The citizenship test is 20 questions in 45 minutes, and you need 15 right to pass. Every question comes from one free study guide, Discover Canada. Start there, wait for your invitation, and know what happens if you fail.
Applies in: across Canada
The citizenship test is the knowledge step in a grant of citizenship application. It is not the whole application, and it is not a language test. It asks whether you know Canada well enough, from one official source, to take on the responsibilities of citizenship. This guide walks through the process only: who takes the test, what it contains, how to study, how the invitation works, what test day looks like online and in person, and what happens after you pass or fail. It gives no advice on whether you qualify for citizenship, and it does not cover the rest of the application. Those parts belong to the application guide.
Start with the one fact that shapes all the preparation. Every question on the test is based on Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. IRCC says so directly on its study page, and it says the guide is the only study material you need. That makes preparation simple in one way and demanding in another. Simple, because there is exactly one book to learn. Demanding, because the test draws across the whole book, and a section you skip is a section you can be asked about.
Applicants who are 18 to 54 years old on the date they sign their citizenship application must demonstrate adequate knowledge of Canada and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. For most of them, the test is how they demonstrate it. The age that counts is your age when you sign the application, not your age on the day you sit the test.
Applicants under 18, and applicants 55 or older on the date of application, are not required to meet the knowledge requirement. They are not scheduled for the written test or for an oral hearing to assess knowledge. Applicants 55 and older are still invited to a local office, because identity, residence, and the documents supporting the application still have to be verified. Being exempt from the test is not the same as being exempt from the rest of the process.
Two common misunderstandings are worth clearing up before you study. First, the test does not assess your English or French. IRCC states this plainly: the test has no questions that assess language skills. Language ability is a separate requirement for applicants 18 to 54, shown with proof submitted with the application, and a citizenship officer may note how well you communicate in an official language if you are invited to an interview. Second, passing the test is not the final step. After a pass, IRCC may invite you to an interview, and then to the citizenship ceremony. The test is a gate on the way to the ceremony, not the ceremony itself.
The citizenship test has 20 questions. Each question is multiple choice or true or false. The test is in English or French, your choice. You have 45 minutes, and once the timer starts it cannot be stopped. After 45 minutes the test is submitted automatically, even if you have not finished, and you get a warning when 5 minutes remain. You need at least 15 of the 20 questions right to pass.
The questions cover the rights and responsibilities of being a Canadian citizen and Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws, and symbols. All of them come from Discover Canada. That is the whole syllabus. There are no questions from outside the guide, and no questions that test opinions or current events beyond what the guide contains. If a fact is not in Discover Canada, it is not on the test.
You have 3 chances to pass. Online, all 3 chances sit inside the 30-day period in your invitation, and you use them by logging in again after a failed attempt. In person or on Microsoft Teams, a failed attempt brings a new invitation for another time. The 3-chance rule is the current rule on IRCC's applicant-facing pages. Older summaries that mention 2 chances describe the previous arrangement and should not be relied on.
The guide is free, and it comes in several formats. You can read it online, download the PDF or eBook for offline reading, listen to the audio version, or order a paper copy. You can start studying at any time, before you apply or while your application is being processed. There is no reason to wait for the invitation to begin.
Work through the guide in order, and do not skip sections. The sections are: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship; Who We Are; Canada's History; Modern Canada; How Canadians Govern Themselves; Federal Elections; The Justice System; Canadian Symbols; Canada's Economy; and Canada's Regions, followed by study questions. The history section is the longest stretch of dates and events, and the government sections carry the institutional detail that many applicants find hardest: how the federal state divides responsibilities, how Parliament works, and how elections run. Read those sections twice if they do not stick the first time. The study questions at the end of the guide are the closest thing to a rehearsal that IRCC itself provides. Use them to find the sections you have not learned, then go back to those sections in the guide.
Third-party study guides, apps, and practice tests are not official, and none of them sets the test. Some of them are useful as a way to check recall, but they are useful only in that narrow role. If a practice question and the guide disagree, the guide is right and the practice question is wrong. Never memorize answers from a practice bank in place of reading the guide. The questions on the real test are written from the guide's text, and the guide's wording is what the correct answers follow.
A practical study method follows from how the test is built. Read a section, close the guide, and write down what it said without looking. Then open the guide and check what you missed. Repeat for the next section. A second full read, faster than the first, catches the details that a single read leaves behind: names, dates, and the order of events. Studying in short sessions over several weeks beats a single long session the night before, because the test rewards recall across ten sections, not recognition of one.
