Studying for the Canadian Citizenship Test

How to prepare for test?

The starting point and the basis for your preparation and study for the Canadian citizenship test is the official study guide, ‘Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship’. It is up to you to plan and proceed with your preparations and study as the whole material is available and can be accessed online. The official study guide is available in multiple formats and it is totally free. Depending on your preferences, you can either read it online, listen to it in MP3 version, download it as PDF or eBook or use a paper-based study guide.  

In addition, and as part of the preparation to the test, you can take a citizenship class. These classes are totally free or of a low cost and cover Canadian geography, economics, history, government, voting, rights and responsibilities of citizenship, culture and symbols and current events. The citizenship classes are offered by English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, community centers or settlement agencies.

Test Formalities 

IRCC manages the whole process of testing and interview as part of the Canadian citizenship program. You expect to be invited to take the citizenship test within weeks after receiving the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter corresponding to your application for citizenship. A notice will be sent about 1 to 2 weeks before the test with a notice of the date, time, and location. 

When attending the Canadian citizenship test, remember to bring the following with you: 

• Test “Notice to Appear”

• Permanent resident (PR) card 

• 2 pieces of personal identification 

• 1 piece of ID with your photograph and signature, such as a driver’s license or health card

• Passports and travel documents listed in your application 

• An English or French language skills proof certificate, diploma, degree, or transcript

• Other documents listed in your “Notice to Appear” letter

Passing the test

Depending on your choice, the citizenship test is either in English or French and is made up of 20 multiple choice and true or false questions. You have 30 minutes to complete the test and you shall get at least 15 correct answers to pass. Generally, the test is in written format, but it could be decided in some cases that the test shall be taken orally. For example, if you usually face trouble reading and writing in English or French, you’ll have an oral test instead of a written one. If it is an oral test, then this is managed by a citizenship official at a hearing. The date, time and location of the hearing is sent as a notice to the applicant. 

After the test

As you are done with the citizenship test, you will have a meeting with a citizenship official for an interview. During the interview, the citizenship official will inform about the results of your test. In addition, the official will verify your application and original documents and check your language skills if you are between 18 and 54 years of age. The official may also ask other questions on specific points and as a result will evaluate if you meet all the requirements for citizenship. The next steps will depend on the result of your interview:

1. If you pass and satisfy all the citizenship requirements, you will be given a date and time of an oath of citizenship ceremony.

2. If you don’t pass the written test, but still meet all the other requirements for citizenship, you will be scheduled for a second test, taking place 4 to 8 weeks after the first test. Note that you have a maximum of 3 test trials. 

3. If you don’t pass the test after 3 trials, your application will be refused, and you must re-apply again with a new application. 

Here is a very clear demonstration of the whole Canadian citizenship test process.