Can you do the Australian citizenship test online?

Can you do the Australian citizenship test online?

No. You sit the real test in person, at an appointment, on a computer or tablet at the test centre. You cannot take it from your home. But almost everything you do to prepare can be done online.

Why is the real test in person?

Because Home Affairs must be sure it is you. At the test centre, staff discuss your application, confirm your identity and that you can sit the test, and take your photo. You bring a photo ID. Only after that do you sit the test.

The room has rules too. Phones are off, there are no notes, no talking, and no helper. Home Affairs books the appointment, and the letter gives the date, time and place. Read the appointment letter guide.

What can you do online?

A lot.

• Read the booklet. "Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond" is on the Home Affairs website, in English and in 40 community languages. All the test questions come from it.
• Listen to the "Our Common Bond" podcast, on your phone, on the bus.
• Try the free Home Affairs practice test. It has 20 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes, with the same pass rule. It is a sample only. The link is here.
• Use the AMEPOnline citizenship modules, made for English learners. They teach the booklet through characters, stories and activities.
• Take our free practice test, a mock with 20 questions and 45 minutes, and the same rule of 15 of 20 correct and all 5 values questions right.

Your application itself also lives online. Home Affairs asks you to attach your documents to it in ImmiAccount before your appointment.

How do you practise for a screen test?

The real test is on a screen, so practise on a screen. Do your mock tests with a timer, in a quiet place, and without notes. Phone off. Finish all 20, and then look at your result. This copies the day, and it makes the real room feel less strange.

Do some tests on a tablet or a computer, not only on your phone, if you can. It is a small habit and it helps.

What about the listening option?

The test centre computers and tablets have headsets. Anyone who finds reading English hard may pick the option to hear the questions there. At home, the podcast and the booklet in your own language do a similar job for study.

A word on tests that offer to "do it online"

If a website says you can sit the real test with them, or buy a certificate from them, be careful. The test is run by Home Affairs, at its appointments. Nothing else counts.

A simple next step

Start online today. Take the free practice test to see where you are, then use the two week study plan. When your letter comes, see booking and test day for what happens in person.