How the Canadian citizenship test works

The Canadian citizenship test checks what you know about Canada. It is one step on the way to becoming a citizen, and for most adults it is the step that needs the most study. The good news: the test is short, the rules are clear, and everything on it comes from one free book.

This guide explains the test the way IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the government department that handles citizenship) describes it on its own pages. We link those pages as we go, so you can check every fact yourself.

The test at a glance

All of this is on IRCC’s page Citizenship test: study for the test. The pass mark means you can get 5 questions wrong and still pass. Get 14 right, and it is not a pass.

What the questions are about

The test asks about the rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen, and about Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols. IRCC says it bases every question on the information in the study guide, Discover Canada, whose full title adds The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. If a fact is not in the guide, it is not on the test.

The main part of the guide has ten chapters, from rights and responsibilities to Canada’s regions. Some are much longer than others: in the printed guide, the history chapter alone fills 10 pages, while the justice chapter fills two. Our chapter-by-chapter guide to Discover Canada shows what each chapter covers and how much of the book it is.

The test does not check your English or French. There are no grammar or vocabulary questions. Your language skills are checked in a different way, as part of your application. If you are invited to an interview, a citizenship officer will also note how well you communicate.

What the questions look like

Every question is one of two kinds:

• Multiple choice. You read a question and choose one answer from a short list. The sample questions in the guide’s study questions section each give four answers to choose from.
• True or false. You read a statement and decide whether it is true or false.

So there are no essays to write. What you need is the facts in the guide: names, dates, places, rights and duties, and how Canada’s government and laws work. The guide’s own study questions ask you to name, identify or explain things from its chapters, which is a good way to check yourself.

If you want to see what this feels like, try our ten practice questions with answers. They are our own questions, written from the guide, not the questions on the real test.

Who takes the test

In most cases, you take the test if you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign your citizenship application. If you are under 18, or 55 or older on that day, you don’t take it. You also don’t take it if you asked for a waiver and received one. These rules are on IRCC’s pages about how the test works and about who can apply.

The age that counts is your age on the day you sign, not on the day of the test. Our post on who takes the test has a checker you can try with your own dates.

How you take the test

You can’t book the test yourself. IRCC sends you an invitation. IRCC says most people get it 1 to 3 months after they receive the acknowledgment of receipt (the letter or email that says IRCC has your application). It comes by email if you gave an email address, so check your junk or spam folder too.

Most people take the test online. The invitation gives you a 30-day period, and you can take the test at any time in that period, weekends and holidays included. IRCC’s online test page lists what you need:

• a desktop computer, laptop or tablet with a webcam (not a mobile phone);
• the Chrome or Safari web browser;
• your permanent resident card, even if it has expired, or a valid photo ID with your signature on it.

The page also lists setups that don’t work, such as Chrome on an iPad, so check it before your test day.

During the online test you must be alone. You can’t look at study materials or use another device, and you should have no other tabs, windows or programs open. A webcam watches the test, so follow the rules carefully: if IRCC suspects cheating, or can’t confirm who you are, your result may not count.

Some people take the test in person or on Microsoft Teams instead, for example when they need an accommodation, such as a test in Braille or a test given out loud. In person, the test may be on paper, alone or in a group, or oral. On Microsoft Teams, it is given orally on a video call. Your invitation tells you how and where to take the test. If you need an accommodation and didn’t ask for one in your application, you can still ask after you get your invitation.

Your result

For an online test, you see a score as soon as you submit. That score is temporary. An officer reviews your test, which can take a few days or a few weeks. For a test in person or on Microsoft Teams, you get your official result right after the test.

If you pass, IRCC may invite you to an interview, depending on your case. Then it invites you to a citizenship ceremony, in person or online. There, new citizens take the Oath of Citizenship (children under 14 don’t have to). For most people, the ceremony is the last step before becoming a Canadian citizen. Our post on the Oath of Citizenship explains its words in plain English.

If you don’t pass

You have 3 chances to pass, all within your 30-day test period. If you fail all three, IRCC invites you to a hearing with a citizenship official. A hearing lasts 30 to 90 minutes. The official may ask you questions about Canada, about the time you have lived here, and about your English or French.

If you don’t pass the hearing, your application is refused. To try again, you would have to apply again and pay the fees again. So it is worth preparing well before your first try.

Missing the test is serious too. If you miss an online test, IRCC sends a new invitation the first time. If you miss a second time without contacting IRCC, it stops processing your application.

How to get ready

Discover Canada is free. You can read it online, download it as a PDF or eBook, listen to an audio version, or order a paper copy. Start with the guide itself: read one chapter at a time, and make a note of the names, dates and places in it.

Then test yourself. Reading a fact once is not the same as remembering it under a clock. Answer questions, check the explanation for every one you miss, and come back to those questions a day or two later. When you get most practice tests above the pass mark, with some room to spare, you are close to ready.

If you have a few weeks, our study plan turns your test date into a daily pace. And if you want questions to practise with, CitizenCA has 450 of them, all written from the guide in plain English and all explained.