With four weeks to go before a Transport Manager CPC sitting, the candidates who pass are the ones who stop reading and start practising. The CILT exam has two papers: a closed book multiple choice paper testing breadth across the whole syllabus, and an open book case study that tests whether you can apply the rules to a scenario under time pressure. Most failures happen on the case study, so the final month should be weighted towards it. Here is a plan that works.
If you have not yet read our guide to the Transport Manager CPC exam format and results, start there. This article assumes you know how the papers work and want a practical schedule for the last four weeks.
Week 4: find the gaps
Start with a full timed mock of the multiple choice paper. Do not look anything up. Mark it honestly and sort the wrong answers by syllabus area. Most candidates find their weak spots cluster in two or three places, typically drivers’ hours calculations, operator licensing detail, and the financial and business management section. Those areas get the revision time; the areas you are already scoring well in get a light refresh only.
Then read the pre-release case study material properly. CILT releases scenarios before each sitting and one of them appears in the exam. Read each scenario as if you were the transport manager walking into that business on Monday morning. What is wrong? What would you fix first? What rules apply to this fleet, these drivers and these journeys?
Week 3: drill the calculations
The questions that lose marks are the ones with numbers in them. Drivers’ hours and rest periods, Working Time Directive averages, vehicle weights and dimensions, financial standing figures, fuel cost per kilometre, and vehicle costing. Practise these until the method is automatic, because in the case study you will not have time to work out the approach from scratch.
For each calculation type, write yourself a one-line method. For daily driving: nine hours, extendable to ten twice a week. For weekly rest: 45 hours regular, reducible to 24 with compensation within three weeks. Having those fixed in memory saves minutes on the day, and minutes are what the case study runs out of. Our comparison of EU, GB domestic and Working Time rules is a useful revision summary.
Week 2: practise the case study under exam conditions
Sit at least two full case study papers to time. Open book means you can bring your notes and reference material, and the trap is relying on them. Candidates who look up every answer run out of time halfway through. Your reference material should be organised so you can find a fact in seconds: tabbed, indexed and familiar.
Practise the structure of a good answer. Each question is worth up to 20 marks, and the examiner is marking against a scheme. Identify the issue, state the rule, apply it to the scenario, and say what the transport manager should do. Bullet points are fine. Waffle is not, and repeating the question back costs time and earns nothing.
Week 1: consolidate, do not cram
The last week is for confidence, not new material. Re-do the multiple choice questions you got wrong in week four and confirm they are now fixed. Re-read the pre-release scenarios one more time. Check the practical arrangements for the exam: if you are sitting online with remote invigilation, test the software, the webcam and your room set-up a few days before, not on the morning.
The night before, stop early. Tired candidates misread questions, and misreading a case study question can cost the whole 20 marks.
The mistakes that cost the most marks
- Answering the question you expected, not the one asked. Read every case study question twice and underline what it actually wants.
- Not showing working. A correct final figure with no method scores less than a clear method with an arithmetic slip.
- Ignoring the scenario. Generic answers that could apply to any operator score poorly. Use the fleet, the drivers and the problems in front of you.
- Spending too long on one question. Allocate time per question and move on when it runs out. You can come back.
- Treating open book as a safety net. It is not. Know the material; use the book to confirm, not to learn.
If you are not ready
If your mocks are consistently well below the pass mark with two weeks to go, it is better to defer than to fail. Talk to your training provider about the next sitting. A structured course with tutor-led exam preparation makes a real difference to first-time pass rates, and our guide to how hard the Transport Manager CPC really is explains why.
Transport Manager CPC with exam preparation built in
Our 5-day live online Transport Manager CPC course costs £720 all in, with CILT exam fees, study materials and tutor-led exam preparation included.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a week should I revise?
Most candidates working full time manage eight to twelve hours a week in the final month. Quality matters more than quantity: two hours of timed practice beats four hours of re-reading notes.
Can I take the two papers at different sittings?
Yes. If you pass one paper and fail the other, you only need to resit the paper you failed. Check the current CILT rules on how long a pass remains valid.
What can I take into the case study exam?
The case study is open book, so you can use your course notes and reference material. Check the exact rules with your exam centre or provider, particularly for remote invigilation, where the invigilator may ask to see what is on your desk.
Do OCR past papers still help?
Yes, for practice. OCR stopped offering the qualification in 2021 and some legal detail has changed since, so check answers against current rules rather than the old mark schemes.
This article was published in October 2026 by National Compliance Training. Regulations change, so always check the latest guidance from GOV.UK for the current position. This article does not constitute legal advice.