French Civic Exam 2026 Questions: Official List and Examples

28 questions known in advance

The civic exam has 40 multiple-choice questions (QCM), all in French, to complete in 45 minutes on a computer or tablet. Each question offers 4 options with exactly one correct answer, and you need 32 correct answers out of 40 to pass.

Those 40 questions split into two groups:

• 28 knowledge questions, drawn from the official lists published by the ministry. The lists are public and free, and their size depends on your procedure: 191 questions for the CSP, 209 for the CR, 245 for naturalisation (full comparison).
• 12 scenario questions (mises en situation), which are not published. They describe an everyday situation in France and ask what you should do.

Knowledge questions look like this: "À quoi correspond la date du 14 juillet ?" (What does the date of 14 July correspond to?). Their distribution by theme is set by the arrêté of 10 October 2025: you will find it in the sections below, and our guide on what to revise explains how to work on each theme.

The 5 themes, with examples

Principles and values of the Republic (11 questions)

One of the two biggest themes.

Covers: the national motto, laïcité (secularism), equality between women and men, democracy, and symbols such as the flag and the anthem.

Real stem from the official lists: "Quelle est la devise de la République française ?" (What is the motto of the French Republic?)

Institutional and political system (6 questions)

How the French state works.

Covers: the President, the Government, Parliament, elections, and local authorities such as the town hall.

Official example: "Comment est désigné le Premier ministre ?" (How is the Prime Minister appointed?)

Rights and duties (11 questions)

Also worth 11 questions per exam.

Covers: fundamental rights, such as voting, expressing yourself freely and being protected by the law, and duties, such as obeying the law, paying taxes and sending your children to school.

History, geography and culture (8 questions)

Covers: key dates, historical figures, French geography and cultural heritage.

Real stem from the official lists: "En quelle année a débuté la Révolution française ?" (In what year did the French Revolution begin?)

Living in French society (4 questions)

The shortest theme, focused on practical life.

Covers: public services, healthcare, school, emergency numbers.

Official example: "Quel numéro d'urgence permet d'appeler le SAMU ?" (Which emergency number reaches the SAMU medical service?)

The 12 scenario questions

The 12 scenario questions appear on no public list, and that is deliberate: they check that you can apply republican values and rules in real life, not just recite facts. In practice, each one describes an everyday situation in France, for example at work, at school or in a public office, then asks what you should do.

How do you prepare without knowing the questions?

1. Genuinely understand the principles behind the "Principles and values" and "Rights and duties" themes, because the scenarios put them into practice.
2. Train on questions in the same format: our free mock exam reproduces the exact exam format, including its 12 scenario questions.

Are the lists enough?

The ministry's lists are an excellent starting point, and they are free, like the ministry's civic fact sheets. But know their limits:

• they give the question wording only, never the 4 answer options;
• the correct answer is never published, so there is no answer key to memorise;
• reading 191 to 245 question stems with no feedback is slow and inefficient.

The knowledge behind those stems lives in the official study document, the livret du citoyen, fully rebuilt in June 2026 in five parts that match the exam themes: our livret du citoyen guide covers what is inside and how to use it.

The efficient route is to practise directly in QCM format, with an explanation after every answer: you learn by answering, and you remember your mistakes better. On PrépareFrance, one full practice theme is free, on top of the free mock exam.

Frequently asked questions