several recommendations. Each sits in a theme of the assessment sheet and is tied to a precise syllabus point, shown with the answer. Reading the explained answers helps you understand each rule before practising; the practice itself then happens in the mock exam, where questions are drawn by the marking scheme. They are not the testing bodies’ questions, which are not published: they are practice questions on the same knowledge. The real test is in French, so switch to the French page once the rules are clear.
How many points per theme in the R489 test?
Points in the test
50 / 100
| Minimum to score | 25 points |
| Syllabus points | 19 |
| Heaviest | Main causes of lift truck accidents (5) |
Questions, explanations and calculations by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The bank, recommendation by recommendation
| Recommendation | Questions | Themes |
|---|---|---|
| R489 | 162 | General knowledge 15 · Ride-on truck technology and stability 25 · Load chart and capacity diagram 10 · Operating ride-on trucks 50 |
| R482 | 173 | General knowledge 12 · Machine technology and stability 28 · Operating construction machinery 44 · Moving machines on site and on the road 12 · End of shift and maintenance 4 |
| R486 | 164 | General knowledge 14 · MEWP technology and stability 26 · Operating MEWPs 54 · Maintenance 6 |
| R490 | 169 | General knowledge 14 · Lorry loader technology and stability 28 · Operating lorry loader cranes 38 · Slinging 10 · Maintenance 10 |
| R485 | 166 | General knowledge 15 · Pedestrian stacker technology and stability 25 · Load chart and capacity diagram 10 · Operating pedestrian stackers 50 |
Each theme holds at least one and a half times the number of questions its marking gives it, so that two mock exams are never identical. Syllabus points worth a lot, such as traffic risks or reading a capacity plate, have the most questions.
How to read a question
Under each question you find the right answer, the explanation and the syllabus point concerned. The explanation says why the right answer is right, and often why the most tempting answer is wrong. Load chart questions refer to a capacity plate drawn for the exercise: these plates are fictitious but read like those of real machines. Pictograms and signs are drawn by us following the regulatory shapes and colours.
How many mistakes can I still make?
Mistakes still allowed
18
| Limit | 30 mistakes out of 100 |
| Best possible score | 88 / 100 |
Not counting the half-marks-per-theme rule.
From reading to practice
Once you have read the answers, move to the mock exam to check that you find them without help, against the clock. Missed questions go into your mistakes review. For a theme that causes trouble, the load chart, signs and pictograms and safety and risks pages offer a targeted set.