Canadian citizenship test 2026: format, pass mark and what to expect

You have permanent resident status, your days in Canada are adding up, and one step in the citizenship application is a 20-question test. Here is what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says about it today, and how to prepare from the free book every question is based on.

The test at a glance

There is a single condition: 15 correct answers. No section has to be passed on its own (Study for the test, Test results). That leaves a little over two minutes a question, so read each one to the end: one word, such as "capital" or "national", can decide the answer.

Who takes the test

Most applicants take the test as part of their citizenship application (Citizenship test). In most cases you take it if you are 18 to 54 years old on the day you sign the application. If you are under 18, or 55 or older, on that day, or IRCC grants you a waiver, you don't take it (How the test works).

The test is one requirement among several. For adults, IRCC's eligibility page lists PR status; at least 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in Canada in the five years before the date you sign your application; income tax filed for three of those years, if you had to file; proof of English or French and the test, if you are 18 to 54; the Oath of Citizenship; and no prohibitions, which are mostly criminal or security-related.

Days in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before you became a PR count as half days, up to 365 days. So at least 730 of your days must be as a PR. IRCC has a guide to counting physical presence.

As of November 2026, the adult fee is CA$653: CA$530 for processing plus the CA$123 right of citizenship fee. For a child under 18 it is CA$100 (IRCC fees). The right of citizenship fee is adjusted for inflation every year (IRCC notice), so check before you pay.

The invitation and the 30-day window

You can't book the test or ask for an invitation: IRCC sends one. Most people get it 1 to 3 months after their acknowledgement of receipt (AOR), usually at least 2 to 3 business days before the window opens. It arrives by email, from an @cic.gc.ca or @canada.ca address (check your spam folder), as a PDF with the start and end dates of your 30-day window, the test link or address, your application number and your unique client identifier (UCI).

Within the window you can take the test on any day, weekends and holidays included, with up to three attempts. To reschedule, write to the address in the invitation. It usually takes 4 to 8 weeks; with an urgent reason, you can ask for urgent processing.

How the online test works

Most applicants are invited to the online test. It is supervised by webcam, and you can take it from anywhere: you don't need to be in Canada (Take the online test).

What you need. Your PR card (an expired one is fine) or another valid ID with your photo and signature, and a computer or tablet with a webcam, using Chrome or Safari, with no VPN and good lighting. Phones won't work; IRCC lists other unsuitable devices.

Logging in. Enter your application number and UCI. IRCC emails you a link that works for 15 minutes. Before you start, you photograph your ID and take a selfie.

The rules. Take the test alone, in the place where you took the photos, with no other tabs, programs, devices or study materials. The webcam takes random photos. Technical problems or signs of cheating can get a test invalidated.

The clock. The timer never stops. You get a warning with 5 minutes left, and answers are submitted automatically at 45 minutes. If your connection drops, the timer keeps running: go back in through the most recent link. If time runs out, the answers you have marked are counted, so answer every question as you go.

The result. Your score appears right away, but it is preliminary. An IRCC officer makes it official within a few days or weeks: Pass, Fail or Invalidated. No letter is sent; check your application status tracker.

Sometimes IRCC asks for the test in an office or on Microsoft Teams, which also serve accommodations: in an office, on paper (alone or with others), orally or in another format such as Braille; on Teams, orally by video. Children can't come to an in-person test. Every format is in English or French with three attempts, and in an office or on Teams the official score comes right away.

Three attempts, then a hearing

Fail the online test and you can log back in and try again within your 30-day window. After a failed test in an office or on Teams, IRCC sends a new invitation.

After three failed attempts, IRCC invites you to a hearing. An IRCC officer asks questions out loud: 20 about Canada, of which you need 15 right; questions about your residence; and up to 9 on language, of which you need 6. It lasts 30 to 90 minutes, and the result comes by letter. If you don't pass, the application is refused; to try again, you apply and pay again (Test results and next steps).

A hearing is not an interview, which can come even after a pass. IRCC can call adults to one, including people 55 and over, and teens aged 14 to 17 who apply without a parent. The officer checks your identity, original documents and eligibility, and may not decide on the spot. Bring the originals of what you submitted and all passports and travel documents from the five years before you applied. After a pass, and an interview if you have one, IRCC invites you to a citizenship ceremony.