You cannot take the test until IRCC invites you. You cannot book it yourself, and contacting IRCC to ask for an invitation will not produce one faster. IRCC sends the invitation after you submit your citizenship application. Most people receive it 1 to 3 months after the acknowledgment of receipt of their application. The wait can be longer if the application is non-routine.
The invitation arrives by email as a PDF attachment if you gave an email address in your application, or to your representative's email if you used one. It comes from an address ending in @cic.gc.ca or @canada.ca. If the invitation has not arrived, check your junk or spam folder before assuming it was not sent. If you did not give an email address, IRCC will mail the invitation or may call you, so check voicemail regularly. The invitation includes a start date and an end date, a link to the online test or directions for an in-person test, your application number, your unique client identifier (UCI), and an email address you can use to contact IRCC.
The start and end dates define a 30-day period, and that period is the whole window. Online, you can take the test at any time during those 30 days, including weekends and holidays, but you cannot sign in before the start date, after the end date, or after you have submitted the test. If the gap between the start and end dates in your invitation is not 30 days, email IRCC using the address in the invitation, with a detailed explanation, a screenshot or attachment of the invitation, your application number, and your UCI. If your application status tracker says you have been scheduled for an online test but no invitation has arrived, it usually arrives at least 2 to 3 business days before the start date. If it is less than 2 to 3 business days before the start date and nothing has arrived, email the address IRCC publishes for that situation with a detailed explanation, your application number, and your UCI.
If you need to reschedule, email the address in the Rescheduling section of your test invitation. Include a detailed explanation of why you need to reschedule, your application number, and your UCI. Rescheduling usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, and it can take longer. If you need to take the test before the 30-day period in your invitation because of an emergency, check whether you qualify for urgent processing. Do not simply miss the window: a missed window means contacting IRCC for a new invitation, and the wait starts again.
Most applicants now take the test online, and the invitation will say which format applies to you. The online test runs in a web browser with your webcam on. Before you start, get your identification ready. You need your permanent resident card, even if it has expired, or a valid piece of identification that has your photo and signature on it and has not expired, such as a driver's licence or health card. You will photograph the ID and yourself with your webcam before the test begins, and the photos must be clear enough to read. If a photo is blurred, the test may be invalid and you may be asked to take it again.
Take the test on a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet with a webcam, using the Chrome or Safari web browser. Do not take it on a mobile phone, using Chrome on an iPad, on a Microsoft Surface Pro, or on a virtual private network (VPN). Pick a location with good lighting so the system can see you clearly through the webcam. You do not need to be in Canada to take the online test, and a public library or public computer is acceptable if it meets the device and browser requirements.
During the test, your webcam takes random photos to confirm your identity and to confirm you are working alone. Those photos are compared with your test photo and the photos from your application. Take the test alone, in the same place where you took the photo of yourself and your ID, with no other tabs, windows, or programs open and your VPN turned off. Make sure nothing in the background shows your personal information, such as a diploma on the wall. During the test you must not use any other device, look at any study materials, or use the back button in your browser. If there are technical issues or signs of cheating, your test may be invalid, and IRCC will follow up and ask you to take it again.
The sign-in sequence is fixed, so run through it before the clock matters. Sign in with your application number and UCI, and read and accept the privacy notice and the terms and conditions. Select the button to have the test link emailed to you; the link goes to the email address that received the invitation, or to your representative's email, and it expires after 15 minutes. If it expires, sign in again for a new link, and always use the latest link if you requested more than one. Re-enter your application number and UCI to confirm your identity, photograph your ID and yourself, and then select Start the test. The 45-minute countdown begins at that point, not before.
Two accidents are worth knowing about in advance, because the timer does not forgive them. If you close the test by mistake, sign in again as soon as possible, but the timer keeps running, and at 45 minutes the system submits whatever answers you selected. If you are disconnected, use the most recent test link to return as soon as possible; the timer keeps running while you are disconnected, and if 45 minutes pass, the system submits the answers selected up to that point. If technical issues or an emergency prevent you from finishing, email the address in your test invitation with a detailed explanation, your application number, and your UCI, within 30 days of the start date in your invitation. IRCC may reschedule the test, which usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, and the rescheduled test may involve an interview or a retake by videoconference.
Some applicants take the test in person or on Microsoft Teams instead of online. Your invitation gives the details: the time and location for an in-person test, or the connection details for a Teams test. If you fail, you will get a new invitation for another time rather than logging in again.
