🇫🇷 Examen Civique 2026
If you are applying for French naturalisation or a multi-year residence permit, you now have to pass a civic exam, the examen civique. Almost every guide to it is written in French, which is a problem when French is the language you are still learning. This page explains the whole thing in plain English: what the exam is, who has to take it, exactly what is on it, and how to prepare, including free practice.
The examen civique is a 40-question test: 28 knowledge questions and 12 mises en situation (everyday scenarios testing what you'd do, not just what you know). You need 32 correct out of 40 (80%) to pass, and the questions are based on the official Livret du citoyen. It is required for naturalisation, the carte de résident, and the multi-year carte de séjour pluriannuelle (a separate, easier official question list applies to the CSP — see the FAQ below).
The examen civique is France's civic knowledge test for people becoming French or securing long-term residence. It checks that you understand the values, institutions, rights, duties, and history of the French Republic, the things a resident and future citizen is expected to know. It is separate from the French language requirement, but most people face both at the same time, which is why preparing for the exam and improving your French go hand in hand.
You will generally need to pass the examen civique if you are applying for:
If any of these is your path, the civic exam is now part of it. Requirements can vary by situation and can change, so always confirm the current rules for your specific application on the official government channels before you rely on any single guide.
The knowledge questions are not trick questions, but they are specific. “What is the motto of the French Republic?” or “What does Marianne represent?” are the kind of thing you are expected to know cold.
A third of the exam (12 of 40 questions) doesn't ask you to recall a fact — it describes a situation you could actually find yourself in, and asks what the correct or expected response is. This is the half of the exam most applicants are least prepared for, because most study guides only drill knowledge questions.
“Votre voisin fait des travaux bruyants tous les soirs après 22 heures, empêchant votre famille de dormir. Est-ce autorisé ?”
(“Your neighbour does noisy work every evening after 10pm, keeping your family awake. Is this allowed?”)
Correct answer: No — this is tapage nocturne (nighttime noise disturbance), which can be reported to the police and fined. The question isn't testing whether you know a legal term; it's testing whether you know what to do when it happens to you.
The people who fail usually fail because they never practised in the real 28/12 format, not because the material is hard — and the situational third is exactly where an unprepared applicant loses the points that push them under 80%.
The single most effective way to prepare is to practise real questions in the exact exam format, review why each answer is right, and then take timed mock exams until 80% is comfortable. Reading the Livret du citoyen once is not enough, you need repetition and testing.
Fréquence includes a full examen civique preparation, in English, built into a complete French-learning platform, so you can meet the civic requirement and improve your French in one place.
The first theme is free. You can try the civic exam prep before creating an account and see exactly what exam day looks like. Want a simple reference while you get started with French? Get the free A1 checklist.
Yes: since 1 January 2026, the examen civique is a mandatory part of applying for French naturalisation, the carte de résident, or the carte de séjour pluriannuelle. It is a separate requirement from the French-language test.
The examen civique has 40 questions in total: 28 knowledge questions and 12 mises en situation (situational scenarios testing how you'd act, not just what you know). The exam runs 45 minutes.
The pass mark is 32 out of 40 correct answers, which is 80%. Scoring below 80% means that part of the application file is not validated on that attempt.
Failing means the civic-exam requirement is not met on that attempt, and it needs to be retaken as part of resubmitting the application file. The Ministère de l'Intérieur has not published a fixed public cooling-off period between attempts — confirm the current retake process for your specific situation on the official government channels.
It applies to naturalisation, the carte de résident, and the carte de séjour pluriannuelle, not only naturalisation. The Ministère de l'Intérieur publishes two separate official question lists — the CR list (naturalisation and carte de résident, more demanding) and the CSP list (carte de séjour pluriannuelle, an easier version) — and whether a routine renewal of an already-issued card requires retaking the exam, versus only a first pluriannuelle application, is worth confirming for your specific case on the official government channels.
The examen civique became a mandatory requirement on 1 January 2026, under the current reform of French immigration law.
Yes: the official examen civique itself is conducted in French, as part of demonstrating integration into French society. Fréquence's preparation materials are written in English for English-speaking applicants, but that is prep material, not the exam itself.
A mise en situation describes an everyday scenario — at the préfecture, at work, with a neighbour — and asks what the correct or expected thing to do is, rather than asking you to recall a fact directly. They make up 12 of the exam's 40 questions (30%). See the worked example below.
No: the civic exam tests knowledge of French values, institutions, rights, and history, a separate requirement from the French-language test. Most applicants prepare for both, which is why Fréquence combines civic prep with a full French course.
Yes: Fréquence's civic exam prep is written in English for English-speaking applicants, with 333 knowledge questions plus over 100 mises en situation, and mock exams in the official 28+12 format. The first theme is free.
Most people are ready once they can consistently score 80% or above on full timed mock exams, which varies by how much time is put in. Short daily practice is more effective than cramming.
Yes: every question is written from the Livret du citoyen (Ministère de l'Intérieur) and the official knowledge-question lists.