New ‘civic knowledge’ tests in place since January 1, now required for certain visa and residency card applications are already being criticised for bringing additional stress to the process - but resources are available to help you prepare.
The tests are part of new requirements resulting from the 2024 immigration law, alongside tougher language tests for some applicants.
Those applying for their first multi-year visa (carte de séjour pluriannuelle or CSP and other similar cards but not Brexit cards) as well as 10-year cartes de résident (CR) must take the tests. Further explanation of the criteria can be found in our explainer article here.
Candidates must take a 40-question test and score 80% or above to pass.
A similar test will also be required for those applying for French citizenship, in addition to the current interview process that assesses how well-assimilated a person is in France.
The Connexion previously covered an example of some of the test questions you may face in English, but several readers asked for a similar list in French.
Test structure
Tests for both the multi-year (two- to four-year) cards and 10-year cards follow the same format.
Questions for the latter however are generally perceived as more difficult, as they require an additional level of knowledge
Whereas an applicant for a CSP may be asked ‘Qui est Marianne?’, someone applying for a CR will be asked ‘Sur quel document peut-on voir Marianne?’ to gauge their understanding of the national personification of the French Republic.
In both cases, questions are split into five categories:
Principles and values of the Republic (Principes et valeurs de la République)
Rights and responsibilities of life in France (Droits et devoirs)
Institutional and political systems (Système institutionnel et politique)
History, geography, and culture (Histoire géographie et culture)
Life in French society (Vivre dans la société française)
All questions follow a multiple-choice format with four options.
In some cases, questions are direct, for example ‘Quel numéro d'urgence permet d'appeler le SAMU?’.
Others give the start of a sentence where the candidate must choose the correct ending. For example ‘Le Parlement est composé…’
There will only be one possible correct answer for each question (unless stated otherwise). Candidates are advised to read each question carefully as answers may be similar – an early taker of the test noted their stress after realising they had given a wrong answer by calling a ‘pain au chocolat’ a dessert (a more appropriate answer was among the options).
The 40 questions include 12 ‘scenarios’ designed to assess understanding of the ‘general principles of the Republic’.
These questions outline a statement, which candidates must select the appropriate reaction to from the four listed as multiple-choice options.
For example, you might see a question such as: ‘Les contrôleurs aériens en grève refusent d’assurer un service minimum. L’État peut-il l’imposer?’.
Each of the four options comes with a justification, testing candidates not only on the rules themselves but the reasoning behind them, providing an additional challenge.
Example questions
Below are 25 example questions for applicants of multi-year CSP cards, five from each category:
1: ‘À quoi correspond la date du 14 juillet?’
2: ‘De quand date la Constitution de la Ve République?’
3: ‘Quel symbole de la République française est tricolore?’
4: ‘Qu'est-ce que la Marseillaise?’
5: ‘Quel droit est garanti par la laïcité?’
6: ‘Parmi ces textes, lequel garantit les droits et libertés en France?’
7: ‘Quel est le rôle de la gendarmerie?’
8: ‘Quel est le texte fondateur établissant en France les droits et les devoirs de chaque citoyen?’
9: ‘Faut-il réduire ses déchets?’
10: ‘Que doit faire une victime de violences?’
11: ‘Qui nomme le Premier ministre?’
12: ‘Qui doit respecter la loi?’
13: ‘Qui est élu lors des élections municipales?’
14: ‘Pour combien de temps sont élus les sénateurs?’
15: ‘Combien d'États font partie de l'Union européenne au 1er janvier 2025?’
16: ‘Qui était Napoléon Ier?’
17: ‘Qu'est-ce que la Shoah?’
18: ‘Quand a eu lieu la Première Guerre mondiale?’
19: ‘En quelle année l'esclavage a-t-il été aboli définitivement en France?’
20: ‘Pourquoi l’année 1958 est importante pour la France?’
21: ‘Qu'est-ce que le SMIC?’
22: ‘Qui est aidé par France Travail?’
23: ‘Quel est le rôle du médecin traitant?’
24: ‘À quoi sert la carte Vitale?’
25: ‘Pour qui l'école est-elle obligatoire?’
Below are 25 example questions from the 10-year residency card (CR) exam, also using five from each category:
1: ‘Complétez ces paroles de la Marseillaise: "Aux armes […]! Formez vos bataillons!’
2: ‘En tant que parent, peut-on refuser que son enfant participe aux cours de sport à l'école car ils sont mixtes?’
3: ‘Que représente Marianne?’
4: ‘Que peut faire un usager du service public dans une mairie?’
5: ‘Un employeur refuse d’embaucher des femmes dans son entreprise. Que dit la loi?’
6: ‘Au nom de quoi l'État justifie-t-il la restriction des droits?’
7: ‘Qui peut demander à avorter?’
8: ‘Que doit faire une victime de violences?’
9: ‘Que doit-on faire face aux ordres des policiers ou gendarmes?’
10: ‘Qu'est-ce que le droit de grève?’
11: ‘Quel État a quitté l'Union européenne en 2020?’
12: ‘Qu'est-ce que l'Hôtel de Matignon?’
13: ‘À la fin de son mandat, le président de la République peut-il décider de rester au pouvoir?’
14: ‘Combien de députés composent l’Assemblée nationale?’
15: ‘En quelle année le traité de Maastricht, qui marque la fondation de l'Union européenne, a-t-il été signé?’
16: ‘Quel était le surnom de Louis XIV?’
17: ‘En 1944, qu'est-ce qui a changé pour les femmes?’
18: ‘Où a eu lieu le débarquement en 1944?’
19: ‘Quelle île française se trouve dans l'océan Indien?’
20: ‘Qui était Marguerite Yourcenar?’
21: ‘Auprès de quelle institution les parents peuvent-ils inscrire leur enfant à l'école publique?’
22: ‘À qui est accessible la contraception?’
23: ‘Qu'est-ce que l'école maternelle?’
24: ‘Quel est l'âge de la majorité?’
25: ‘Quelles sont les affaires traitées par le conseil de prud'hommes?’
Further tools for study
These questions were taken from the official government website for the new civic exams (for CSP here and CR here). You can look at the sites for more example questions.
In addition, there is an official revision programme offered by the government here, going over each of the five topics in more detail.
It suggests a four-day training schedule (based on the integration contract applicants are required to engage with), but also covers each topic individually allowing examinees to revise at their own pace.
Otherwise, improving your general knowledge of French life through books, TV shows, and revision tools for other exams are also good ways to prepare for the test.
Note however that there are several websites online offering to help applicants prepare, often through paid classes.
While you can choose to do this if you wish, no official government resource will ask you to pay, and you should be careful to ensure the site is legitimate.