For an in-person test, hearing, or interview, bring the documents IRCC's staff guidance lists for each applicant: your Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence and your permanent resident card where applicable; one other identity document that includes a photograph, preferably with a signature; all passports and travel documents in your possession; and the originals of all supporting documents sent with the application, such as a birth certificate or a legal change of name document. Bring originals, not only photocopies. The online test's ID step is narrower, a single photographed ID, because the webcam process replaces the in-person document check. Do not assume the online photo step covers the documents an in-person visit requires.
If you take the test online, the result page shown immediately after you submit is unofficial. It is a temporary score, not your official result. IRCC will not send you a confirmation email, and you cannot sign in again to view the result, so print the results page or email it to yourself using the buttons at the bottom of the page before you leave it. If you forget, email the address in the Rescheduling section of your invitation. If you take the test in person or on Microsoft Teams, you get your official score right after the test.
For the online test, an officer reviews your result to make it official, which can take a few days or a few weeks. There are 3 possible results. A pass means you correctly answered at least 15 of the 20 questions. A fail means you failed all your test attempts during the 30-day period in your invitation. A result can be invalidated if IRCC finds or suspects cheating, or if a technical issue prevents confirmation of your identity or your test score. Your application status in the tracker stays In progress while the test has not been reviewed, was cancelled and rescheduled, or was invalidated, and shows Completed once you have received a pass or fail. After the official result, the tracker shows one of four next steps: a decision made on your application, an invitation for an interview, an invitation for a retest, or an invitation for a hearing. You will not get email updates, so check the tracker.
If you pass, IRCC may invite you to an interview with a citizenship official, depending on your case, and will invite you to the citizenship ceremony. An interview can be offered to an adult 18 or older, including seniors 55 and older, and to a minor 14 to 17 without a parent applying at the same time. At an interview, both the minor and the person who submitted the application for the minor must be present. The interview verifies your identity, authenticates the photocopies of your documents, and verifies whether you are eligible for citizenship. It does not necessarily end in a final decision. Bring the original documents you sent with your application and any passport or travel documents you used in the 5 years before you applied.
If you fail all 3 chances, the next step is a hearing, not a fourth test. At the hearing, the citizenship officer may orally ask questions about your knowledge of Canada, similar to the test questions, with 20 questions and a pass mark of 15. The officer may also ask about your residence in Canada and assess your language skills in English or French, with up to 9 language questions and a pass mark of 6. The hearing lasts 30 to 90 minutes. After the hearing, IRCC sends a letter with the results. Passing the hearing leads to the citizenship ceremony invitation. Failing the hearing means the application is refused, and you must reapply and pay the fees again if you still want to become a citizen.
The test is part of applying for a grant of citizenship. Some people do not need a grant at all, because they are already citizens. The rules on citizenship by descent changed on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, came into effect. Before that change, citizenship by descent was limited to the first generation born outside Canada. Bill C-3 removed that limit in some situations, and anyone who thinks they may be covered should check IRCC's page on the 2025 rule change before filing a grant application.
The shape of the change, as IRCC states it, turns on the date of birth or adoption. A person born or adopted on or after December 15, 2025, outside Canada in the second generation or later may be Canadian if their parent, who was also born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen, spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth. For an adopted person in the same position, the route is a direct grant of citizenship if the Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the adoption. A person born or adopted before December 15, 2025, outside Canada in the second generation or later may have had citizenship restored or given to them by the change. In most cases, such a person is automatically a Canadian citizen if born before that date outside Canada to a Canadian parent, including a parent who became Canadian because of the change itself.
If the change made you a citizen automatically, you apply for a citizenship certificate to confirm it. IRCC reviews the application to check whether you are a Canadian citizen, and if you are, issues the certificate as proof. That proof helps with a passport application and with avoiding delays at the border. If you became a citizen automatically but do not want to be one, you can apply to give up, or renounce, your Canadian citizenship. This guide gives no processing time for certificate applications, because IRCC's rule-change page publishes none, and no backlog figure, because none was confirmed on a primary page. The certificate route, not the test, is the process for people the change already made citizens.
This guide carries no application fee figures, no ceremony wait times, no in-person test duration, and no estimate of how many hours studying takes. No IRCC page states those figures, and a carried figure from a secondary summary would mislead more than it helps. The invitation itself states the format that applies to you, including the time and place for an in-person test. Fee and processing figures belong to the application pages, checked at the time you apply, not to a test-preparation guide that would go stale beside them.
