Is there a practice test for Our Common Bond?

Is there a practice test for Our Common Bond?

Yes. Home Affairs has a free practice test on its own website, and our free practice test is another. Both have 20 multiple choice questions, a 45 minute limit, and the same pass rule as the real test.

The pass rule is two things at once. You need at least 15 of 20, and you must get all 5 values questions right.

The Home Affairs practice test

It is free and made to look and feel like the real test. Home Affairs calls it a sample only. The questions on the day of your appointment will be different.

Use it to get used to the screen and the style of the questions. It is a good way to see how the pass rule works before your appointment. You can find it at the Home Affairs practice test page.

Our free mock

Our mock is built from the same booklet, Parts 1 to 4. It has 20 questions, 45 minutes and the same pass rule: 15 of 20 and all 5 values questions right. It shows your result at the end.

It is practice, and it is a different set of questions from the real test. We do not claim it is the real test. We make it so you can check your knowledge of the booklet in the same shape.

How to practise part by part

A full mock mixes everything. That is good near the end, but not at the start. Early on, practise by part:

1. Read one part of the booklet.
2. Answer questions on that part only.
3. Write down each wrong answer and the page in the booklet.
4. Read that page again.

The part pages here help with this: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4, Australian values.

After you finish all four parts, switch to full mocks with a timer. Put your phone away, use no notes, and do not stop. Treat it as the day.

What does a practice test tell you?

It shows three things well:

• Which topics you do not know yet.
• Whether you can finish 20 questions in time.
• Whether you read the questions carefully, especially words like NOT.

It also shows your values score on its own. That is the number to watch. A score of 18 with one values question wrong is still a fail.

What can a practice test not tell you?

It cannot tell you that you will pass. A practice test is a sample of questions, and the real test uses other questions from the same booklet. A good score means you know much of the booklet. It does not mean you know every part of it.

Two other limits:

• If you do the same test twice, your second score mostly shows you remember the questions. Use new sets, or wait some days between tries.
• If you only look at the total, you can miss a weak values score.

So read the booklet for facts, and use tests to find gaps. How many tests are enough is a separate question. See how many practice tests to do.

Check yourself

• Which part will you practise on its own first?
• When you miss a question, do you go back to the booklet page?
• What was your values score on your last practice, not only your total?