The test
A study plan for the Australian citizenship test
Enter the minutes you can spare each day and how many days a week: the planner gives the number of weeks. The plan itself follows.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
How many weeks do I need to prepare?
Time to be ready
5 weeks
| Plan in total | 11 hours |
| Reading the testable section twice | 3 hours |
| Mock tests of 45 minutes | 8 |
Based on reading the four parts twice, a set of practice per part and eight full mock tests.
Preparing for the Australian citizenship test means learning the testable section of Our Common Bond, about 50 pages and roughly 12,600 words in four parts, well enough to answer 20 questions in 45 minutes with all 5 values questions right. A realistic plan has three stages: read each part and practise it on its own, read the whole booklet a second time, then take full timed tests until you pass with a margin. The planner above prices that plan in hours, around two readings of the booklet, a set of practice per part and eight mock tests, and divides it by the time you have. With thirty minutes a day, five days a week, most people are ready in about a month; with an hour a day, in two weeks. Start before you apply: the appointment letter can arrive soon after lodging, and a calm month of preparation is worth more than a hurried week.
How a test of 20 can split across the four parts
Values questions (Part 4)
5, fixed
| Other questions | 4 + 4 + 7 = 15 |
| Allowed mistakes | 5, none on values |
| Share of the test on values | 25% |
Home Affairs does not publish how the 15 other questions split between parts; this is your own guess to plan revision.
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Stage 1: one part at a time
| Part of the booklet | What it covers | Practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Australia and its people | land, first Australians, history, states and territories, symbols, national days | Part 1 practice |
| Part 2: Democratic beliefs, rights and liberties | parliamentary democracy, rule of law, freedoms, responsibilities and privileges of citizens | Part 2 practice |
| Part 3: Government and the law in Australia | Constitution, three levels of government, parliament, elections, courts, police | Part 3 practice |
| Part 4: Australian values | the values behind the pledge and the community | Part 4 practice |
For each part, read it once without notes, then answer a practice set of ten questions on that part. Read every explanation, including those for the questions you got right. Move on when a set comes back at eight or more. Part 3 usually takes twice as long as the others; give it two sessions.
Stage 2: the second reading
Read the four parts again, faster, with a pencil. This time write down only what still surprises you: a date, the number of states, which level of government runs schools or rubbish collection. That list, rarely longer than a page, is what you revise in the last week. In the same week, do a set of ten values questions every day: they are the questions where one mistake fails the test.
Stage 3: full tests
Take full 20-question practice tests, then the timed mock test with the marking at the end. The target is 17 or more with no values mistake on three fresh tests in a row. When a test goes badly, go back to stage 1 for the part that cost the points rather than repeating full tests.
Using the official resources
The department's preparation page recommends three things: reading Our Common Bond, listening to its podcast and doing its practice test. The booklet is available in 40 community languages if reading English slows you down; the test, though, is in English, so finish your preparation in English. Home Affairs adds that it does not endorse paid test packages from other organisations; nothing on this site is for sale.
If you have little time
If your appointment is a week away, cut stage 2 short. Read Part 4 twice and Part 3 once, skim Parts 1 and 2, and do one full test and one values set each day. The hardest questions page lists the topics candidates confuse most, which is where a week of revision pays off best. The second calculator on this page lets you imagine how the 15 non-values questions might split between parts, to decide where to spend your last hours; Home Affairs does not publish the real split.