The citizenship test

Content of the exam

The exam tests your knowledge of Canada. You will have to answer 20 questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and about the following aspects of Canada:

1. his history
2. its geography
3. its economy
4. his government
5. its laws
6. its symbols

The exam questions are based on the official study guide for the citizenship test: Discover Canada – The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. The citizenship test is not intended to assess your language skills in French or English.

To take a test

The exam:

1. is in French or English
2. lasts 30 minutes
3. has 20 questions
4. includes multiple-choice and true-or-false questions

You must get 15 correct answers to pass the exam.

This is usually a written exam, or an oral exam in some cases. A citizenship officer may decide on the day of the test that you will take an oral test rather than a written test. This decision is based on a number of factors. For example, if you have difficulty reading and writing in French or English, we will give you an oral exam. The oral examination is done in court before a citizenship officer.

In some cases, the hearing will take place on the date of the initial review. In most cases, it will take place 4 to 8 weeks after the date of the initial examination. If it is later, we will send you a notice to let you know the date, time and place.

After the exam

After the test, you will be interviewed by a citizenship officer. During the interview, the citizenship officer:

1. give you the results of your exam, if you passed it;
2. check your language skills, if you are between the ages of 18 and 54;
3. verify your application and your original documents;
4. ask you questions about your application if there are any issues that need to be clarified;
5. will confirm that you meet all of the requirements for citizenship.

If you succeed and meet other citizenship requirements, you can:

• communicate to you, together with your exam results, the date on which the ceremony will take place; Where
• send you an email or letter specifying the date and time of your ceremony.

If you fail on the first attempt

If you fail the written test the first time, but meet the other citizenship requirements, you will be scheduled for a second test. This second examination usually takes place 4 to 8 weeks after the first examination, but the delay could be longer.

If you fail the second exam, you will be sent a notice inviting you to take a hearing with a citizenship officer. The audience:

1. will last from 30 to 90 minutes;
2. can take place in person or by video conference;
3. can be used to assess one or more citizenship requirements, for example:
   1. knowledge of Canada
   2. language skills

If you do not pass the exam after three attempts, your application will be denied. You can then submit a new request and try again.

If you are applying with the rest of your family, all applications will be processed together. If you have to take the test again or are called to a hearing, your family may be invited to a ceremony before you. If you want all applications to be processed at the same time, ask to stop processing applications for other family members, until you meet all the requirements so that you and your family are invited to the same citizenship ceremony and become Canadian citizens at the same time.