Prepare for the citizenship test
Most people need to take the citizenship test as part of the application. Find out how to prepare for the test and what to expect after you take it.
On this page
Who has to take the test and go to the interview
Whether you have to take the test or go to the interview depends on your age and application.
| Your age and situation | Take the test | Go to the interview |
|---|---|---|
| Adult 18 to 54 years of age | Yes | We may invite you to an interview |
| Adult 55 and over | No | We may invite you to an interview |
| Minor under 18 with a Canadian parent or a parent applying at the same time | No | No, except in some casesFootnote * |
| Minor 14 to 17 without a Canadian parent or a parent applying at the same time | No | We may invite you to an interview |
| Minor under 14 without a Canadian parent or a parent applying at the same time | No | No, except in some casesFootnote * |
Get a test accommodation or waiver (exemption)
You may be in a situation where you need
- help with the test (accommodation) or
- an exemption from taking it (waiver)
Accommodation
If you need help with the test, you can request an accommodation. For example, we can
- provide a Braille, large-print or oral version of the test
- give you extra time to complete the test
- arrange to have you take the test in person (if you can’t take test online due to poor Internet connection)
Learn more about accommodations
Waiver (exemption)
If your situation prevents you from taking the test, you can request a waiver (exemption) instead.
- Your situation must meet the waiver criteria.
- If we approve your waiver request, you don’t need to take the test.
Test questions and passing score
The test
- will ask questions about
- the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens
- Canada’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols
- has 20 questions that are either
- multiple choice or
- true or false
- is in English or French
- is 45 minutes long
You need to get at least 15 out of 20 questions right to pass the test.
Test format
There are several ways to take the test.
We’ll invite most applicants to take the citizenship test online.
If you need an accommodation for accessibility or other reasons, we
- may invite you to take the test on Microsoft Teams or in person
- can give you the test in a different format
Study for the test
Use our official study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, to study for your test. You can start studying for the test at any time.
The official study guide is always free. The guide is available in multiple formats. You can choose to:
- read it online
- listen to the MP3 version
- download the PDF or eBook
- order a paper copy of the study guide
Wait for your test invitation
We usually send the invitation within 1 week of your acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter or email.
- We’ll send the AOR after we check that your submitted application is complete.
- If you haven’t received your AOR, check if you’ll get it soon.
- The wait time for the invitation also depends on your situation and our current processing time.
- For example, you may wait longer if your application is non-routine.
You don’t need to contact us to get an invitation. We’ll send them as quickly as possible.
If you have an emergency
If you need to take the test sooner due to an emergency, check if you qualify for urgent processing.
If you need to reschedule
Contact the email address in the Rescheduling section of your test invitation. In your email, include
- a detailed explanation of why you need to reschedule
- your application number
- your unique client identifier (UCI)
How you’ll get the invitation
If you gave an email address in your application, we’ll send you or your representative an invitation by email.
- To avoid missing our emails, check your junk or spam folder.
- Look for an invitation from an email address that ends in “@cic.gc.ca.”
If you or your representative did not give an email address
- you can give one by using our web form, or
- we’ll call you (check your voicemail messages regularly)
How to take the test
You can take the test only after you receive your invitation. How you’ll take the test depends on the test format.
If you take the test online
Follow these steps:
- Make sure you
- read the online test tutorial
- know what you need for the test, including
- required identifications (IDs)
- compatible browsers and devices
- the proper location to take the test
- After you receive the invitation, you can take the online test when you’re ready.
- You have 30 calendar days to complete the test. (Check your invitation for the dates.)
- Within this 30-day period, you have up to 3 chances to pass the online test.
- For example, if you fail the test the first time, you have 2 more chances to pass it.
- If you fail the test 3 times, we’ll invite you to a hearing with a citizenship official.
If you take the test on Microsoft Teams or in person
If you request an accommodation, we may invite you to take the test on Microsoft Teams or in person. For more information, check the instructions in your test invitation.
You have up to 3 chances to pass the test.
- For example, if you fail the test the first time, we can invite you to a maximum of 2 other test attempts.
- If you fail the test 3 times, we’ll invite you to a hearing with a citizenship official.
If you need to bring your child to the in-person test
Only the person scheduled for the test can be in the testing room.
If you need help, contact the office that sent your invitation to explain your situation.
- They will let you know if they can accommodate your child.
- For example, you may be able to bring someone to supervise your child in the waiting room of the test location.
- If the test location can’t accommodate your child
- make a different child care arrangement on the day of the test or
- ask the office to reschedule your test
What to do if you missed the test
Your next steps depend on on the type of test you missed. Answer the following questions to find out more.
If you missed an online test
In this scenario, we sent you a test invitation but you didn’t take the test within your 30-day test period.
If this is the first time you missed the test
- we’ll automatically invite you to the test again
- you still have 3 chances within a 30 day period to do the test
If this is the second time you missed the test
- contact the email in the “Rescheduling” section of your test invitation
- provide a reasonable explanation in your email
- we’ll let you know your next steps
If you missed the test twice and didn’t contact us, we’ll abandon (stop processing) your application.
