Training Evaluation (Kirkpatrick Levels) questions for the CSP
CSP Domain 7: Training (7.4 Training effectiveness; 7.6 Adult learning principles). 8 free questions below. Every answer quotes and links the source document it comes from.
Written lesson
Training Evaluation (Kirkpatrick Levels), 18 min read. Included with every CSP pass.
This lesson covers how OSHA's training guidance says to plan, build, deliver and evaluate worker safety training, from needs assessment through objectives, adult learning, class design and effectiveness checks. The exam tests the sequence, the numbers and the common confusions, and on the job it decides whether workers actually learn.
Sources covered
- Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model The New World Kirkpatrick Model
Guidance documents are quoted from the published edition linked above; they are recommendations, not regulations.
Question 1
At the end of a half-day ergonomics class, a trainer hands out a short form. It asks participants whether the session held their attention and whether the examples matched the tasks they do at their own workstations. The trainer wants to know which Kirkpatrick level these questions measure. Which level is it?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: D. Level 1: Reaction, because the form asks how engaging and relevant the class was
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 1 as how favorable, engaging and relevant to their jobs participants find the training. Questions about attention and fit to their tasks match that. Knowledge gain is Level 2, on-the-job application is Level 3, and targeted outcomes are Level 4. The form's timing does not change its level.
Answer D comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 1: REACTION The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging and relevant to their jobs”
Question 2
After a confined space entry class, the instructor has each participant demonstrate atmospheric testing in the training yard. Each participant also rates their confidence in doing the test alone and states whether they commit to following the procedure. Which Kirkpatrick level is the instructor evaluating with these activities?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. Level 2: Learning, because skills, confidence and commitment are being checked
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 2 as the degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment from the training. A demonstration plus confidence and commitment ratings fit that. Level 1 is about favorability and relevance. Level 3 is application back on the job, not in the yard. Level 4 is targeted outcomes.
On the job
A training coordinator at a water treatment plant finishes a lockout/tagout course and has each operator demonstrate applying locks to a pump disconnect on the practice board. Operators then rate how confident they feel doing it unsupervised and say whether they will follow the procedure every time. These checks measure skills, confidence, and commitment acquired during training, which is Kirkpatrick Level 2, and not on-the-job application weeks later.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 2: LEARNING The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training”
Question 3
A plant trained its press operators on machine guarding. The stated target was fewer guard-related near-miss reports on the press line. The safety manager has four data sets and wants the one that shows whether the targeted outcome occurred. Which data set is it?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: A. The monthly count of guard-related near-miss reports on the press line
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 4 as the degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and its support and accountability package. The near-miss count is the stated target. Quiz scores are Level 2, usefulness ratings are Level 1, and supervisor checks of guard use on shifts are Level 3 behavior.
On the job
A training manager at a packaging plant ran a forklift pedestrian-awareness course with a stated target of fewer pedestrian near-miss reports in the loading area. To judge whether the targeted outcome occurred, the manager pulls the monthly near-miss counts for that area before and after training. That is Level 4 under the New World Kirkpatrick Model, separate from class ratings, quiz scores, or observed behavior.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer A comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 4: RESULTS The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package”
Question 4
After a hazard communication class, a trainer reviews the feedback forms. Many participants from the shipping office wrote that the chemical examples were interesting but did not match anything they handle at work. The trainer wants to name the Kirkpatrick level this feedback addresses and what it points to. Which choice is correct?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: B. Level 1: participants did not find the training relevant to their jobs
The Kirkpatrick model defines Level 1 as how favorable, engaging and relevant participants find the training to their jobs. Feedback that examples do not fit the work is a relevance finding. It does not show what they learned, how they behave on the job, or whether targeted outcomes occurred.
