Common Topics in Citizenship Tests Around the World

Short answer: almost every citizenship test asks about five things: how the country is governed, its history, its geography, its national symbols and holidays, and the rights, responsibilities and values expected of citizens. The weighting differs: the US and Germany lean towards government and history, the Netherlands towards everyday life, Australia towards values.

The five topics almost every test covers

1. System of government: the head of state, the parliament or congress, how laws are made, elections, and the courts. Expect questions on the names of the chambers, the length of terms, who appoints whom and how many representatives there are.
2. History: how the country was founded and the key events that shaped it, with dates, names and the order of events. This is usually the largest and hardest topic.
3. Geography: regions, states or provinces and their capitals, major rivers and mountains, neighbouring countries and the national population.
4. National symbols and holidays: the flag, anthem, coat of arms, patron saints or national animals, and the dates and meaning of national days.
5. Rights, responsibilities and values: what citizens are entitled to and what is expected of them, such as voting, jury service, obeying the law and respecting equality and freedom of religion. See our guide to citizenship rights and responsibilities.

How the tests compare

Where each test puts its weight

United States: government is the biggest group of the 128 questions, followed by history. Several questions depend on where you live. United Kingdom: the history chapter of the handbook is the longest and produces the most questions; expect dates, monarchs and the order of events. Canada: history and how Canadians govern themselves dominate, with a steady share on symbols and regions. Australia: government and the law has the most detail, but the five values questions decide the result. Germany: the democracy theme (Basic Law, institutions, elections) supplies most of the 30 general questions, and 3 questions are about your federal state. Netherlands: KNM is mostly practical, asking what you would do when you visit a doctor, look for work or deal with the municipality. France: values and institutions supply most knowledge questions, and 12 of the 40 are everyday scenarios. Spain: government and Spanish society together make up 17 of the 25 questions.

What is different

Some tests add local questions: the US asks about your own state’s senators, representative and governor, and Germany asks 3 questions about your federal state. Some focus on practical life rather than facts: the Dutch KNM exam and the French scenario questions ask what a resident should do. Australia gives special weight to values. Pass marks also vary widely, from 60% in the US and Spain to 80% in France, so a study plan that works for one test may be too light for another. Our comparison of pass marks by country has the details.

How to use this

Start with the official topics for your country, listed on each country page, and study them in order of weight: government first, then history, then the rest. The topics that appear in every test (symbols, rights and responsibilities) are usually the quickest to learn, so leave them for the final week.