Citizenship test practice for the UK, Australia and Canada
Pick a country and answer: a full mock exam, marked with that country’s own pass rule. No sign-up.
Your score · United Kingdom: Life in the UK
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| Pass mark: 18 of 24 |
Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the facts of the official guide. Not the official test.
Australian questions adapted from Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, adapted by Radif Partners.
A citizenship test checks what a new citizen knows about the country, its history, its institutions and its values. Three countries ask for one in English. The United Kingdom's Life in the UK Test has 24 questions, 45 minutes and a mark of 18; it costs £50 a sitting and is needed for settlement and naturalisation. Australia's test has 20 questions in 45 minutes, a 75% mark and five questions on Australian values that must all be right; it is included in the citizenship fee. Canada's test has 20 questions, 45 minutes and 15 correct answers to pass, in English or French. Each is written from one official guide: Life in the United Kingdom, Our Common Bond and Discover Canada. The tool above draws a full mock exam from our 470 English practice questions for the country you choose and marks it with that country's rule.
Updated · Radif Partners · How the questions and dates are built · About this site
The three tests at a glance
The three tests look alike on the surface: a short multiple-choice test on a computer, a mark of 75%, a free official guide or a handbook to learn from. The rules around them differ more than the tests themselves, and those differences decide how you prepare and when you apply.
| United Kingdom | Australia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 24 | 20 | 20 |
| Correct answers to pass | 18 (75%) | 15 (75%) and all 5 values questions | 15 (75%) |
| Time | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min |
| Who sits it | aged 18 to 64 | aged 18 to 59 | aged 18 to 54 |
| Test fee | £50 per sitting | in the application fee | in the application fee |
| Citizenship fee (adult) | £1,709 + £130 ceremony | A$595 | C$653 |
| Residence before applying | 5 years, at most 450 days away | 4 years, at most 365 days away | 1,095 days present in 5 years |
| Official guide | Life in the United Kingdom (3rd ed.) | Our Common Bond | Discover Canada |
The test is the easy part: the date is the hard one
Most people who fail to become citizens on time do not fail the test. They apply too early, because one trip too many sits in the wrong window, or they wait months longer than they had to. Each country counts the days differently, and none of the official calculators tells you the first date you could apply with the trips you have already planned.
United Kingdom. For naturalisation after indefinite leave to remain you need 5 years in the UK, no more than 450 days abroad in that period, no more than 90 in the last 12 months, and ILR held for 12 months. The spouse or civil partner of a British citizen needs 3 years and 270 days, with no 12-month wait after ILR. Only whole days abroad count, as the Home Office guidance says: the day you leave and the day you return are days in the UK. The British citizenship page finds your first date.
Australia. The general residence requirement asks for 4 years of lawful residence, the last 12 months as a permanent resident, at most 365 days away in the four years and at most 90 in the last year. The residence calculator moves the date forward day by day until all four conditions hold at once.
Canada. You need 1,095 days of physical presence in the 5 years before you apply. Days before permanent residence, as a temporary resident or protected person, count for half, up to 365 days. Only days spent entirely outside Canada are absences. The physical presence calculator counts your window.
What the tools here do not judge
The date tools look at time and travel only. Good character, criminal records, immigration breaches, English or French language proof, tax filing in Canada (3 years out of 5) and the intention to live in the country are conditions too, and they are decided case by case by an officer. A date given here means the residence condition is met on that day under the published rule, nothing more. When a result falls within five days of a limit, the tool says so: check the dates against passport stamps or official travel records before you send anything.
Coming next in the UK
The Home Office consulted on "earned settlement", a model that would lengthen the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain and that also discusses changes to citizenship. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026. On 24 October 2026 no new rule was in force: the test, the 5-year rule and the fees above still apply. This page will change on the day the final rules are published.
Every practice page
United Kingdom
- Life in the UK TestA free 24-question mock of the Life in the UK Test, marked against the 18 correct answers you need.
- Practice by chapterPractise the Life in the UK Test one handbook chapter at a time, with the fact behind every answer.
- Questions and answersEvery practice question of our Life in the UK bank with its answer and the fact behind it, chapter by chapter.
- Timed mock testA timed Life in the UK mock test: 24 questions against a 45-minute clock, with your score split by chapter.
- Cost and feesWhat the Life in the UK Test and British citizenship cost in 2026, fee by fee, for one person or a family.
- Pass markThe Life in the UK Test pass mark explained: 24 questions, 18 correct answers, and what happens after a pass or a fail.
- ExemptionsWho does not need to take the Life in the UK Test: under 18, 65 or over, a previous pass, or a long-term condition.
- The official handbookThe official Life in the UK handbook explained: its edition, its five chapters and how to study it for the test.