Recheck the pages in the Sources list before you act on this guide, and recheck them again when your invitation arrives, because the invitation, not this guide, states your window, your format, and your contact address. The test rules described here were read on IRCC's pages on October 29, 2026. If IRCC changes the test format, the number of chances, or the descent rules, the IRCC pages govern and this guide should be read against them. In particular, recheck the rule-change page on any further change to citizenship by descent, and recheck the study page before you begin studying, in case a revised study guide has officially replaced Discover Canada.
Applicants who are 18 to 54 years old when they sign their citizenship application must show they have adequate knowledge of Canada and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and the test is how most of them show it. Applicants who are under 18, or 55 or older on the date of application, are not required to meet the knowledge requirement and are not scheduled for the test or for a knowledge hearing. Applicants 55 and older are still invited to an office visit so their identity, residence, and documents can be verified. The age that counts is your age on the date of application, not your age on test day. If special circumstances prevent you from taking the test, the IRCC waiver instructions are the place to check, not a third-party site.
The test has 20 questions, in English or French. Questions are multiple choice or true or false. You have 45 minutes, and the timer cannot be paused. You need at least 15 of the 20 questions right to pass, which is 75 percent. Every question is based on information in Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, the official study guide. The test asks about the rights and responsibilities of being a Canadian citizen and about Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws, and symbols. The test does not assess your English or French. Language ability is a separate requirement, shown with proof submitted with the application, and an officer may note how well you communicate at an interview. Do not study from memory of someone else's test: the questions are drawn from the guide, so the guide is the only source that counts.
Yes. IRCC says it bases all the test questions on Discover Canada, and the guide is free. You can read it online, download the PDF or eBook, listen to the audio version, or order a paper copy, and you can start studying at any time, before or after you apply. Work through the whole guide, not just the sections that interest you, because the test draws across all of it: rights and responsibilities, who we are, Canada's history, modern Canada, how Canadians govern themselves, federal elections, the justice system, Canadian symbols, Canada's economy, and Canada's regions, plus the study questions at the end. Third-party practice tests and question banks exist, but none of them is the official test, and memorizing their answers is not the same as knowing the guide. If a practice question contradicts the guide, the guide wins. Until IRCC officially launches any revised guide, Discover Canada is the study guide for the test.
You need an invitation, and you cannot book the test yourself or contact IRCC to get an invitation sent faster. After you submit your citizenship application, most people get the invitation 1 to 3 months after they receive the acknowledgment of receipt of their application. It can take longer if your application is non-routine. If you gave an email address in your application, the invitation arrives by email as a PDF attachment, from an address ending in @cic.gc.ca or @canada.ca, so check your junk or spam folder if it has not arrived. The invitation includes a start date and an end date 30 days apart, a link to the online test or directions for an in-person test, your application number, your unique client identifier (UCI), and a contact email. You can check the application status tracker to confirm your test is scheduled: an In progress status in the citizenship test section means the test has been scheduled and the invitation is on its way. Invitations usually arrive at least 2 to 3 business days before the test start date.
You have up to 3 chances to pass during the 30-day period in your invitation. If you take the test online and fail, log in and try again to use your remaining chances. If you take the test in person or on Microsoft Teams and fail, you will get a new invitation for another time. If you fail all 3 chances, IRCC will invite you to a hearing with a citizenship official. At the hearing the officer may orally ask you questions about your knowledge of Canada, similar to the test questions: the oral knowledge test has 20 questions and you must pass 15 of them. The officer may also ask about your residence in Canada and assess your language skills in English or French, with up to 9 questions of which you must pass 6. A hearing lasts 30 to 90 minutes. If you pass the hearing, you wait for your invitation to the citizenship ceremony. If you fail the hearing, your application is refused, and you need to reapply and pay the fees again if you still want to become a citizen. If you applied as a family or group, applications are processed together, but in some cases an application can be separated; email the address in the Rescheduling section of your invitation to ask.
Maybe not, and this is worth checking before you apply for a grant of citizenship, because the rules on citizenship by descent changed on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 came into effect. That change removed the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent in some situations. In most cases, a person born before December 15, 2025, outside Canada to a Canadian parent is automatically a Canadian citizen, including where the parent became Canadian because of the same rule change. A person born or adopted on or after December 15, 2025, in the second generation or later born abroad may be Canadian if the Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth or adoption. If the change made you a citizen automatically, you do not apply for a grant of citizenship and you do not take the test: you apply for a citizenship certificate to prove the citizenship you already hold, and IRCC reviews that application to confirm it. Check the IRCC page on the 2025 rule change first, and apply for proof of citizenship if it covers you. This guide states no processing time for proof-of-citizenship applications, because IRCC's page does not publish one.