Short answer: 15 of the 178 countries on this site run an official citizenship knowledge test with a published format. Pass marks range from about 52% (Germany, 17 of 33) to 80% (Denmark, France, Mexico). Most tests are multiple choice on a computer and last 45 minutes; the United States is the exception, with an oral test at the naturalization interview. The table below compares every one of them, read live from each country’s reviewed page.
Last verified against official sources: October 19, 2026. Each figure links to the government page it was checked against.
Citizenship tests compared: questions, time, pass mark, format and language
Sorted by pass mark, highest first. “Question bank” is the number of practice questions on this site; the official bank size is on each country page.
| Country | Official test | Questions asked | Question bank | Time | Pass mark | Format | Language | Who takes it | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | Indfødsretsprøven | 45 | 15 on this site | 45 minutes | 36 of 45, incl. 4 of 5 values questions (80%) | A written multiple-choice test of 45 questions in 45 minutes: 35 on the official study material, 5 on current affairs and 5 on Danish values. | Danish | Applicants for Danish citizenship by naturalisation, as one of the conditions for being included in a citizenship bill. | Danskogprøver.dk (SIRI) - Indfødsretsprøven |
| 🇫🇷 France | Examen civique | 40 | 47 on this site | 45 minutes | 32 of 40 correct (80%) | 40 multiple-choice questions on a computer at an approved centre | French | Applicants for French nationality by decree, and applicants for a first multi-year residence card or 10-year resident card. | Service-Public.fr |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | Examen de historia y cultura de México | 10 | 15 on this site | About 10 minutes | 8 of 10 correct (80%) | A 10-question multiple-choice exam on Mexican history and culture set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE); you need 8 correct, and some applicants also take a Spanish test. | Spanish | Adults applying for Mexican nationality by naturalisation (carta de naturalización) through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) - Naturalisation study guide |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Australian Citizenship Test | 20 | 117 on this site | 45 minutes | 75% and all 5 values questions | 20 multiple-choice questions on a computer | English | Most applicants for citizenship by conferral aged 18 to 59. | Department of Home Affairs - Prepare for the test |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Canadian Citizenship Test | 20 | 128 on this site | 45 minutes (online test) | 15 of 20 correct (75%) | 20 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions; the self-administered online test is the default, with in-person or video tests in specific cases | English or French | Citizenship applicants aged 18 to 54 on the day they sign their application. | IRCC - Prepare for the citizenship test |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | Exam on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act | 24 | 15 on this site | 45 minutes | 18 of 24 correct (75%) | A computer-based exam of 24 multiple-choice questions in Estonian on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act, taken in 45 minutes and passed with at least 18 correct answers. | Estonian | Adults applying for Estonian citizenship by naturalisation. | Police and Border Guard Board - Estonian citizenship for an adult |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | Statsborgerprøven | 36 | 15 on this site | 60 minutes | 24 of 32 scored questions (75%) | A multiple-choice test in Norwegian with 36 questions, each with three options, of which 32 count towards your score; it lasts up to 60 minutes. | Norwegian | Applicants for Norwegian citizenship, who must pass either the citizenship test or the social studies test in Norwegian unless they are exempt. | UDI - Citizenship |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Life in the UK Test | 24 | 130 on this site | 45 minutes | 18 of 24 correct (75%) | 24 multiple-choice questions on a computer at an approved test centre | English (Welsh or Scottish Gaelic available in some centres) | Most people aged 18 to 64 applying for indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship. | GOV.UK - Life in the UK test |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (KNM) | 40 | 82 on this site | About 45 minutes | 70% | Multiple-choice questions on a computer at a DUO location, often based on short videos or situations | Dutch (A2 level) | People who must integrate under the Civic Integration Act, and most applicants for naturalisation or permanent residence. | Inburgeren.nl (DUO) |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Zkouška z českých reálií | 30 | 15 on this site | 30 minutes | 18 of 30 correct (60%) | A written test of 30 questions (16 on civics, 7 on geography, 7 on history and culture) taken in 30 minutes, passed with at least 18 correct answers, alongside a separate B1 Czech language exam. | Czech | Applicants for the grant of Czech citizenship, unless exempt. | Ministry of the Interior - Granting of Czech citizenship |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | Prueba CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España) | 25 | 50 on this site | 45 minutes | 15 of 25 correct (60%) | 25 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions on paper | Spanish | Applicants for Spanish nationality by residence aged 18 and over. | Instituto Cervantes - CCSE |
