The test
Changes to the Australian citizenship test and its rules
Type a score and the number of values questions missed: the tool shows the verdict under the rule in force and under the old 75% rule.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Same answers, old rule and current rule
Under the current rule
Fail
| Score | 85% (15 needed) |
| Values questions | 1 missed: fails since November 2020 |
| 75% alone would give | a pass |
The values questions and the all-five rule apply to tests taken from 15 November 2020.
The last change to the Australian citizenship test itself took effect for tests sat on or after 15 November 2020. Home Affairs revised the questions, added questions on Australian values and introduced a rule for everyone: all 5 values questions must be answered correctly, together with a mark of at least 75% overall. The study booklet, Our Common Bond, was updated at the same time with a new part on Australian values and a revised practice test. Since then the format has stayed the same: 20 questions, 45 minutes, in English. What does change every year is the fee: citizenship fees are indexed to the consumer price index on 1 July, and form 1298i of July 2026 sets the general conferral fee at $595. Several Home Affairs web pages still show older amounts, such as $285, so always check the fee form. On 25 October 2026 no further change to the test had been announced on the Home Affairs website.
Did I pass the Australian citizenship test?
Result
Pass
| Overall | 16 of 20 (80%), 15 needed |
| Values questions | 5 of 5, all 5 needed |
| Why | Both rules met |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Timeline of the test
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 1949 | first Australian citizenship ceremony |
| 2007 | a short multiple-choice citizenship test is introduced |
| 15 November 2020 | revised questions, 5 values questions, all must be right; Our Common Bond updated |
| 1 July each year | citizenship fees indexed to the consumer price index |
| July 2026 | form 1298i: general eligibility $595, concession $85 |
The 2020 change in practice
Before 15 November 2020, a candidate passed with 75% overall, whatever the questions missed. Since then, the 5 values questions form a gate of their own. The tool above shows the effect on the same answers: a candidate with 18 correct answers and one values mistake would have passed under the old rule and fails under the current one. Home Affairs explains on its preparation page that the booklet was updated at the same time and contains all the information needed, including the values and a revised practice test.
For candidates, the practical lesson is simple: study material written before late 2020 is incomplete. It lacks the values part of the booklet and marks with the old rule. Every test on this site uses the current rule and always includes 5 values questions.
Fees: a yearly change
Citizenship fees are set in the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016 and indexed on 1 July each year. The current schedule is form 1298i, design date July 2026. The table compares it with what some Home Affairs pages still showed when we checked on 25 October 2026.
| Application | Form 1298i (July 2026) | Older figure still on a web page |
|---|---|---|
| Conferral, general eligibility | $595 | $285 |
| Renunciation | $320 | $205 |
| Resumption | $255 | $210 |
Processing times change monthly rather than yearly; the processing page gives the table Home Affairs updated on 16 October 2026.
What has not changed
The residence requirement for most permanent residents has stayed at 4 years of lawful residence, including 12 months as a permanent resident, with at most 365 days away in the 4 years and 90 in the last year. The test format has stayed at 20 questions in 45 minutes. The pledge, the ceremony and the rule that you become a citizen only when you make the pledge are unchanged. Dual citizenship has been allowed since 4 April 2002.
How this site follows changes
The figures on every page are read from one data file, checked against the Home Affairs pages and the fee form, and dated at the foot of each page. A script compares the fee form and the processing table with that file; until the site is published it is run by hand, and automatically each month once publication is done. When the department announces a change to the test, the bank and the pages are revised before the start date.