Before the test: the oath and how the test works
20 questions, 45 minutes, 15 to pass, up to 3 chances. Ages 18 to 54 take the test. At the ceremony you take the oath, sign the oath form, and receive your certificate.
Discover Canada — plain-language study guide
Every chapter of the official guide, in plain language.
The citizenship test is based entirely on Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. These original summaries cover every chapter, with the facts to memorise and notes on what has changed since the 2021 printing — including the current oath to King Charles III. Read them in the interactive reader, then quiz yourself on each chapter.
All chapters
Rights and responsibilities of citizenship
Magna Carta (1215), the Charter (1982), the four fundamental freedoms, mobility rights, and the six responsibilities of citizenship — including voting and jury service.
Who we are
Three founding peoples — Indigenous, French, and British. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples; the Royal Proclamation of 1763; two official languages; and the Acadian deportation of 1755–1763.
Canada's history
From L'Anse aux Meadows and Champlain's Québec City (1608) to Confederation on July 1, 1867, the railway, Vimy Ridge, D-Day on June 6, 1944, and insulin in 1921.
Modern Canada
Postwar prosperity, NATO and peacekeeping, the Official Languages Act (1969), the 1980 and 1995 Quebec referendums, the Constitution in 1982, and Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope (1980).
How Canadians govern themselves
A federal state, a parliamentary democracy, and a constitutional monarchy. Parliament's three parts, how a bill becomes law, and the difference between Head of State and Head of Government.
Federal elections
Who may vote, Elections Canada, the secret ballot, the third Monday in October, majority and minority governments, and all three levels of government.
The justice system
Due process, the presumption of innocence, the rule of law, the Supreme Court of Canada, the RCMP, and legal aid.
Canadian symbols
The flag (1965), the motto “A Mari Usque Ad Mare” (from sea to sea), “O Canada” (1980), the Order of Canada, hockey and lacrosse, and Remembrance Day on November 11.
Canada's economy
Service, manufacturing, and natural resources industries; more than 75% of workers in services; and the United States as Canada's largest trading partner.
Canada's regions
The second-largest country on Earth, capital Ottawa, and the capital of every province and territory — including the classic mix-ups: Victoria and Québec City.
These are original summaries, not a copy of the guide. For the full official text, read Discover Canada free on Canada.ca, and check your IRCC invitation letter for the rules that govern your sitting.