Permanent residents of Australia are not required to pass the Australian Citizenship Test if they are under 18 years or over 60 years of age; if they suffer from a loss of speech, hearing or sight; or if they have a physical or mental disability that renders them incapable of understanding the nature of their application for Australian citizenship. You must be a permanent resident of Australia in order to take this test.
The Australian Citizenship Test is in English and is composed of 20 multiple choice questions drawn from a pool of 200. These are not released to the public. You must answer at least 12 of these questions correctly within 45 minutes in order to pass, including each of the three required questions concerning the responsibilities of Australian citizenship. The test is graded immediately by computer. If you do not pass, you may retake the test at the next administration, even later the same day.
The pass rate for the Australian Citizenship Test is around 80 percent for the first attempt, and over 95 percent for those who take the test at least twice. Nevertheless, this figure artificially inflates the odds of passing the test cold, since most people who take the test already have a basic understanding of English and have studied for it.
Australian citizenship is based on a publication entitled "Becoming an Australian Citizen" issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Practice tests and study resources are widely available on the Internet.
Those who wish to take the test should apply in person at the nearest office of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Long wait times can be expected. If you are otherwise eligible for Australian citizenship, you should bring a completed citizenship application and all required application documents to the office so you can apply for Australian citizenship as soon as you pass the test.
Following are some sample questions that are among the 200 that may appear on the Australian Citizenship Test:
"What is the first line of Australia's national anthem?"
"What is the population of Australia?"
"What is the name of the Australian remote inland areas?"
The Australian government is now exploring a proposal to make the Australian Citizenship Test easier to pass.
Australian Citizenship Test, Australian citizenship, DIAC, Australia immigration
