01
Principles and values of the Republic
Liberty, equality, fraternity, secularism: the motto, the symbols and what they mean day to day.
Walk into the 2026 civic exam already knowing your score.
A mock exam in the real format gives you your score on day one. After that, CIVIC tells you what to revise, on the list for your own application.
- 40 questions
- 45 minutes
- 32 to pass
Choose your procedure. You will revise only the list that applies to you.
A2level expectedMulti-year residence permitA first multi-year permit application, in deliberately plain French.211questions to reviseStartB1level expectedResident cardThe ten-year card: institutions and history expected in more detail.244questions to reviseStartB2level expectedNaturalisationBecoming French: the widest list, with the nuances expected at that level.294questions to reviseStart
The exam is the same for all three: 40 questions in 45 minutes, and 32 correct answers to pass.
The civic exam
You have to sit it. Nobody told you how to prepare.
Since 1 January 2026, the exam governs naturalisation by decree, the resident card and the first multi-year residence permit. The ministry publishes the list of questions: no answer key, no method, no practice. Between that list and the day of the exam, everything else is missing.
40
questions: 28 knowledge + 12 situational
45 min
with no correction until the paper is over
5
topics from the order of 10 October 2025
3
applications: residence permit, resident card, naturalisation
PASSING THRESHOLD
32/40
80 % required
Correct answersThreshold: question 32Room for error: 8
32 correct answers out of 40, that is 80%. The mock exam applies the same threshold: the score you get here is the best indicator of the one you will get there.
The syllabus
The 5 topics of the exam.
The exam draws its 40 questions from five official topics. CIVIC covers all of them, card by card, concept by concept.
02
Institutions and political system
President, Government, Parliament, towns and regions: who does what, and how voting works.
03
Rights and duties
Your fundamental rights and your obligations: work, taxes, justice, equality between women and men.
04
History, geography and culture
The key historical landmarks, the regions, French heritage and culture.
05
Living in French society
School, healthcare, housing, public services: everyday life and how to navigate it.
The method
The first step takes thirty seconds.
You always know what to revise today, and where you stand against the pass mark.
- 01
Choose your application
Naturalisation, resident card or first residence permit. Each one has its own official list, and you only revise yours.
- 02
Take the diagnostic
12 questions across the five topics, no timer. You come out with two priority topics. It is a starting point, not a grade.
- 03
Revise at your own pace
Five minutes between two appointments, on the training centre computer or on your phone. CIVIC tells you what to work on today.
- 04
Understand before you memorise
Every answer is explained and links back to its study sheet. An answer learnt by heart does not survive the same question asked differently.
- 05
Go back over what you miss
A question you get wrong comes back soon. A question you have mastered spaces out, then leaves your revision.
- 06
Sit the mock exam
40 questions, 45 minutes, 32/40 to pass. You will know where you stand before the préfecture tells you.
What CIVIC does
Everything you need to revise, in one place.
The official wordings
The knowledge questions use the wordings published by the Ministry of the Interior, application by application.
Timed mock exams
40 questions, 45 minutes, no correction before the end, 32/40 to pass. Just like exam day.
Spaced repetition
You do not go over what you already know ten times while your gaps stay exactly as they were.
Situational questions
"What would you do if…" on the same topics as the exam, for its least predictable part, the one the ministry does not publish.
The syllabus study sheets
The official syllabus topic by topic, then notion by notion: values, institutions, rights and duties, history, everyday life.
One list per application
Residence permit, resident card, naturalisation: each has its own list and its own French level. You only see yours.
Your situation
One official list per application.
The questions and the French level expected vary with the permit you are after. Pick yours: you only revise what concerns you.
A2 French level expected
First multi-year residence permit
For a first multi-year permit application. The shortest list, in deliberately accessible French.
- The official residence permit list
- All 5 topics covered in full
- Mock exams in the real format: 40 questions, 45 min
B1 French level expected
Resident card
For the ten-year card. A step up: institutions and history are expected in more detail.
- The official resident card list
- Institutions and history in more depth
- Progress tracking topic by topic
B2 French level expected
Naturalisation by decree
To become French. The widest list, with the nuance expected at this level.
- The official naturalisation list
- History, culture and heritage in depth
- Advanced situational questions
What's free
Start without paying, and without a card.
No seven-day trial that turns into a charge. You create your account, you open CIVIC, you revise.
The diagnostic uses nothing up: it is there to point you somewhere, not to bill you.
Free, right away
- One complete topic: "Principles and values of the Republic"
- 2 question sets
- 1 timed mock exam: 40 questions, 45 minutes
- The level diagnostic, never counted against you
With the subscription
- All 5 topics of the syllabus
- Unlimited question sets
- Unlimited mock exams
Frequently asked
What people ask us most.
Who has to sit the civic exam?
Since 1 January 2026 the exam gates three applications: the first multi-year residence permit, the resident card and naturalisation by decree. If your file falls under one of them, you will have to sit it.
How many correct answers do you need to pass?
32 out of 40, which is 80%. The exam lasts 45 minutes and mixes 28 knowledge questions with 12 scenario questions. Nothing is marked before the end.
Does the civic exam replace the French language test?
No. They are two separate tests. The expected language level depends on your application, A2, B1 or B2, and is proven separately. Passing the civic exam does not exempt you from it.
Are the questions the same for all three applications?
No. The ministry publishes one list per application, and the expected level rises from the residence permit to naturalisation. In CIVIC you pick yours and revise only that one.
Is CIVIC an official service?
No, and it is better said plainly. CIVIC is an independent service with no link to the Ministry of the Interior. The question wordings come from the ministry's public lists; the answers and the explanations are our own work, because no official answer key exists.
Can you practise for free?
Yes. Creating an account opens one full topic, two question sets and one timed mock exam, with no card required. The level diagnostic is never counted against you.
Put it into practice
Your exam is coming. Start tonight.
Twelve questions are enough to know where you stand.
No card required · Nothing to install · The diagnostic is never counted