The French civic exam: the rules and what changed, with source and date
This log lists, with dates, the official rules of the civic exam that we follow, the source read and the day it was read, and the Hexaciv pages we updated. Last updated: 21 October 2026. Hexaciv is not an official site: when in doubt, the official source decides.
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
The rules at a glance
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Questions and time | 40 multiple-choice questions in French, 45 minutes at most | FEI manual, version B |
| Pass mark | 32 right answers out of 40 (80%) | FEI manual, version B |
| Scoring | 1 point if right, 0 if wrong or blank | FEI manual, version B |
| Navigation | No way back; skipped questions return at the end | FEI manual, version B |
| Between two sittings | At least 24 hours, no limit on the number of sittings | FEI manual, version B |
| Certificate | PDF with a QR code 12 hours after the sitting, no validity period | FEI manual, version B |
| Fraud | Exam cancelled, 2-year ban | FEI manual, version B |
| Price | Set by each centre, €60 to €80 according to the Ministry | Ministry's answer, 11 August 2026 |
| Centres | 444 on 26 May 2026, in every département | Ministry's answer, 11 August 2026 |
| Candidates and pass rate | 71,125 people on 26 May 2026, average pass rate 81% | Ministry's answer, 11 August 2026 |
Change log, newest first
September 2026: FEI candidate manual, version B (September 2026)
- Between two sittings: at least 24 hours (p. 21).
- Scoring: 1 point for a right answer, 0 for a wrong or blank one (p. 13).
- No way back: a validated answer is final, a skipped question returns at the end, validating with no choice counts as wrong (p. 19).
- PDF certificate in the candidate account 12 hours after the sitting, with a QR code, no time limit (p. 20).
- Fraud: the exam is cancelled and the candidate is barred for 2 years (p. 8, 25 and 32).
Source: France Éducation international, candidate manual for the civic exam, version B (read in a browser, as the site blocks scripts)
Hexaciv pages updated: Failed the exam: resitting, Format, duration and pass mark, Price, registration and centres, Order of the steps
11 August 2026: Ministry of the Interior's answer to the National Assembly (question 11488)
- On 26 May 2026: 444 exam centres cover every département; 71,125 people have taken the exam, average pass rate 81%.
- The CCI Paris Île-de-France and FEI were approved by the Ministry in November 2025.
- Price: set freely by each centre, between €60 and €80 depending on the centre.
- Foreign nationals can resit the exam as many times as needed.
- The Ministry's civic training site holds 222 thematic sheets.
Source: National Assembly, written question 11488, answer of 11 August 2026 (read on 21 October 2026)
Hexaciv pages updated: Price, registration and centres, Exam centres, Failed the exam: resitting, Format, duration and pass mark
10 February 2026: Service-Public F39530, checked on 10 February 2026
- Only the first application for a multi-year card or a resident card is concerned; renewals are not.
- In case of fraud: a ban on taking the exam for the following 2 years.
- The pass certificate has no validity period.
Source: Service-Public F39530: how to take the civic exam (read on 21 October 2026)
Hexaciv pages updated: Order of the steps, Failed the exam: resitting
1 January 2026: The civic exam becomes compulsory (1 January 2026)
- For a first multi-year card, a first resident card and naturalisation, according to Service-Public (news item of 18 December 2025) and the Ministry's answer to the National Assembly.
Source: Service-Public A18713: a new civic exam for foreign nationals (read on 21 October 2026); National Assembly, question 11488 (read on 21 October 2026)
Hexaciv pages updated: Format, duration and pass mark, Price, registration and centres
10 October 2025: Order of 10 October 2025: programme, tests and procedure
- Article 3 splits the 40 questions by theme: principles and values of the Republic 11 (6 of them situations), institutional and political system 6, rights and duties 11 (6 of them situations), history, geography and culture 8, living in French society 4.
- The 32-out-of-40 pass mark is not in the order: it is on the Ministry's page.
Source: Légifrance: order of 10 October 2025 (read in a browser, as the site blocks scripts)
Hexaciv pages updated: Format, duration and pass mark
Our corrections
When one of our pages was wrong or incomplete, we say so here.
- 21 October 2026. Our page "Failed the exam: resitting" said that no waiting time was published between two sittings. True of the Ministry and Service-Public, but incomplete: FEI's candidate manual sets 24 hours. Corrected. (Failed the exam: resitting)
- 21 October 2026. Our page "Price, registration and centres" said we had seen centres charging 90 euros. Our readings hold no 90-euro fee (55 to 100 euros across 99 centres). Replaced with the measured figures. (Price, registration and centres)
- 21 October 2026. The "Order of the steps" and "Format, duration and pass mark" pages said that the time to receive the certificate and negative marking were in no page we read. FEI's manual gives 12 hours and a 1-or-0 scale. Corrected. (Order of the steps, Format, duration and pass mark)
What we watch
Every day we compare the text of the 154 Ministry of the Interior sheets cited in our corrections with the text we held: see the method and the per-sheet record. This shows a sheet is reachable and unchanged; it does not replace a person re-reading an answer.
Not yet read in full by a person: the order of 22 December 2025 (NOR INTV2536113A), the order of 30 December 2025 and the order of 3 July 2026, named by Service-Public F39426 for naturalisation. They stay out of the table until they are.
Data feed
The same log as JSON: /data/changements-examen-civique.json (open licence, credit "Hexaciv").
Hexaciv is an independent tool for preparing the French civic exam. This is not an official site and is not affiliated with any ministry. Last updated: 2026-10-21.