How to prepare for the French civic exam: the four routes compared
There are four ways to prepare for the civic exam: the Ministry of the Interior's official resources, civic training, a class at a centre or association, and a corrected mock exam. They can be combined. The Ministry writes that preparation can be completely free and warns against sites that charge for it.
Sources: Ministry of the Interior, general information on the civic exam, official list of knowledge questions, CSP and CR, read on 24 October 2026; the Ministry's answer to written question no. 11488, read on 24 October 2026, for the exam price; Service-Public, announcement A18713, published on 18 December 2025 and read on 24 October 2026, for the civic training. Hexaciv is not an official site and offers one of the four routes: read this comparison with that in mind.
What the exam asks of you
The civic exam has 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, of which 28 are knowledge questions and 12 are situational scenarios, all asked in French. You need 32 correct answers to pass. The Ministry says the exam price is set freely by the centres, between €60 and €80 depending on the centre, and that foreigners can retake the exam as many times as needed. Preparation therefore does two things: it teaches you the topics and it trains you to answer in the format.
The four routes side by side
| Route | What you get | Cost | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official ministry resources | The programme, the sheets by theme and the official list of knowledge questions for each mention: 191 wordings for the CSP, 209 for the CR | Free | The list gives the questions, not the answers; the situational scenarios are not made public |
| Civic training | 24 hours spread over 4 days; for a multi-year permit, the exam concludes it (Service-Public, A18713) | Not stated by the source cited | Concerns multi-year permit applications |
| Classes at a centre or association | Teaching offered by a provider | Set by the provider | Not described by our sources: ask for the syllabus and the price before you enrol |
| Corrected mock exam (Hexaciv) | 40 timed questions, corrected in French, English or Arabic, with the Ministry's sheet under each answer | Free test, no account; Exam Pass €19 including VAT, one-off payment | Does not replace the official resources; guarantees no result |
Which route to choose
- You read French well: the official resources are enough to start, and they are free.
- You are aiming for a multi-year permit: civic training comes before the exam, according to Service-Public.
- You prefer to learn with someone: a class at a centre or association is an option; compare the syllabus and the price of two or three providers.
- You read Arabic or English better than French: the exam is in French and so are the Ministry's sheets. A corrected mock exam in Arabic or English explains the answers in your language, and the free test lets you try before you buy.
Preparing without paying
The Ministry of the Interior writes that "la préparation à l'examen civique peut se faire de manière totalement gratuite" (preparation for the civic exam can be done completely free of charge) and that "il n'est pas nécessaire de payer pour accéder à des questions ou à des tests d'entraînement" (there is no need to pay to access practice questions or tests). It adds that sites asking you to pay for content "ne sont pas gérés par le ministère de l'intérieur, présentent des risques de fraude et peuvent contenir de fausses informations" (are not run by the Ministry of the Interior, carry a risk of fraud and may contain false information). The English translations are ours. Hexaciv is an independent site: its 40-question test is free and needs no account, and its Exam Pass costs €19 including VAT, paid once, with a refund guarantee under conditions described on the Refunds and guarantee page. Start with the official resources and check what you are paying for.
Practise: 5 questions from the mock exam
Five questions drawn at random from the free mock exam bank, corrected straight away. No sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to prepare for the civic exam? No. The Ministry of the Interior writes that preparation can be completely free and that there is no need to pay to access practice questions or tests.
What is the best way to prepare for the civic exam? It depends on your level of French and your time. The official resources give you the programme and the questions, civic training comes before the exam for a multi-year permit, and a corrected mock exam shows you where you stand.
How much does the civic exam itself cost? In its answer to written question no. 11488, the Ministry of the Interior says the exam price is set freely by the centres and is between €60 and €80 depending on the centre. Each centre displays its own price.
Can a mock exam guarantee a pass? No. No mock exam guarantees a result. It helps you spot the themes to review and gets you used to the format of 40 questions in 45 minutes.
Whichever route you choose, a timed 40-question test shows where you stand before you pay for the exam.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions, 45 minutes)