French civic exam: free practice tests and how to prepare

The free resources

Five resources cost nothing:

• The official question lists. The ministry's formation-civique website publishes the official wording of the knowledge questions, with one list per variant (CSP vs CR vs naturalisation comparison). The lists contain the question text only, with no answer options.
• The livret du citoyen. The ministry's official study booklet, fully rebuilt in June 2026: 83 pages in 5 parts that match the exam themes. Our livret guide explains what changed and how to work with it.
• The official theme fact sheets. The same website offers fact sheets (fiches par thématique) covering the exam's 5 themes. They are your main revision material.
• A full free practice theme on PrépareFrance. One complete theme of questions is open to everyone on the practice page, no account needed.
• A complete free mock exam. With a free account (just an email address, no password), you can take a mock exam that replicates the official format exactly.

A quick reminder of that format: 40 multiple-choice questions in French, including 12 scenario questions, in 45 minutes. You need 32 correct answers out of 40 to pass: the full scoring rules are in the score guide.

The 2 to 3 week plan

Here is a simple plan based on 30 to 45 minutes of work per day.

• Week 1: read the fact sheets, theme by theme. Start with the two heavyweights, principles and values and rights and duties: together they account for 22 of the 40 questions. The full theme breakdown is in our guide on what to revise.
• Week 2: test yourself on the official question stems. Take the list that matches your situation (CSP, CR or naturalisation), answer each question out loud or in writing, then check against the fact sheets. Alongside this, use the free PrépareFrance theme to get used to the multiple-choice format.
• Week 3: take the free mock exam under real conditions. Find a quiet spot, set aside 45 minutes, no notes, no breaks. The score you get becomes your baseline.

The limits of free-only

Let's be honest: the free resources have real limits.

• No answer options, no explanations. The official lists publish the question stems only. You never see the options you will face on exam day, and nothing explains why an answer is right or wrong.
• No scenario questions at all. The 12 scenario questions in each exam are not published anywhere. Yet they make up 12 of the 40 questions, nearly a third of the test.
• No way to measure progress. With the fact sheets and lists alone, it is hard to know whether you are improving, or whether you have reached the 32/40 pass mark.

None of this makes free preparation impossible. It simply means you should add at least one test under real conditions, so you know exactly where you stand.

Using your free mock exam

You get one complete free mock exam, so make it count.

1. Take it after your revision, not before. The score means much more once you have read the fact sheets.
2. Respect real conditions. 45 minutes, alone, no documents. Otherwise the score tells you nothing.
3. Compare your score with the 32/40 bar. Above it: you are on track, keep consolidating. Below it: count exactly how many correct answers you are missing.
4. Break the result down by theme. A weak theme worth 11 questions (principles, rights) costs far more points than a weak theme worth 4 questions (living in France). Focus your next revision sessions where each improvement earns the most points.

And if exam day goes badly, stay calm: retakes are unlimited. Our score guide explains what to do after a fail.

Frequently asked questions