On the job
After a confined space awareness class, a safety coordinator at a water treatment plant reads the comment cards. Several lab technicians wrote that the instructor was engaging but the entry examples involved tanks and vaults they never enter. The coordinator treats this as relevance feedback, which falls under Level 1 of the Kirkpatrick model, not evidence about what anyone learned or does on the job. The coordinator adds lab-specific examples to the next session.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer B comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 1: REACTION The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging and relevant to their jobs”
Question 5
After a safety culture class, a trainer gives participants a short survey. It asks whether they now believe reporting near misses is worthwhile and whether they commit to reporting them on their own shifts. The trainer wants to classify what this survey measures. Which evaluation level fits best?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. Level 2, because it measures attitude and commitment after the training
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 2 as acquiring knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment from the training. The survey asks about belief and commitment, so it is Level 2. It is not Level 1, which covers favorability and relevance. It is not Level 3, which needs actual on-the-job application. It is not Level 4, which needs targeted outcomes.
On the job
A training coordinator at a food plant hands out a short form after a hand-protection class. The questions ask whether workers now believe the new glove policy is necessary and whether they commit to wearing the right gloves on their own shifts. The coordinator logs the results as Level 2 learning data, since belief and commitment are being measured, and plans separate follow-up observation on the floor to capture actual behavior.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 2: LEARNING The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training”
Question 6
A utility trained line crews on electrical work practices. The targeted outcome was fewer electrical contact incidents. The safety director must pick data for a Level 4 evaluation. Which data should the director use?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. Quarterly electrical contact incident counts compared with the prior year
The New World Kirkpatrick Model defines Level 4 as the degree to which targeted outcomes occur because of the training and its support and accountability package. Since the target was fewer contact incidents, incident counts fit. Instructor ratings are Level 1, exam scores are Level 2, and foreman glove-use checklists are Level 3.
On the job
A safety director at a wastewater treatment utility trained operators on confined space entry, with the targeted outcome of fewer atmospheric exposure events. To evaluate results at Level 4, the director gathers the count of exposure events logged each quarter and compares it with the prior year. Level 4 asks whether the targeted outcomes occurred because of the training and its support and accountability package, so event counts are the right data.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 4: RESULTS The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package”
Question 7
A food plant trained workers to handle sanitation chemicals. The stated target was fewer chemical splash injuries. At the end of the class, the average written test score was 94 percent. A manager says, "Scores like that prove we hit the Level 4 target." Which response is correct?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: A. Incorrect, because test scores show Level 2 learning and cannot show that splash injuries fell
The New World Kirkpatrick Model treats Level 4 as targeted outcomes occurring because of the training and its support. A test score measures what participants learned, which is Level 2. Passing the test does not show fewer splash injuries. Scores are not a reaction measure, and passing does not mean the outcome target was met.
On the job
At a municipal water treatment plant, a training coordinator reviews a course meant to reduce chlorine handling incidents. Trainees averaged 92 percent on the end-of-course quiz, and a supervisor wants to report the outcome goal as met. The coordinator logs the quiz as Level 2 learning evidence only. Whether incidents actually dropped has to be tracked separately before anyone claims a Level 4 result.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer A comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 4: RESULTS The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package”
Question 8
A contractor trained its scaffold crews. Every crew member passed the post-class test with a high score. Sixty days later, a supervisor reviewing field observations finds that most crews are not using the new inspection method at the job site. Which level of the Kirkpatrick model shows the gap that needs attention?
Show answer and source: Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1
Answer: C. Level 3, because crews are not applying what they learned back on the job
The Kirkpatrick model defines Level 3 as the degree to which participants apply what they learned once they are back on the job. The crews are not using the method, so the gap is at that level. The test scores show learning occurred, and nothing in the facts points to a reaction problem. Outcome results are a later step, not the gap seen here.
On the job
A training manager at a warehouse operator ran forklift pre-use inspection training, and every driver passed the written quiz. Two months later, observation checklists show most drivers skipping the new inspection steps at their trucks. The manager recognizes a Level 3 gap, since participants are not applying what they learned back on the job, and plans supervisor coaching on the floor rather than rewriting the class.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
Kirkpatrick Partners, The New World Kirkpatrick Model, PDF p. 1(opens kirkpatrickpartners.com in a new tab)“LEVEL 3: BEHAVIOR The degree to which participants apply what they learned during training when they are back on the job”