Tips to Pass Canadian Citizenship Test

Whether you have already applied (or are thinking of applying) for Canadian Citizenship, know that one of the final stages of the procedure is writing the “Canadian Citizenship Test“. Do not take this test lightly!
Dominion Institute’s research paper shows that 45% of Canadians would actually FAIL the test if they had to write it now.

These are tips collected from people who have passed the test before you. We hope you will find them useful while preparing for this Canadian Citizenship test.

Read the Canadian Citizenship Test Guide thoroughly. It is designed to systematically get you ready for the actual test.
We recommend a 3-step approach. Practice, Prepare and Test.

I was recommended your website by a colleague and let me tell you the way you guyz have organized the test preparation plan is unique and clear. I had no problem following it and I felt so confident. The test were designed for the chapters from the study guide and each questions was traced back to its location in Study Guide. I have to say you have put a lot of effort on this site. I passed just this past January and I have my oath scheduled this month. I thank my stars that I found your site.
Samuel J, France
We have 15 test(s) and more than 500 Practice Questions prepared from Discover Canada Guide book and new questions are added every day. Many of our users find that a great way to remember the study guide information is to go through the practice questions again and again.

I find that the practice questions you have are very thorough and very well explained. I especially loved how you have mapped the answers to the Discover Canada study guide and actually tell which section has the explanation about it. Timed Simulated test is another great option. I took it many times and it gave me an idea of the time. Summary in the end is very clear and helpful. Thank you!
Laura, Calgary
Citizenship Test questions are more focused on History and General knowledge of Canada. So spend more time preparing from different chapters of Discover Canada and little less time on local, provincial or municipal knowledge. However note that we do not want you to completely let go of that area. The study guide “Discover Canada” suggests you should know about the province and local city you live in. There will be at least question about your local MP or Premier. It is a different story in Interview however. You might get asked about more general happening these days in your province. Keep yourself really up-to-date. We pride ourselves in the fact that provincial or municipal knowledge answers are updated as soon a change happens on political horizon.
Take it easy and don’t memorize officers’ names other than the Prime Minister and the Governor General of Canada. The local government officers such as MPs, MLAs are changing quite often, it is hard to update this information in the test paper as frequent as it changes. For example, suppose the MP in a district has changed, and there is a citizenship test the next day. We don’t think that IRCC (formerly CIC) will have enough time to update the question. Just make sure to remember two names: the PM and the Governor General of Canada. Also make sure you know your provincial symbols and mottos. Again in case of Interview, things can be different.

Some questions will appear too easy in our practice tests. It is normal. In the real test, some questions will be very easy, too. Alternatively, there will be some questions that will be hard for you to understand even though you have read the whole Discover Canada. However if you have gone through 15 our practice test(s), we guarantee that you will not face that problem. The reason is that there is a lot of information included in Discover Canada and some of them are in between the line. Our tests are designed to cover the material in great details.
Again we cannot stress enough Practice, Practice and Practice. Take advantage of free tests that cover each and every chapter of Discover Canada Study Guide. You do not need to spend money to be confident of your preparation.

Thank you so much for your efforts! I went through your practices tests and in the actual test it took me about 10 minutes. I am so glad I didn’t spent my precious money to buy some practice tests off the internet. I especially love your interactive blog. You explained the confusion around the bay question so well. Thank you so much for your contributions.
Jay, India

Click here to see the explanation about ‘the bay’ Questions
Always pay attention to side notes and text written in the sidebars and caption of images. The contains information that you should know of. For example take the image below. Here the sidebar is showing you who was the first person to map Canada’s Atlantic Shores.

Bottom line, nothing in the Discover Canada is useless. They are there because they can be on the test!

First tip is a no-brainier, Prepare well . Also make sure you have your things like planned like the dressing, time off from work, arrangement of transport etc.
Related Question: Am I allowed to bring my kids to examination hall ?
In your letter, you will be given a time. Be certain that you leave enough room for any road delays or emergencies because you will not be admitted to the center even if you are few minutes late. Visit the test center prior to the date or use Google map to familiarize yourself with the area where the test is taking place.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time for the actual test. Generally the whole procedure can take some 3-4 hours. If you work, take at least half a day off. The actual test time is only 30 minutes but if you have practiced enough no reason you can’t complete it in 10-15 minutes.
Before the test starts, the facilitators need to carefully check each person’s documents so it will take around 2 hours right there.
The test will be in one of the official language English or French (Your preferred language). For many reason that can be an added complication, if you are not fluent enough with the language. But be very thorough and attentive when reading the questions.
It is not unusual to see more than 400 people write the test at the same time. Relatives are seated away from each other.
Make sure all the required documents are with you. Even better, bring as many as you can and always bring originals. because if there is an issue with legal document or If you forget a certain document, e.g., a Birth Certificate – which is required in SOME cases – you will not be admitted to the test and will have to wait for another invitation – which can take months.
And of course, you will NOT be allowed to use the manual/guide “Discover Canada”. Again a no-brainer
Most of the time there are no tables and you are given questionnaire, answer sheet and a clipboard with pencil. You can turn the questionnaire until you are given a green signal.
If you finish before your time, you can give the sheet to the front of the room and you will be asked to quietly exit the room. You can wait outside for the test to finish.
Answer Sheets are marked right away so you will know your result right there. Once the test finsihes, you will be asked to come back in and wait until your name is called. There will be a small interview where you will be told your results and they will again validate any document, if they need to.
If successful, you will told to go home and wait for a letter in the mail. which you should receive in 4 weeks. Click here to see what happens if you fail.

Start preparing for the test as soon as you get your letter in mail.
Read each question very carefully. There can be tricky questions where just a few words can change the meaning completely e.g.,
Question: What do you call representative of the Queen in the Territories ?
A. Prime Minister
B. Commissioner
C. lieutenant governor
D. Governor General

So here the question is about ‘Representative’ in ……, get this, ‘Territories’. Which is not same as Province or Federal level. Territories have Commissioners representing Queen.

Another example,
Question: Who represent sovereign in Canada ?
A. Prime Minister
B. Commissioner
C. lieutenant governor
D. Governor General

Ahhh …. very confusing question. First thing you have to be sure about in your mind is ‘What is Sovereign?’ If you have read the questions we have given in our tests and have looked at the explanations we have given, you would remember that is another name for Royalty or Queen.

With this clarified, we know they are asking ‘Who represent Queen in Canada?’. Next confusing thing is what do they mean by Canada ? Federal ? Provincial ? Territorial ? The answer to that always assume Federal in such cases. So then the answer to that question of course will be Governor General.

You see it is really important that you read the question very carefully and with clear mind.
Related Reading: I have thorough explanation of this question in my blog.
You will be given 30 minutes to answer 20 questions. If there are any questions that you are unsure of, just tag them and move to next question. Once you have answered all the question, come back and revisit those questions. Make your best guess. There is no negative marking however you do need to answer 15 answers correctly in order to pass. So make sure you take our simulated test as many time as you can.
Related Reading: FAQs about Canadian Citizenship Test
There are 10 Chapters in Discover Canada.
Make sure that out of those 10, you have following chapters on fingertips. Prepare here.
Chapter 1 – “Right and responsibility”
Chapter 2 – “Who we are”
Chapter 3 – “History”
Chapter 5 – “How Canadian govern themselves”
Chapter 6 – “Federal election”
Chapter 7 – “Justice System”
Chapter 8 – “Symbols”
Chapter 10 – “Regions”
Also there is bound to be at least one question about your local/provincial government.

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