Australian Citizenship Test practice test

The Australian citizenship test checks your knowledge of Australia’s people, democracy, laws and values. All questions come from the official resource Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, which the Department of Home Affairs publishes free in English and about 40 community languages, and as a podcast.

The test has 20 multiple-choice questions and you have 45 minutes. To pass you need an overall mark of at least 15 out of 20 (75%), and you must also answer all five Australian values questions correctly. If you miss even one values question, you do not pass, whatever your overall score. There is no extra cost: the test is included in your citizenship application fee.

Who has to take it

Most applicants for citizenship by conferral aged 18 to 59 sit the test. Applicants under 18 or aged 60 and over do not, and neither do people with a permanent physical or mental incapacity, or certain applicants with hearing, speech or sight impairments that prevent them from taking it. Applicants aged 18 to 59 who are exempt from the test may still be asked about Australian values at interview.

How the test day works

After Home Affairs assesses your application, you receive an appointment letter for a citizenship interview and test at a department office. Bring the ID documents listed in the letter. At the interview an officer checks your identity and documents and asks about your application; the test then takes place on a computer. You get your result on the day. If you do not pass, you can usually sit the test again at a later appointment, but if you fail three times your application may be refused, so treat the first attempt seriously. The test is in English, and answering it is also how the department assesses your basic English.

What the questions cover

The testable part of Our Common Bond has four sections. Australia and its people covers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, early European settlement, Federation, the states and territories, and national symbols and days. Australia’s democratic beliefs, rights and liberties covers parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, equality and the responsibilities and privileges of citizens. Government and the law in Australia covers the Constitution, the three levels of government, how laws are made, voting and the courts. Australian values covers the shared values in the Australian Values Statement; the five compulsory values questions come from here. Our questions and answers page is grouped by these sections.

The five values questions

Because the values questions decide the result on their own, study the values section until every answer is automatic. The questions test whether you understand values such as respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, equality of men and women, freedom of religion and the secular state, commitment to the rule of law and to parliamentary democracy, and equality of opportunity. They are not trick questions, but they are worded carefully, so read each option before answering.

How to study

1. Read the testable section of Our Common Bond from start to finish. It is short; most people finish it in an evening. The non-testable second part is background only.
2. Use practice mode one section at a time and read every explanation. Learn the dates and numbers the book gives (Federation, Anzac Day, the number of states and territories, the terms of the Senate and House).
3. Master the values section first, then the government section, which has the most detail.
4. Take a timed mock exam until you pass three in a row with 17 or more and all values questions correct, then review your weak questions.

Our questions are written from Our Common Bond in the style of the official practice test. Home Affairs does not publish the real question bank. Check the department’s page linked on this page for the current rules and the latest edition of the book.