Our Common Bond explained: what is on the citizenship test
Last updated 22 October 2026
Everything on the test is in the free booklet, Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond. We help you practise reading the questions the way the test asks them. This guide shows you how the booklet is built.
What the booklet is
Our Common Bond is the resource book for people who want to become Australian citizens. The Department of Home Affairs publishes it. It is free. You can read it in English and in 40 community languages. The test itself is in English only.
The booklet says you do not need to buy other packages to pass. The Department does not endorse packages that claim to help you pass. We say the same thing, and we think it is fair to say it first.
What is testable
The booklet has a short opening and then four testable parts. The first four parts hold all the information you need. The questions come from them and from nowhere else.
| Part | Title | Pages (printed) | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia and its people | 8 to 16 | Peoples, history, states, traditions, symbols |
| 2 | Australia's democratic beliefs, rights and liberties | 18 to 22 | Freedoms, equality, responsibilities, privileges |
| 3 | Government and the law in Australia | 24 to 32 | Constitution, parliament, courts, three levels |
| 4 | Australian values | 34 to 39 | The values behind the five questions that must be right |
A short glossary follows Part 4. It explains words such as coalition, Constitution and constitutional monarchy. Read it. If a question uses a word you do not know, the glossary may help.
What comes before Part 1
The opening pages explain the test, the Pledge and the citizenship ceremony. They are not in the testable section. Read them for background. You will make the Pledge at your ceremony. You do not become a citizen until you have made it.
How to read it
The booklet is about 40 pages. The four parts are about 30. You can read them all in a few evenings.
- Read once for the shape. Do not stop for each fact.
- Read a second time with a pen. Mark numbers, dates, names and lists.
- Pay extra attention to Part 4. Five questions on it must all be right.
Lists matter most. The booklet gives lists of responsibilities, privileges, powers, jobs of each level of government, and values. Test questions often ask which item belongs on a list, or which does not.
What practice adds
Reading the booklet gives you the facts. It does not show you how questions are written. A question may put a right fact beside three wrong ones that look close. It may use NOT or EXCEPT. It may ask for the odd one out.
That is the gap practice fills. Take a timed set, check each wrong answer against the page, and learn the pattern. Our mock does this with reasons and page pointers. The free mock is the place to start.
A word on dates in the booklet
The booklet has a 2020 copyright date. Some facts may change over time, such as the name of a leader. Treat the booklet as the source. When you practise, use a set that says when it was last checked against the booklet.
Next steps
- Read the four parts in order. Use our two week study plan if you want a schedule.
- Take a timed mock.
- Return to the pages for every wrong answer.
Last checked against Our Common Bond (2020): 22 October 2026