- British citizenshipThe British citizenship test and every other naturalisation requirement: residence, absences, good character, English and fees.
Australia
- Australian citizenship testA 20-question practice test marked like the real one: 75% overall and all 5 values questions right.
- Practice by partTen questions at a time from the part of Our Common Bond you choose, with the answer explained at once.
- Questions and answersEvery question of our bank with its answer, by part, starting with the values questions.
- Our Common BondThe four parts of the testable section explained, with a ten-question quiz on the part you are reading.
- EligibilityEvery condition for citizenship by conferral, and the first date your residence lets you apply.
- Residence calculatorThe first date you meet the 4-year, 12-month and absence rules, with every trip counted, planned ones included.
- CostThe Home Affairs fee for each applicant, concessions and children, and the total for your family.
- Processing timeThe current official times from application to decision and to ceremony, and where your file stands.
Canada
- Canadian citizenship testA 20-question practice test marked like the IRCC test: 15 correct answers to pass, every answer explained.
- Canadian citizenship test practiceTen-question practice sets by chapter of Discover Canada, corrected as you answer.
- Citizenship test questionsEvery practice question with its answer and explanation, one chapter of Discover Canada at a time.
- Discover Canada study guideThe official study guide chapter by chapter, with a quiz on each chapter.
- Canadian citizenship eligibilityEvery condition for an adult to apply, and how many days of presence you still miss.
- Physical presence calculatorThe first date your 1,095 days are met, with every trip counted day by day, planned ones included.
- Canadian citizenship feeThe IRCC fee for each adult and minor, and the total for your family.
How the questions are written
No country publishes its test bank, so every question on this site was written by Radif Partners from the facts of the official guide, and each one says which chapter to read to check it. Our Common Bond is published under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 4.0), and our Australian questions are adapted from it with attribution; the Canadian guide and the UK handbook are Crown copyright, so nothing is reproduced from them. Questions about who holds an office today, or about facts that changed after a guide was printed, are left out. The method page explains how a test is drawn and how each pass rule is applied.
Sources
The rules, fees and times quoted here were read on these government pages on24 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: Life in the UK Test
- GOV.UK: apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain
- Home Office: Naturalisation as a British citizen by discretion, nationality policy guidance (version 16.0, 11 November 2025)
- Home Office: immigration and nationality fees table (8 October 2026)
- Home Affairs: the citizenship interview and test
- Home Affairs: citizenship for permanent residents (residence requirement)
- Home Affairs form 1298i: citizenship fees (July 2026)
- IRCC: study for the citizenship test
- IRCC: Canadian citizenship, who can apply
- IRCC: fee list (citizenship)
Questions applicants ask
Which citizenship test is the hardest of the three?
They test the same kind of knowledge in different doses. The UK test asks 24 questions and wants 18, the Canadian test asks 20 and wants 15, and the Australian test asks 20 with a 75% mark plus a perfect score on the five values questions. Many candidates find the UK test hardest because its handbook is long and full of dates.
Can I prepare for two countries at once?
Only partly. Some themes overlap, such as parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, the role of the Crown and voting, but each test is written from its own official guide, and history, geography and symbols differ completely. Use the country switch above and keep separate scores: a pass mark in one test says nothing about the other.
Do I have to pay for a citizenship test?
In the UK the test is booked and paid separately, £50 per sitting. In Australia and Canada there is no separate test fee: the test is part of the citizenship application, whose fee is A$595 for an Australian adult (general eligibility) and C$653 for a Canadian adult. These practice tests are free.
When can I sit the test?
In the UK you book the test yourself, usually before applying, because you need the pass for settlement or citizenship. In Australia and Canada you apply first and are invited to the test once the application is being processed. That is why the earliest date you can apply matters more than the test date in those two countries.
How many days abroad can I have before applying?
Each country has its own rule. For British naturalisation, at most 450 days outside the UK over the 5 years and 90 in the last year. For Australia, at most 365 days over 4 years and 90 in the last year. Canada counts presence instead: 1095 days in 5 years. The date calculators above apply each rule trip by trip.
Is the day I fly out counted as a day abroad?
No, in none of the three countries. The UK nationality guidance and the Canadian instructions count only whole days outside the country, and a Home Affairs instruction says Australian departure and arrival days count as days in Australia. A weekend trip from Friday to Sunday is therefore one day of absence, the Saturday.
Written by Radif Partners
Independent publisher of free citizenship practice tests for the UK, Australia and Canada, with the earliest date you can apply and the official cost
Fees and rules checked on · Editorial policy · Contact
Citizenship rules and fees for 2026, read on gov.uk, Home Affairs and IRCC, last checked on