Guides

Guides

Short guides to the test, written in plain English.

• The Australian citizenship test: how it works

  The citizenship test is 20 questions in 45 minutes. You need 15 right and every values question right. Home Affairs books it by letter.

• Part 1 of Our Common Bond: Australia and its people

  Part 1 is history, places and traditions. Learn the dates, the capitals and the order of events, then practise the questions.

• Part 2 of Our Common Bond: beliefs, rights and liberties

  Part 2 sets out the beliefs, freedoms and duties of citizens. Learn the lists, because questions test where one item ends and another begins.

• Part 3 of Our Common Bond: government and the law

  Part 3 is the longest testable part. Learn who holds which power, who does which job, and how a Bill becomes law.

• Australian values and the rule that all 5 questions must be right

  You can score 19 of 20 and still fail if one values question is wrong. Part 4 is short, so learn all of it.

• Australian citizenship test 2026: what to expect

  The test has the same shape it has had since the values rule began. Check the Home Affairs page for any change before you sit.

• Australian citizenship test practice questions, with answers and reasons

  Practice works when you check why an answer is right. Here are six questions in the test's style, with reasons, and how to use a full set.

• The Australian values questions: what they ask and how to get them right

  The values questions come from Part 4 of the booklet. Learn the values as short rules, then test yourself on cases.

• Booking the citizenship test and what happens on the day

  You do not book the test. A letter gives the date, time and place. On the day, phone off, no notes, and your result shows at the end.

• Free Australian citizenship test practice: what is free and what is not

  You can prepare for free. The booklet has everything. Paid practice adds more questions and written reasons, and not every person needs it.

• How many times you can sit the citizenship test, and what happens after a fail

  A fail is not the end. Home Affairs books another appointment at no cost, up to three in all. Use the gap to find what you missed.

• How the Australian citizenship test is scored, and the values rule

  The test has two rules, not one. Score 15 of 20 and answer every values question correctly. Miss either and you do not pass.

• Our Common Bond explained: what is on the citizenship test

  Our Common Bond is the one source for the test. Parts 1 to 4 are testable and short. Read them in order, then practise.

• Trap words in citizenship test questions: NOT, EXCEPT and how to read them

  Many wrong answers come from reading, not from missing the fact. Spot the trap word first, then answer.

• A two week study plan for the Australian citizenship test

  Two weeks is enough to read four short parts, practise twice and fix what you missed. Here is the plan, day by day, with booklet pages.