Australian citizenship test practice questions and answers: 15 explained

These 15 questions cover the four parts of the testable section of Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the booklet every test question is based on. We wrote them ourselves from the booklet. They are not questions from the real test, which Home Affairs does not publish, and none of them is in our free 20-question practice test, so you can do both.

The real test has 20 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes. You need at least 15 correct, and all five Australian values questions must be right. Our guide to the Australian citizenship test covers the format and the appointment.

How to use this page

1. Answer first. Write down your letter before you read the answer. Recalling it is the practice.
2. Read every explanation, even when you were right. The wrong options are near misses: a nearby date, a similar office, a number that is almost right.
3. Check the page. Each answer quotes the booklet with its page. Reread the pages behind your mistakes and come back in a few days.

Part 1: Australia and its people

1. What arrival period for Aboriginal peoples is indicated by the archaeological record?

• A. Between 230 and 180 years ago
• B. Between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago
• C. Between 65,000 and 40,000 years ago

Answer: C. Option A points to the years after European settlement in 1788. The booklet gives a range, so learn both numbers.

Our Common Bond, p. 8: "Aboriginal peoples arrived in Australia between 65,000 and 40,000 years ago"

2. From which organisation does the name ‘Anzac’ come?

• A. The Australian National Parliament
• B. The Australian of the Year Awards Council
• C. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

Answer: C. B sounds familiar because the Australian of the Year Awards are announced during Australia Day, a different day. Keep the dates apart: Anzac Day is 25 April, Australia Day 26 January.

Our Common Bond, p. 13: "Anzac Day is named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, which landed at Gallipoli in Türkiye during World War I on 25 April 1915."

3. What do the seven points of the Commonwealth Star represent?

• A. The seven separate colonies before European settlement
• B. The six states, with one point representing the territories
• C. The seven island groups in the Torres Strait

Answer: B. A is wrong twice: there were six colonies, and they came after European settlement. C borrows from another flag: on the Torres Strait Islander Flag, the points of the white star represent the island groups.

Our Common Bond, p. 14: "each point representing one of the six states and one point for the territories."

4. Which phrase from Advance Australia Fair expresses Australians’ unity and freedom?

• A. For we are young and free
• B. For we are strong and free
• C. For we are one and free

Answer: C. A was the second line until the government changed it from 1 January 2021, so it looks right to anyone who learned the old version. Study from a current copy of the booklet.

Our Common Bond, p. 16: "Australians all let us rejoice, For we are one and free;"

Part 2: Australia's democratic beliefs, rights and liberties

5. Is voting always compulsory in every local government election in Australia?

• A. Yes, local voting rules are identical nationwide
• B. No, it may not be compulsory in some states
• C. No, local councillors are appointed by the state

Answer: B. Voting is compulsory in federal, state and territory elections and in referendums. Local council elections are the only ones where the booklet says voting may not be compulsory, and only in some states. Councillors are elected by citizens in each local government area, not appointed (p. 28).

Our Common Bond, p. 21: "It may not be compulsory to vote in local government elections in some states."

6. Who can be called for jury service?

• A. Citizens on the electoral roll
• B. Residents who are not citizens
• C. Volunteers who apply to serve

Answer: A. Jury service is a responsibility of citizens, tied to the electoral roll. You do not volunteer: you are called.

Our Common Bond, p. 21: "Australian citizens who are on the electoral roll can be called to serve on a jury."

7. Which citizen meets the citizenship-related conditions stated for seeking election to parliament?

• A. A 17-year-old citizen with no other citizenship
• B. An 18-year-old citizen who is also a dual citizen
• C. An 18-year-old citizen who is not a dual citizen

Answer: C. Two conditions at once: 18 or over, and not a dual citizen. This surprises new citizens, because a second citizenship is otherwise allowed if the other country's laws allow it (p. 38).

Our Common Bond, p. 22: "Australian citizens who are aged 18 years or over, and who are not dual citizens, can seek election to parliament"

Part 3: Government and the law in Australia

8. Voters nationwide and voters in four of the six states support a constitutional change. Does this meet the double-majority test?

• A. No, every state must also support the change
• B. Yes, four states are a majority of the states
• C. No, a separate majority of senators is needed

Answer: B. A referendum needs a majority of voters across the nation and a majority of voters in a majority of states. With six states, that means at least four. Voters decide, not senators, and not every state has to agree.

Our Common Bond, p. 25: "both the majority of voters in a majority of states and a majority of voters across the nation must vote for the change."

