How to revise for the examen civique: a 5-step method

Nobody can promise you will pass. But a clear method, based on the official lists, keeps you from revising the wrong things.

Updated on 2026-10-28

1. Start from the official lists

The Ministry of the Interior publishes the official list of knowledge questions. Our bank includes these statements: 191 for the CSP, 209 for the CR and 243 for naturalisation, which makes 531 official statements in our bank (some appear in several lists). Revise the list for your permit.

2. Work on one topic at a time

The five topics (principles and values, institutions, rights and duties, history-geography-culture, life in society) are not revised in the same way: history needs reference points, institutions need logic. Our topic pages give each question with its answer and explanation.

3. Understand the answer, do not memorise it

An official question comes back in several forms, and the exam also includes situational questions. If you know why an answer is right (the principle, the text, the rule), you will find it even when the wording changes. Read the explanation, even when you got it right.

4. Go back over your mistakes

Note the questions you missed and redo them a few days later. The free 20-question quiz shows the questions to review at the end.

5. Time yourself

The exam lasts 45 minutes for 40 questions, a little more than one minute per question, and you need 32 correct answers. Practise reading statements in French under time pressure: it is the language of the test, even if your help is in another language.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to revise for the examen civique?

It depends on your level of French and where you start. There is no official duration: work regularly, topic by topic, until the date of your exam.

Are the quiz questions the ones from the exam?

The statements come from the official lists of the Ministry of the Interior. Nothing guarantees that your exam will use these questions as they are: it is practice.