| 🇺🇸 United States | Naturalization Civics Test (2025 version) | 20 | 126 on this site | Oral interview | 12 of 20 correct (60%) | Oral questions asked by a USCIS officer during your naturalization interview | English (some applicants may qualify to take the civics test in their own language) | Most lawful permanent residents applying for naturalization with Form N-400. | USCIS - Study for the Test |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Einbürgerungstest (Leben in Deutschland) | 33 | 122 on this site | 60 minutes | 17 of 33 correct (52%) | 33 multiple-choice questions on paper, under supervision | German | Most adults applying for German citizenship. | BAMF - Online test centre |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Staatsbürgerschaftsprüfung | 18 | 15 on this site | 2 hours | Half the points per area, or 2/3 overall (50%) | A written multiple-choice test of 18 questions, six from each of three areas, run by the government of the federal state (Bundesland) where you live. | German | Applicants for Austrian citizenship by grant (Verleihung) who are not exempt. | Staatsbürgerschaft.gv.at - Austrian citizenship test |
How to read the table
- Questions asked is the number on the real test. Where a country draws from a published bank (the United States 128, Germany 310, Spain 300), the country page says so.
- Pass mark is shown as the official fraction, with the percentage in brackets. Australia and Denmark add a condition on their values questions: Australia requires all 5 correct, Denmark 4 of 5.
- Format: all tests except the United States are written, nearly all multiple choice. Canada’s online test became the default in 2026. Germany, Spain and Austria are still on paper.
- Language: only the US, UK, Canada and Australia test in English (Canada also in French). Everywhere else the test is in the national language, and a separate language exam is usually also required.
Which citizenship test is the hardest?
By pass mark alone, Denmark, France and Mexico (80%) are the strictest and Germany is the most lenient. In practice four other factors matter as much: whether the question bank is published (Germany and Spain publish theirs; the UK, Canada and Australia publish only a handbook), how much material there is (the UK handbook and Denmark’s current-affairs questions are the broadest), the format (the US oral test requires recall, not recognition) and the language (a test in Danish or Estonian is harder for most applicants than one in English). Our guide to citizenship test pass marks goes through this in detail.
Which citizenship test is the easiest?
Germany’s Einbürgerungstest has the lowest pass mark (17 of 33), a fully published question catalogue and no time pressure for most candidates (60 minutes for 33 questions); official pass rates are consistently above 90%. Australia’s test is short (20 questions, 45 minutes) and drawn from a short booklet, but the values rule means one wrong answer in the wrong place fails the test. The US civics test has a low pass mark (12 of 20) and a published list, but it is oral and in English.
Countries without a citizenship test
Most countries do not run a knowledge test at all. Naturalisation there depends on years of residence, language ability, good character and sometimes an interview. Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Brazil and South Africa, for example, have no published citizenship knowledge test (Sweden introduced one in June 2026, but its question bank is not public). Our guide which countries have a citizenship test lists every country by region, and each country page explains the requirements and links to the official source.
Practise in the real format
Every official test above has a free practice test on this site that uses the real question count, time limit and pass mark: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Mexico.
Sources
Every row links to the government page it was checked against (USCIS, GOV.UK, IRCC, the Australian Department of Home Affairs, BAMF, Service-Public.fr, the Instituto Cervantes, DUO, staatsbuergerschaft.gv.at, danskogproever.dk, UDI, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, the Czech Ministry of the Interior, the Cyprus Ministry of Education and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Figures are reviewed when a country page is updated; the date above is the most recent review.