Home > Articles > 2007 - 4 - 12 (1)

April 12, 2007

TAKING THE CITIZENSHIP TEST

A major component of acquiring Canadian citizenship is passing the Canadian citizenship exam. Citizenship applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 must take the exam. The citizenship test will measure your comprehension of English or French and your understanding of Canada. You will be asked questions regarding Canada’s social, economic, and political structure. To pass the exam, you must answer 12 out of 20 questions within the given 30 minutes. However, you should be aware that questions are not given equal weight.

The test is divided into three sections. The first section will ask general questions about Canada. This part consists of 15 questions of which you need to get at least 8 correct. The following section will ask about the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens. There are only 3 questions in this section and you must answer each of them correctly. If you answer one of these questions incorrectly, you will not pass the Canadian citizenship exam even if you answer the rest of the questions correctly. The third and final section consists of two sections. In this section, you are allowed only 1 wrong answer. If you answer both questions incorrectly, you will not pass the exam.

There should be little need to panic over the exam. Indeed, the exam does represent an important step in a person’s life; chances are you will pass the exam. The exam will measure that you understand how the country operates. You are expected to know essential elements of Canadian political life, basic elements of Canadian history and geography, the rights and duties of citizens, and basic knowledge of the Canadian economy. It is always a good idea to prepare for the exam. Citizenship and Immigration Canada offers a guide that will give you an idea of what to expect on the exam. It is also recommended that you stay up-to-date. Some questions will ask you to name the current political leaders of the nation or province; reading daily newspapers or magazines can help ensure that you know the information required.

You will not be notified if you pass the exam. Instead, you will be notified to attend a Citizenship ceremony where you will become a Canadian citizen. If you did not pass the exam, you will sit before a judge for an oral interview. If you are not allowed to continue, you have the right to appeal the decision or re-write the exam.