Canadian Citizenship Test: Format, Pass Mark and Attempts

The Canadian citizenship test, in plain numbers. How many questions, how long, the pass mark, and how many tries you get. Everything here comes from the current IRCC pages.

First, who takes it. IRCC says that if you are between eighteen and fifty four years old on the day you sign your application, you must take the citizenship test.

The test has twenty questions.

Each question is either multiple choice, or true or false. And the test is in English or French.

You have forty five minutes. The current IRCC pages say this on both the study page and the online test page.

On the online test, the timer does not stop. You get a warning when you have five minutes left. After forty five minutes, your test is submitted automatically, even if you are not finished.

Now, what it takes to pass.

You need at least fifteen of the twenty questions right. IRCC gives that as seventy five percent.

The questions cover the rights and responsibilities of being a Canadian citizen, and Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols.

IRCC bases all the test questions on one official study guide, called Discover Canada.

One thing the test does not do. IRCC says it has no questions to assess your language skills in English or French. Language proof is a separate requirement.

So how many tries do you get, and what happens if they run out?

Within your thirty day test period, you have up to three chances to pass, whether online, on Microsoft Teams, or in person.

IRCC invites most applicants to take the online test, unless an accommodation is needed.

If you fail all three times, IRCC invites you to a hearing with a citizenship official. It lasts thirty to ninety minutes. It can include an oral knowledge test with twenty questions, where you must pass fifteen. If you fail the hearing, IRCC refuses your application.

Details can change, so check the official IRCC pages before your test. More lessons on examstep.ca.