So, you have gone through the process of applying for Canadian citizenship. You fulfill all of the criteria for eligibility, have completed your application and sent in all required supporting documents. The only thing left to do is complete your Canadian citizenship test scheduled for you by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Here, we give you some advice on preparing for this test.
What is the Canadian citizenship test?
The Canadian citizenship test is the final step in your application for Canadian citizenship. It is administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and tests your knowledge of a number of different aspects of the roles, responsibilities and privileges involved in being a citizen of the country.
This test looks for knowledge from prospective citizens in a number of different areas, including Canada's:
- history
- geography
- economy
- government
- laws
- symbols
How can I prepare for the Canadian citizenship test?
There are a number of free or low-cost resources available to people who are studying for their Canadian citizenship test available from a number of different organizations in Canada. The following are some of the most popular resources to help in your Canadian citizenship test preparation.
Discover Canada: The Official Canadian Citizenship Study Guide
The IRCC also provides resources to people looking to that the citizenship test: an online book called Discover Canada. This should be the primary resource for your studying for your Canadian citizenship test.
Discover Canada is freely available on the IRCC's website in a number of different formats, including HTML, PDF, large print PDF and audiobook.
It contains all the information you need to succeed on the citizenship test and, as per the IRCC, any other resources you use while preparing for this test should supplement what is contained in this study guide.
Your Local Public Library
Public libraries don't just have large collections of books. They serve as an information and resource hub for their communities, providing guidance and assistance in all sorts of ways. Many public libraries even offer programming and workshops specifically for new Canadians or people that are trying to become Canadian citizens.
Asking the librarians at your public library about what kinds of resources they might have available for people taking the Canadian citizenship test is a great place to start your preparation. They may have resources available for their members that you won't be able to find anywhere else!
For example, Toronto Public Library and Richmond Hill Public Library offer practice tests for Canadian Citizenship. And Markham Public Library has a whole host of resources available to patrons who are going to be taking the test and need to prepare.
Citizenship Classes
On top of information sessions and resources that you may find helpful in your preparation for the Canadian citizenship test, many organizations also offer special citizenship classes covering the content you will be tested on as part of the citizenship test in addition to many more aspects of Canadian culture and citizenship.
You can likely find a citizenship class through any organization that offers classes for learning English as a second language (ESL). Sometimes these classes are offered concurrently if both are of interest to you. These classes are also nearly always free or very low cost to help as many people get access to the information they convey as possible.
