Taking the Canadian Citizenship Test

Are you the type of person who sweats, chews your pen, or feels butterflies in your stomach when you see an examiner coming in with exam papers? A lot of learners (adults included) tend to freak out when it’s time to take a test. While it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, there’s a proven test-taking strategy that can help you improve your confidence so you’ll be calm enough to give your best.

Taking the Canadian Citizenship Test

When preparing for the Canadian citizenship test, you need to know what goes into taking the test so you can plan your studies. Here is everything you need to know before and on the day of the Citizenship Test.

Taking the test

The Canadian Citizenship Test is usually written, but it can also be oral. The citizenship official can decide on examination day that you’ll have an oral assessment instead of a written one. This can be the case for several reasons, such as difficulty writing or reading in both English and French. A citizenship official will administer the oral test in a hearing. In most cases, the hearing is scheduled to take place 4-8 weeks after the official test day, but they can sometimes be held on the official test date. If your test is scheduled for a later date, you’ll be sent a notice with the date, location, and time.

That said, here’s what you need to know about the test:

  • The Canadian Citizenship Test is in English or French
  • The exam contains 20 multiple-choice questions and true or false questions
  • The exam takes 30 minutes
  • You need to get at least 15 answers correct to pass the test.

What’s on the test

To become a citizen, you need to take the Canadian Citizenship test to establish if you have sufficient knowledge of Canada and the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. You’ll be asked questions about Canada’s political system, history, geography, national symbols, identity, and values, as well as the responsibilities and rights of citizenship.

Everything you need to know to nail the test is in the official government study guide ‘Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship’. You can access this guide in different formats such as:

Check out the Time and Venue of the exam

Mark the date of the appointment on your calendar, and confirm that you’re free to attend. The IRCC will notify you about 1 or 2 weeks before the test, confirming the location, date, and time. If you cannot make it on the appointment day, contact the IRCC with a valid reason why you’ll not be available. If your reason is genuine, they’ll schedule another date for your test.

Otherwise, if you show up late, you won’t be allowed into the exam room, and you’ll have to retake the exam in 2-3 weeks. If you miss the exam altogether without a valid reason, you’ll have to apply for citizenship all over again and pay the required fees.

Test Day

Ensure you have all the required documents. On the day of the test, here’s what to bring:

  • Notice to appear
  • Permanent resident card (if you had one)
  • Two copies of personal identification (ID)- This can be a driver’s license, health card, or foreign ID documents issued by the government. If the document is not written in English or French, you’ll have to provide a translation with a signed affidavit from your translator.
  • Your passport or travel documents that you mentioned on your application
  • A degree, diploma, certificate, or transcripts that prove your French or English skills (if you’re 18-54 years).
  • Other documents that you were asked to bring on your “notice to appear”

Besides carrying all the necessary documents, arrive early to avoid a last-minute rush. Settle dow,n and when the time comes to do the test, read, understand, and answer each question carefully. However, don’t linger on a question if you can’t understand it. Move to the next question, and once you’ve attempted all the items, you can revisit the questions you skipped. Before you submit your paper, ensure you’ve answered all the questions.

For more information about the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship, give us a call or visit our website today!