The test
The hardest Australian citizenship test questions, and why
The set above starts on Part 3, where most points are lost. Switch to any part or topic with the selector.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Your score
0 / 0
0 / 10 answered
Pick an answer to start
| Practice set of 10 questions, target 75% |
| You can still miss 2 |
Practice questions adapted by Radif Partners from Our Common Bond. Not the official test questions.
Questions adapted from Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, by Radif Partners.
The questions that cost candidates most in the Australian citizenship test are not obscure facts but pairs of similar ideas that are easy to swap: which level of government is responsible for a service, what the House of Representatives does compared with the Senate, how a referendum passes compared with an ordinary law, what the Governor-General does compared with the Prime Minister, and the difference between the Constitution and an act of parliament. Most of them sit in Part 3 of Our Common Bond, on government and the law, which is also the longest part of the testable section. The other source of lost points is the values questions, where an answer that sounds reasonable adds a condition the booklet does not. Because 5 values questions must all be right and only 5 mistakes are allowed in total, two confusions can decide the result. The practice set above starts on Part 3 and the sections below take the classic mix-ups one by one.
How many questions can I get wrong?
Still a pass?
Yes, 2 more mistakes allowed
| Mistakes allowed in total | 5, none on values |
| Your score | 17 of 20 |
| Rule broken | none |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
The classic mix-ups
| People confuse | The distinction to remember |
|---|---|
| Federal, state and local government | national matters (defence, immigration, foreign affairs) vs services close to home run by states (schools, hospitals, police) vs local councils (rubbish, local roads, parks) |
| House of Representatives and Senate | the government is formed in the House of Representatives; the Senate is the house of review where each state has equal representation |
| A law and a change to the Constitution | parliament passes laws; changing the Constitution needs a referendum |
| Governor-General and Prime Minister | the Governor-General represents the King; the Prime Minister leads the government |
| The King and the head of government | the King is head of state; the Prime Minister is head of the government |
| Courts and parliament | parliaments make laws; courts interpret and apply them independently |
Each row has its own page with a practice set: three levels of government, parliament, elections and voting, the Constitution and referendums, the King, the Governor-General and the Prime Minister and courts, laws and police.
Referendums, the most failed topic
A referendum question usually tests one idea: the Constitution can only be changed by a vote of the people. The booklet explains that a change needs a double majority: a majority of voters across the nation and a majority of voters in a majority of the states. Candidates often pick an option that gives the decision to parliament alone or to the High Court. Parliament proposes the change, the people decide. Read the booklet paragraph on referendums twice; it is short and pays off.
Values questions with a hidden condition
A values question becomes hard when a wrong option adds a condition that sounds like common sense. "People are free to protest if the government agrees", "you should obey the law when the police are nearby", "a job should go to someone from your own community". The booklet's version never has those conditions: protest is free if peaceful and lawful, the law applies at all times, a job goes to the best skills and experience. If an option narrows a value, it is almost always wrong. The values questions page drills only these.
Numbers and dates
A few figures recur: the number of states and territories, the year of Federation, the voting age, the date of Australia Day and of Anzac Day. They are easy marks once learned and costly when guessed. Make a small card with the dozen figures of Part 1 and Part 3 and read it each day of the last week. The states and territories page and the national days page have the details.
How to train on hard questions
Use the selector above to pick one difficult topic at a time and answer ten questions. When you miss one, read the explanation, then find the paragraph in the booklet. Go back to the same topic the next day: a confusion fixed once tends to return. Finish each session with a mixed timed mock test to check that the fix holds when the topic is surrounded by others.