French civic exam: questions and corrected answers (examples from the official list)
In the French civic exam, every question offers four answers and only one is right. The Ministry of the Interior publishes the official list of knowledge questions, without the answers, and does not publish the situational questions. Below are eight questions from that list, corrected with the article of the Constitution that gives the right answer.
Sources: the official list of knowledge questions, multi-year residence card level (read on 18 October 2026) and the text of the Constitution of 4 October 1958 on the Constitutional Council website. The answers are written by Hexaciv: the ministry publishes no answer key. The exam itself is in French, so the French wording is given in brackets.
What you can revise in advance
Of the 40 questions, 28 are knowledge questions: their list is public. The other 12 are situational questions, which the ministry does not make public. Revising the official list is useful, but it does not cover the whole exam. For the rest, see our corrected situational questions and the format in how the exam works, its length and the pass mark, in French.
Five questions to test yourself
Each question below is in the official list (multi-year residence card level). The answer choices are ours, written in the style of the exam.
Test yourself: 5 questions
What is the motto of the French Republic? (« Quelle est la devise de la République française ? »)
Right answer: « Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité ». It is set out in Article 2 of the Constitution.
What is the name of the national anthem? (« Quel est le nom de l'hymne national ? »)
Right answer: « La Marseillaise ». Article 2 of the Constitution says so in one sentence.
What are the colours of the French flag? (« Quelles sont les couleurs du drapeau français ? »)
Right answer: blue, white, red. Article 2 of the Constitution speaks of the « drapeau tricolore, bleu, blanc, rouge ».
Who appoints the Prime Minister? (« Qui nomme le Premier ministre ? »)
Right answer: the President of the Republic (Article 8 of the Constitution).
Parliament is made up of: (« Le Parlement est composé : »)
Right answer: the National Assembly and the Senate (Article 24 of the Constitution).
Three more questions from the list, corrected
| Question from the official list | Right answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| What is the official language of the French Republic? | French | « La langue de la République est le français » (Article 2) |
| « La France est une République indivisible, ..., démocratique et sociale »: complete it | laïque (secular) | Article 1 of the Constitution |
| When does the Constitution of the Fifth Republic date from? | 4 October 1958 | The text is titled « Constitution du 4 octobre 1958 » |
How to get this kind of question right
Three habits are enough for most knowledge questions. Read all four choices before picking. Rule out first the ones that contradict a principle of the Republic (an answer that reserves a right for some people only, for example). If two answers look close, look for the word that changes the meaning: « toujours » (always), « seulement » (only), « jamais » (never).
Then move to the real scale. A mock exam of 40 questions in 45 minutes shows whether you can hold the pace and which themes cost you points. The target is 32 correct answers.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find the real civic exam questions? The Ministry of the Interior publishes the official list of knowledge questions, one page for the multi-year residence card and one for the resident card. It does not contain the answers. The situational questions are not published.
Are all the exam questions in the official list? No. The list covers the knowledge questions. The exam also has situational questions that are not made public, according to the ministry.
How many answers are possible for each question? Four choices, and only one is right.
Are the answers on this page official? No. The questions come from the ministry list; the answers are written by Hexaciv from the text of the Constitution. Hexaciv is not an official site.
How many correct answers do I need to pass? 32 out of 40, which is 80%, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior, official list of knowledge questions, multi-year residence card: questions, four-choice multiple-choice format, situational questions not public.
- Constitutional Council, Constitution of 4 October 1958, text in force: Articles 1, 2, 8 and 24.
- Ministry of the Interior, general information on the civic exam: pass mark of 32 correct answers.
You have the examples. Now see how 40 timed questions in a row go.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions, 45 minutes)