The Australian citizenship test: how it works

The test is short and the rules are simple. This page gives you all of them. 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.

The test at a glance

• Questions: 20, all multiple choice.
• Pass mark: 15 right, which is 75 percent.
• Values rule: every Australian values question must be right.
• Time: 45 minutes. A longer time, 90 minutes, applies to an Assisted Test.
• Device: a computer or tablet.
• Language: English only. You can listen to the questions through headphones.
• Result: shown when you finish.

How it is scored

Two rules apply at once. You need 15 of 20. You also need every values question right. Miss either rule and you do not pass.

So 19 of 20 can still fail, if the one wrong answer is a values question. And 15 of 20 passes only if all the values questions are among the right ones. Read more in how the test is scored.

What the questions cover

All questions come from the booklet, from its four testable parts:

1. Australia and its people
2. Australia's democratic beliefs, rights and liberties
3. Government and the law in Australia
4. Australian values

Nothing outside these parts is on the test.

Who sits it

Most people who apply for citizenship by conferral and are aged 18 to 59 on the day of application sit the test. People aged 17 or under, and people aged 60 or over, generally do not. There are a few other cases, such as some people with an incapacity. Home Affairs lists them on its test page.

Booking and where it happens

You do not book the test. Home Affairs does. It sends you a letter with the date, time and place. If you need to change the appointment, follow the steps in that letter.

Appointments are held in Home Affairs offices in most capital cities and in some Services Australia offices. There is no separate fee for the test. The citizenship application fee covers it.

On the day

Turn your phone off and put it away. Bring no books or notes. Do not talk to others, copy, or take a helper into the test. Children cannot come into the centre.

If you do not pass

Home Affairs books another appointment at no extra cost. A fail does not affect your permanent visa. If you do not pass after three appointments, your application may be refused. See how many times you can sit the test.

Try the free mock

Our mock has 20 questions. Five are on Australian values, and they are scored apart so you can see the rule at work. You can skip a question and come back to it. The split of five values questions among twenty is our design, not a published fact about the real test.

Start the free mock

Last checked against Our Common Bond (2020): 22 October 2026

Questions people ask

How many questions are on the Australian citizenship test?

Twenty, all multiple choice. You answer them on a computer or tablet.

What is the pass mark?

You need 15 right, which is 75 percent. You must also answer every Australian values question correctly.

How long do I have?

You have 45 minutes. An Assisted Test has 90 minutes.

Can I take the test in another language?

No. The test is in English only. You can choose to hear the questions read aloud through headphones.

What if I fail?

Home Affairs books you another appointment at no cost. You can have up to three appointments in all. A fail does not affect your permanent visa.