If you miss the test. Miss your first online test and a new invitation comes by itself, with a new 30-day window and three attempts. Miss the second and you must write to IRCC in time, or your application is closed as abandoned. Miss a test in an office or on Teams and you have 30 days to explain; otherwise IRCC sends a final invitation, and missing that one can close the application, so you would apply and pay again (If you missed the test).

Language is a separate requirement

The test doesn't assess English or French: it checks what you know about Canada. Language is proved separately. If you are 18 to 54, you send proof of CLB/NCLC level 4 in speaking and listening with your application; without it, IRCC returns the application (proof of language). Accepted proof includes:

• a diploma, certificate or transcript from a secondary or post-secondary program in English or French, in Canada or abroad;
• results of a language test you took for permanent residence, even if expired;
• a LINC or CLIC certificate showing CLB 4;
• certain provincial language programs in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec;
• a new approved test: CELPIP-General, 4 in listening and speaking; IELTS General Training, 4.5 in listening and 4.0 in speaking (not IELTS Academic); PTE Core, 28 in listening and 42 in speaking; B1 on TEF Canada, TEFAQ, TEF IRN, TCF Canada, TCFQ or DELF; or any DALF result.

At an interview, the officer will also note how you communicate in English or French.

How to prepare: Discover Canada and IRCC's free resources

IRCC says every question is based on Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, the only official study guide, free of charge. IRCC asks you to study its own copy and says any other material is used at your own risk (Discover Canada). The current file is the 2021 edition. IRCC offers it online, as a PDF, a large-print PDF and an EPUB (download page), as audio of 2 hours 53 minutes, and as a printed copy you can order. IRCC says the differences between versions are very small and don't affect your preparation. The download page also notes that the Oath of Citizenship now refers to King Charles the Third.

IRCC doesn't publish its test questions, and its pages have no online practice test. The official practice is the Study Questions: three multiple-choice questions with answers and 28 open questions, all answered in the book.

Read a chapter, close the book, recall what you can, then check; come back to it a few days later, and finish with full mocks of 20 questions in 45 minutes. Our Discover Canada study guide goes chapter by chapter, and our practice questions with answers show how questions are built.

Taking the test in French

You can take the test in French, and the guide has a French edition: Découvrir le Canada : les droits et responsabilités liés à la citoyenneté (catalogue record). Our app is in English only, so it suits people taking the test in English. If you are taking it in French, study Découvrir le Canada, free from IRCC like the English book.

Who became Canadian in 2025

IRCC's open data counts new citizens by country of birth, not by previous citizenship. In 2025, 294,170 people became Canadian citizens.

IRCC open data, January to December 2025, released October 1, 2026. Includes grants, adoptions and resumptions of citizenship; figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not add up. "All other countries" is the total minus the ten rows above. People's Republic of China excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, listed separately.

Before the ceremony: dual citizenship

Canada allows more than one citizenship, but not every country does, so ask the embassy or consulate of your other country what becoming Canadian would mean there (Travel.gc.ca). If you are 14 or older, you become a citizen when you take the Oath of Citizenship (Citizenship Act, section 3).

Our app: practice in the test format

Canadian Citizenship Coach is made by X Maximus Labs, S.L., an independent company, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by IRCC or the Government of Canada. It has 551 original questions on every chapter of Discover Canada, 434 multiple choice and 117 true/false, in 15 topics. Under each answer: why the right option is right, what is wrong with each of the others, and the section and page of Discover Canada to read. Mock tests follow the real format: 20 questions, 45 minutes, 15 correct to pass. Everything is in English. Free every day: one session (your first study session or a 10-question test) and the first topic; Premium opens all 15 topics, unlimited mock tests, flashcards and mistake review. No account, no ads. Details on the app page. Use it alongside the free book, not instead of it.

Sources

• IRCC, citizenship test pages: overview, how it works, study, invitation, online test, missed test, results and next steps.
• IRCC: eligibility, physical presence, proof of language, approved tests, fees, fee notice (March 27, 2026).
• IRCC: Discover Canada, download, audio, Study Questions; Publications Canada, catalogue record.
• Citizenship Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-29, section 3.
• IRCC open data: New Canadian Citizens by Country of Birth, October 1, 2026, Open Government Licence – Canada.
• Government of Canada, Travel.gc.ca: Dual citizenship.

This article was written by X Maximus Labs, S.L., an independent company not affiliated with IRCC or the Government of Canada. Rules change: it reflects IRCC's pages as of November 2026. Check canada.ca before you apply or take the test.