France · Ministère de l’Intérieur

French citizenship test: free practice for the examen civique

The examen civique is the knowledge test for French naturalisation. It is set in French and asks 40 questions in 45 minutes. For applications filed from 1 January 2026, a pass is one of the documents a naturalisation file needs.

10 free sample questionsAnswers includedNo account needed
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What the examen civique asks of you

What the ministry has not published

  • The twelve mises en situation. The arrêté only requires the knowledge questions to be made public, and only those are.
  • How the 28 and the 12 fall across the five themes. The arrêté gives the total per theme, not the split within each.
  • A single national fee. Each centre sets its own price, and the only official figure is the 60 to 80 euro range the ministry gave the Assemblée nationale on 11 August 2026.
  • How long a result takes to arrive. The ministry's pages do not say, and Belong France does not publish a figure it cannot source.
It is a short list. France publishes the length, the pass mark, the split by theme, the full référentiel and the knowledge questions themselves, and the ministry says on its own site that the preparation can be done entirely for free.
Practice

10 sample questions, with answers

Two from each of the five themes, in the arrêté’s own order and in French as the real exam is set, with an English translation underneath. Each has four options and one right answer, as on the day. The right answer is marked.

  1. Question 1 · Principes et valeurs de la République (Principles and values of the Republic)

    Quelle est la devise de la République française ?

    What is the motto of the French Republic?

    • Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) ✓ correct answer
    • Union, Discipline, Travail (Union, Discipline, Work)
    • Liberté, Justice, Solidarité (Liberty, Justice, Solidarity)
    • Honneur, Patrie, Discipline (Honour, Homeland, Discipline)
  2. Question 2 · Système institutionnel et politique (The institutional and political system)

    Quelle est la durée du mandat du Président de la République ?

    How long is the term of the President of the Republic?

    • 7 ans (7 years)
    • 5 ans (5 years) ✓ correct answer
    • 4 ans (4 years)
    • 6 ans (6 years)
  3. Question 3 · Droits et devoirs (Rights and duties)

    À partir de quel âge peut-on voter en France ?

    From what age can you vote in France?

    • 18 ans (18 years) ✓ correct answer
    • 16 ans (16 years)
    • 21 ans (21 years)
    • 25 ans (25 years)
  4. Question 4 · Histoire, géographie et culture (History, geography and culture)

    En quelle année a commencé la Révolution française ?

    In which year did the French Revolution begin?

    • 1750
    • 1815
    • 1789 ✓ correct answer
    • 1848
  5. Question 5 · Vivre dans la société française (Living in French society)

    Quel est le numéro d'urgence européen, valable en France ?

    What is the European emergency number, valid in France?

    • Le 911 (911)
    • Le 112 (112) ✓ correct answer
    • Le 999 (999)
    • Le 110 (110)
  6. Question 6 · Principes et valeurs de la République (Principles and values of the Republic)

    Selon l'article premier de la Constitution, la France est une République…

    According to article 1 of the Constitution, France is a Republic that is…

    • fédérale, monarchique, religieuse et unitaire (federal, monarchic, religious and unitary)
    • centralisée, impériale, militaire et coloniale (centralised, imperial, military and colonial)
    • indivisible, laïque, démocratique et sociale (indivisible, secular, democratic and social) ✓ correct answer
    • royale, chrétienne, libérale et parlementaire (royal, Christian, liberal and parliamentary)
  7. Question 7 · Système institutionnel et politique (The institutional and political system)

    Comment le Président de la République est-il élu ?

    How is the President of the Republic elected?

    • Au suffrage universel direct (By direct universal suffrage) ✓ correct answer
    • Par les députés et sénateurs (By the deputies and senators)
    • Par les maires des communes (By the mayors of the municipalities)
    • Par le Congrès à Versailles (By the Congress at Versailles)
  8. Question 8 · Droits et devoirs (Rights and duties)

    Que faut-il pour pouvoir voter à une élection ?

    What do you need in order to vote in an election?

    • Payer chaque année une taxe électorale (To pay an electoral tax every year)
    • Avoir un emploi déclaré depuis deux ans (To have had a declared job for two years)
    • Être inscrit sur les listes électorales (To be registered on the electoral roll) ✓ correct answer
    • Être propriétaire de son propre logement (To own the home you live in)
  9. Question 9 · Histoire, géographie et culture (History, geography and culture)

    Quel événement a eu lieu le 14 juillet 1789 ?

    What happened on 14 July 1789?

    • Le sacre de Napoléon (The coronation of Napoleon)
    • La mort de Louis XIV (The death of Louis XIV)
    • La prise de la Bastille (The storming of the Bastille) ✓ correct answer
    • La fin de la monarchie (The end of the monarchy)
  10. Question 10 · Vivre dans la société française (Living in French society)

    Quel numéro appelle-t-on pour une urgence médicale (SAMU) ?

    Which number do you call for a medical emergency (SAMU)?

    • Le 13 (13)
    • Le 12 (12)
    • Le 20 (20)
    • Le 15 (15) ✓ correct answer
These questions are written by Belong France from the ministry’s fiches on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr and its published list of knowledge questions. They are not the ministry’s questions and they can contain mistakes. The official list is free: work through it too.

That was ten. There are 1,009 more.

1,019 questions, filed under the five themes of the official programme in the arrêté’s own order, with a daily five, theme drills, a mistakes deck and a mock in the real paper’s shape: 40 questions in 45 minutes, drawn 11, 6, 11, 8 and 4 by theme. It gives a real verdict against 32, because it asks the whole paper.

Written by Belong France from the ministry’s fiches and published questions. They are not the ministry’s questions, and the real exam uses its own.

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Common questions

Passing the examen civique

How many questions do you need right to pass the examen civique?

32 out of 40, which the Ministère de l'Intérieur states as 80 per cent. The paper is 40 multiple choice questions in French, with one right answer out of four, and it lasts 45 minutes at most. No theme has to be passed on its own: 32 correct anywhere on the paper is a pass.

What does the examen civique cost?

Between 60 and 80 euro. Each centre sets its own price, and that range is the one the Ministère de l'Intérieur gave the Assemblée nationale in its answer of 11 August 2026. The preparation is free: the ministry publishes the fiches and the knowledge questions at no charge, and says nobody needs to pay for practice tests.

When and how often can I sit it?

At any time and as many times as you need, in the ministry's own words. There is no national calendar: you book a slot at a centre run by the CCI Paris Île-de-France or by France Éducation International. Each attempt is a new registration and a new fee.

Who has to sit the examen civique?

Everyone who applies for naturalisation or réintégration by decree from 1 January 2026, unless a medical certificate shows that the assessment is impossible. The declaration by marriage does not require it, though it does require French at B2. Fiche F39426 lists no exemption by age, nationality or schooling.

How long is a pass valid?

It does not expire. The ministry's page says l'attestation de réussite à l'examen n'a pas de durée de validité. The language proof is different: a TCF or TEF attestation counts only if it is less than two years old.

Is the examen civique the same thing as the B2 French test?

No. For applications filed from 1 January 2026, the décret of 15 July 2025 asks for two separate documents: proof of French at B2, oral and written, and the attestation de réussite à l'examen civique. Passing one says nothing about the other, and they are exempted separately.

The exam is one requirement out of 5

Naturalisation by decree also asks for 5 years of habitual, stable residence on the general route, French at B2, stable and sufficient resources and good conduct, each with its own rules on time abroad and timing.

See all French nationality requirements

Rules as of 1 November 2026 (snapshot 2026.1), from the Ministère de l'Intérieur.

More on the examen civique

The five themes the questions come from

Cette page en français

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