A two week study plan for the Australian citizenship test
Last updated 22 October 2026
Everything on the test is in the free booklet, Our Common Bond. We help you practise reading the questions the way the test asks them. This plan uses the booklet's printed page numbers. It needs about 45 minutes a day, and a little more on the mock days.
You can do it faster. Many people read the four parts in a few evenings. Two weeks suits a person who wants to go slowly and practise often.
The rule behind the plan: you need 15 of 20, and every values question right. So Part 4 gets two passes, one early and one late.
Days 1 to 11: read, then check
Day 1. Part 1, pages 8 and 9. The first peoples, the First Fleet in 1788, the gold rush of 1851, the federation of 1901, the 1967 referendum. Write the four dates on a card. Ten minutes of questions on this section.
Day 2. Part 1, pages 10 to 16. States, territories and capitals. The two traditions, Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country. Australia Day, Anzac Day, the national symbols. Say all eight capitals aloud.
Day 3. Part 2, pages 18 and 19. The democratic beliefs and the three freedoms. Write each in one line.
Day 4. Part 2, pages 20 to 22. Equality, the fair go, responsibilities, privileges, tax. Make two lists on paper, responsibilities and privileges. Check each from memory.
Day 5. Part 3, pages 24 and 25. How to have your say, federation, the Constitution, the referendum and the double majority.
Day 6. Part 3, pages 26 and 27. The three powers, the King, the Governor-General, constitutional monarchy. The list of leaders and their titles on page 27 is easy to mix up. Take your time.
Day 7. Rest, or a light review. Look at your cards. Take no new material.
Day 8. Part 3, pages 28 and 29. The two Houses, the numbers, state and territory government, local government, and the jobs of the three levels.
Day 9. Part 3, pages 30 to 32. Parties, how the government is formed, how a Bill becomes law, courts, police, juries, crime and traffic rules.
Day 10. Part 4, pages 34 to 36. Rule of Law, parliamentary democracy, speech, association, religion, equality, fair go. Write each value as a rule in your own words.
Day 11. Part 4, pages 37 to 39, and the glossary. Mutual respect, community, English, safety, loyalty. Then the glossary on page 40.
Days 12 to 14: practise like the day
Day 12. First timed mock. Twenty questions, 45 minutes, no notes. Score two numbers: your overall score and your values score. Write down every wrong answer with its topic.
Day 13. Only the wrong answers. Open the booklet at the page for each. Read the reason in our explanation, then the paragraph in the booklet. Reread Part 4 in full. It is six pages.
Day 14. Second timed mock. Same rules. Compare the two numbers with day 12. If a values question is still wrong, go back to its page and say the rule aloud. Then stop. Rest before your appointment.
What to do if you have more time
Add one mock after day 6 and another after day 9. A mock early shows you what you do not yet know, which is useful, not discouraging.
What to do if you have less
Read Parts 1 to 3 over four days, Part 4 on day five, and take a mock on day six. It works if you read with care.
Three habits
- Say it, do not only read it. When you can say a list aloud, you know it.
- Mark the lists. The booklet puts facts in lists. Questions ask which item belongs and which does not.
- Check wrong answers on the page. A reason is a pointer. The booklet is the source.
Start now
The first mock is free. Take it before day 1, so you know where you stand.
Last checked against Our Common Bond (2020): 22 October 2026