How Many Questions Are on Each Citizenship Test?

If you are comparing countries, or simply want to know what you are walking into, the format matters as much as the syllabus. A 60 percent pass mark on ten spoken questions is a very different exam from 80 percent on 45 written ones. Here is the answer for each country, and what each number actually means for your preparation.

United States

There are two versions in circulation, and your filing date decides which one you take.

• 2008 version: pool of 100, up to 10 asked, 6 correct to pass (60 percent).
• 2025 version: pool of 128, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass (60 percent). Applies to N-400 forms filed on or after 20 October 2025.

The distinguishing feature is not the count but the delivery: an officer asks the questions out loud in your interview and you answer in your own words. There is no clock on that portion and no multiple choice. Details in 2008 vs 2025 explained.

Canada

20 questions, 15 to pass (75 percent), 45 minutes, multiple choice and true or false, in English or French. Every question comes from Discover Canada. Required for applicants aged 18 to 54. See how to practise for it.

United Kingdom

24 questions, 18 to pass (75 percent), 45 minutes, taken at a registered test centre for a fee of £50. All questions come from the official handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. Applicants aged 65 or over are exempt. Guide: the Life in the UK test.

Germany

33 questions, 17 to pass (about 52 percent, the most forgiving bar of the eight), 60 minutes, fee €25. The 33 are drawn as 30 from a federal catalogue of 300 plus 3 from your state's catalogue of 10, so the total published pool is 310. Because the pool is public, this is a revision exercise: see the Einbürgerungstest guide.

France

40 questions, 32 to pass (80 percent), 45 minutes, multiple choice in French. Since 1 January 2026 this examen civique is a separate written exam for naturalisation, taken at a centre approved by the CCIP or France Éducation International and mixing knowledge questions with practical scenarios. It sits alongside a B2 language requirement, proven with a diploma or a TCF or TEF result. The prefecture's entretien d'assimilation, typically 20 to 40 minutes, still follows as a conversation with no score, covering the five themes of the Livret du citoyen. See the five themes summarised.

Spain

25 questions, 15 to pass (60 percent), 45 minutes, three options per question, run by the Instituto Cervantes. Questions are drawn from a published bank of roughly 300. The certificate is valid for four years. Most applicants also need the DELE A2 language certificate. See the CCSE guide.

Sweden

Multiple choice, four options per question, in Swedish only, based on the material Sverige i fokus. The first test was held on 15 August 2026. UHR, which runs it, has not published a fixed number of questions or time limit: it announces them before each session and sets the pass mark after each test. Guide: Medborgarskapsprovet.

Denmark

45 questions, 36 to pass (80 percent), 45 minutes. The 45 break into 40 on society, history and culture plus 5 questions on Danish values, of which at least 4 must be correct. That second bar is what makes it the hardest of the eight: you can score 40 overall and still fail on the values section. Five of the 40 also cover current affairs from recent months, which no study booklet can contain. See the Indfødsretsprøven guide.

What the numbers mean for your study plan

• A low pass mark is not an easy test. Germany asks for 52 percent but publishes 310 questions. Coverage, not the bar, sets the workload.
• A published pool changes the method. Where the questions are public, the correct strategy is repetition until recall is automatic. Where only a book is published, you need comprehension, because the questions are written fresh from it.
• A second bar deserves separate practice. Denmark's values section has its own pass mark, so it needs its own drilling rather than being mixed into general revision.
• A spoken test needs spoken practice. The American format rewards saying answers aloud. Silent study leaves the actual skill untested until the day.
• Aim well above the bar. Target 90 percent in practice whatever your country. The margin absorbs nerves, current affairs questions and the answers that quietly went out of date.

A fuller side by side of the European exams is in European citizenship exams compared, and exemptions by age, disability and language are in who is exempt. CivicPass runs timed mock exams in each of these formats, free on iOS and Android, and works offline.

FAQ

Which citizenship test is the hardest?

By pass mark, Denmark: 36 correct out of 45, and at least 4 of the 5 values questions, which is 80 percent with a second bar you can fail on its own. Germany has the lowest bar at 17 of 33, around 52 percent, though its question catalogue is the largest at 310.

Which test has the most questions to study?

Germany, with a published catalogue of 310 questions, 300 federal and 10 for your state. The US 2025 version has 128, the Netherlands 300 in its knowledge pool, and Spain publishes a bank of around 300 for the CCSE.

Are the questions published in advance?

In most countries, yes. The United States, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands publish their pools, so preparation is revision rather than guesswork. Canada and the UK publish an official study book instead, from which all questions are drawn.

How long do the tests take?

Most written tests allow 45 to 60 minutes: Spain, Canada, the UK, France and Denmark give 45 minutes, Germany 60. Sweden has no fixed published time limit, as UHR announces it before each session. The United States is different: the civics questions are asked out loud in an interview with no clock on that section.