If you missed your first test on Microsoft Teams or in person
If this was the first time we invited you to the test and you missed it, you have 2 options:
- Option 1: Contact us (recommended)
- Option 2: Wait for a new invitation
The difference between these options
If you contact us and give a valid reason for missing the test (option 1), we’ll send you a new invitation. The new one will count as your first invitation.
If you wait for us to reschedule you (option 2), we’ll send you a final invitation. We may stop processing your application if you miss it again.
Option 1 (recommended): Contact us
Steps to contact us
- Write us a message to explain why you missed the test.
- Send us the explanation within 30 days of your missed test date.
You can send your explanation:
- through the web form (opens in a new tab) or
- by mail to the office that scheduled your test
- Check your test invitation for the address of the office.
- We’ll use the postmark date on your envelope as the date you sent your explanation.
After you contact us
We’ll review your explanation to decide if you had a valid reason for missing the test.
If your reason is valid, we’ll
- reschedule your test date
- send you a new invitation (it will count as your first invitation)
If your reason is invalid, we’ll reschedule your test date and send a final invitation.
Option 2: Wait for us to reschedule you
We’ll automatically reschedule your first test if
- you didn’t contact us to explain why you missed it previously or
- you contacted us, but your reason for missing the test is invalid
We’ll send you a final test invitation with the rescheduled date (usually 2 weeks after the date of your missed test).
If you missed your rescheduled test
You need to contact us.
- Write us a message to explain why you missed the test.
- Send us the explanation within 30 days of your missed test date.
You can send your explanation
- through the web form (opens in a new tab) or
- by mail to the office that scheduled your test
- Check your test invitation for the address of the office.
- We’ll use the postmark date on your envelope as the date you sent your explanation.
We’ll review your explanation to decide if you had a valid reason for missing the rescheduled test.
- If your reason is valid, we’ll send you a new final invitation.
- We may stop processing your citizenship application if
- your reason for missing the rescheduled test is invalid or
- you don’t contact us within 30 days of your test date
If you still want to be a Canadian citizen after we stop processing your application, you must re-apply and pay the fees again (opens in a new tab) .
If you missed a retest on Microsoft Teams or in person
If you failed your previous test attempt, we’ll schedule you for a retest.
If you missed your retest:
- write us a message to explain why you missed it
- send us the explanation within 30 days of the missed retest date
You can send your explanation:
- through the web form (opens in a new tab) or
- by mail to the office that scheduled your test
- Check your test invitation for the address of the office.
- We’ll use the postmark date on your envelope as the date you sent your explanation.
We’ll review your explanation to decide if you had a valid reason for missing the test.
- If your reason is valid, we’ll send you an invitation with the new and final test date.
- We may stop processing your citizenship application if
- your reason for missing the retest is invalid or
- you don’t contact us within 30 days of your retest date
If you still want to be a Canadian citizen after we stop processing your application, you must re-apply and pay the fees again (opens in a new tab).
If you missed a retest on Microsoft Teams or in person
If you failed your previous test attempt, we’ll schedule you for a retest.
If you missed your retest:
- write us a message to explain why you missed it
- send us the explanation within 30 days of the missed retest date
You can send your explanation
- through the web form (opens in a new tab) or
- by mail to the office that scheduled your test
- Check your test invitation for the address of the office.
- We’ll use the postmark date on your envelope as the date you sent your explanation.
We’ll review your explanation to decide if you had a valid reason for missing the test.
- If your reason is valid, we’ll send you an invitation with the new and final test date.
- We may stop processing your citizenship application if
- your reason for missing the retest is invalid or
- you don’t contact us within 30 days of your retest date
If you still want to be a Canadian citizen after we stop processing your application, you must re-apply and pay the fees again (opens in a new tab) .
After the test: Result and next steps
After you take the test, you’ll get your test result. Your next steps will depend on whether you pass or don’t pass the test.
Test result
How you get the test result depends on whether you took the test online, on Microsoft Teams or in person:
Online test
You’ll get the unofficial test score right after you submit the test.
After you submit the test, we need time to further review it before the test result becomes official.
Test on Microsoft Teams or in person
You’ll get your official test score right after you take the test.
If you pass the test
You pass the test if you correctly answer at least 15 out of 20 questions (75%).
After you pass the test, we
- may invite you to an interview with a citizenship official (case-by-case)
- will invite you to the citizenship ceremony
If you fail the test
You have up to 3 chances to pass the test (whether online or on Microsoft Teams or in person).
If you fail the test 3 times, we’ll invite you to a hearing with a citizenship official. At the hearing, we’ll orally ask you questions that are similar to those on the citizenship test.
If you pass the hearing, we’ll continue processing your application.
If you fail the hearing
- we’ll refuse your application
- you need to reapply and pay the fees again if you still want to become a citizen
If you don’t pass the test and applied as a family or a group
When you apply as a family or a group, we process all applications together. If you have to do a retest or go to a hearing, we may invite your co-applicants to the citizenship ceremony before you.
If you want everyone to attend the same ceremony, ask us to pause processing of the applications. We’ll wait until you pass the test or hearing so everyone can be a citizen at the same time.
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