9. How many senators are there in the Australian Senate in total?

• A. 72 senators
• B. 74 senators
• C. 76 senators

Answer: C. Six states with 12 senators each make 72, plus two each for the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Option A forgets the territories.

Our Common Bond, p. 28: "There is a total of 76 senators."

10. A proposal covers taxation, national economic management and trade. Which level of government is responsible?

• A. The Australian Government
• B. State and territory governments
• C. Local governments and councils

Answer: A. All three are on the booklet's list for the Australian Government, with defence, immigration and foreign affairs. Hospitals, schools and police are mainly state and territory work; rubbish collection and libraries belong to councils.

Our Common Bond, p. 29: the Australian Government is responsible for "taxation", "national economic management" and "trade and commerce", among other areas.

11. A party has the second-largest House contingent after an election. What is its leader called?

• A. The Prime Minister of Australia
• B. The Leader of the Opposition
• C. The Chief Minister

Answer: B. The majority in the House of Representatives generally forms the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The second largest forms the Opposition. A Chief Minister leads a territory government.

Our Common Bond, p. 30: "Its leader is called the Leader of the Opposition."

Part 4: Australian values

All five values questions in the real test must be right, so a mistake here matters most. Our guide to Australian values questions covers this part in detail.

12. A driver is alone on a road and considers ignoring a legal safety requirement. What reflects the Rule of Law?

• A. Obey the requirement even when unobserved
• B. Ignore it because no one is watching
• C. Treat it as advice on quiet roads

Answer: A. Values questions often look this obvious. Read them carefully anyway: wrong options add a condition, such as "on quiet roads", that the booklet never allows.

Our Common Bond, p. 34: "You should follow the law even if no one is watching."

13. A resident overhears a neighbour planning a serious violent crime. What should the resident do?

• A. Wait to see whether the plan succeeds
• B. Confront the neighbour without telling authorities
• C. Report the suspicion promptly to government authorities

Answer: C. B can feel like the brave choice, but the booklet asks you to tell Australian government authorities, as soon as possible.

Our Common Bond, p. 38: "they should report this to Australian government authorities as soon as possible."

14. A public service gives faster assistance to people of one race. Which principle should guide its decisions?

• A. Equal rights regardless of race or origin
• B. Preference based on a person’s background
• C. Different treatment for different communities

Answer: A. B and C are worded politely, which makes them tempting, but both mean treating people differently because of where they come from.

Our Common Bond, p. 36: "Australian society values the equal rights of all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, race, or national or ethnic origin."

15. A citizenship applicant does not speak English as a native language. What undertaking is expected?

• A. To make reasonable efforts to learn English
• B. To stop using every other language immediately
• C. To speak English perfectly before joining any community

Answer: A. Compare the qualifiers: "reasonable" in the booklet, "immediately" and "perfectly" in the wrong options. Nothing asks you to give up your own language.

Our Common Bond, p. 38: "Applicants for Australian citizenship must undertake to make reasonable efforts to learn the English language"

How did you do?

Fifteen questions are not a mock test, so do not read your score as a pass or a fail. Look at where the mistakes are:

• Part 1 (questions 1 to 4), pages 7 to 16: mostly dates and numbers. Keep them on one list and test yourself daily.
• Part 2 (5 to 7), pages 17 to 22: each right or duty has a condition, such as an age or the electoral roll.
• Part 3 (8 to 11), pages 23 to 32: the table of leaders on page 27 separates offices people mix up.
• Part 4 (12 to 15), pages 33 to 39: read it all. It is short, and you can afford no mistakes in it.

Our Our Common Bond study guide has a plan by part.

Next: 20 questions in 45 minutes

When you can explain all 15 answers, sit a full test. Our free practice test has 20 other questions, five on values, with the booklet sentence under each answer. Home Affairs also has an official practice test.

Our app, Australian Citizenship Coach, has the full bank: 424 questions, 116 on values, in English like the test, each explaining every option and quoting the booklet. Free every day: one session (study or a ten-question test) and the first topic. Premium adds unlimited mock tests, all 20 topics, flashcards and mistake review. The app is ours, made by X Maximus Labs, S.L., an independent company, not by Home Affairs, which does not endorse any external app.

Sources

• Department of Home Affairs: Learn about the citizenship test. Format and pass mark.
• Department of Home Affairs: Prepare for the test. Questions based on Our Common Bond; official practice test.
• Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, testable section, © Commonwealth of Australia 2020. Quotations used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. The practice questions are our own.
• Prime Minister of Australia: media release on the national anthem, "one and free" from 1 January 2021.

Rules change. Check the Home Affairs website before you apply or attend your appointment. Last checked 9 November 2026.