Question 1

Is there one Swiss citizenship test?

Accepted Answer

No. Federal law requires basic knowledge of Swiss geography, history, politics and society, and lets the cantons check it with a test. Whether and how they test is up to the cantons and often the communes: the number of questions, the time and the pass mark differ, and some cantons check your knowledge in an interview instead. Here you practise the formats of the cantons of Zurich, Aargau and Bern. Vaud and Geneva test in French and have pages of their own here.

Question 2

Can I take the test in English?

Accepted Answer

No. In Zurich and Aargau the test is in German; Bern publishes its sample tests in German and French. That is why every question here also shows the German wording: the English translation helps you understand it, but in the test you will read it in German. You also need a national language for naturalisation itself – spoken at level B1 and written at A2.

Question 3

How does the citizenship test in Zurich work?

Accepted Answer

The basic knowledge test (Grundkenntnistest) is taken on a computer: 50 questions from the published catalogue of 350, each with four options and one right answer. The canton provides the test, and the communes and their test providers run it. The canton publishes no time limit or pass mark: test providers usually give 60 minutes, and prep sites say you need 30 correct answers (60%) to pass. Since 1 July 2023 the cantonal test asks about the commune system only in general, not about facts of one particular commune. You practise that system (communal assembly or communal parliament, the Gemeinderat as executive, the Stadtrat of the city of Zurich) in the cantonal part of our mock test, which has 40 federal and 10 cantonal questions.

Question 4

And in Aargau and Bern?

Accepted Answer

Aargau’s civics test (Staatsbürgerlicher Test) is on a computer: 45 questions drawn at random from about 330 in five categories, and you pass with at least 34 correct within 40 minutes. In Bern the test lasts 90 minutes; the published sample tests show a paper booklet of 48 questions with four options each, of which 29 must be right. Our mock tests follow these formats: for Aargau, the canton’s five categories (11 on democracy and federalism, 5 on the welfare state, 10 on the rule of law, 13 on history, 6 on civil society), each mixing federal and cantonal questions; for Bern, 38 federal and 10 cantonal questions.

Question 5

Who has to take the test?

Accepted Answer

Anyone applying for ordinary naturalisation in a canton that checks basic knowledge with a test. As a rule you need at least ten years in Switzerland, three of them in the five years before you apply, a settlement permit (C permit) and a national language at level B1 spoken and A2 written. People who did much of their schooling in Switzerland are often exempt: in Zurich, for example, after five years of compulsory school including three at lower secondary level, with a Swiss apprenticeship or Matura, or while still at school here. In Aargau the test applies from the age of 16, and in Bern under-16s are exempt. Your commune will tell you what applies to you.

Question 6

How do I register, and what does it cost?

Accepted Answer

You register through your commune, which tells you when and where to take the test. In Zurich the fees vary by commune and test provider, and the commune decides whether you take the test before or after you submit your application. In Aargau the test costs CHF 50 and must be passed before you apply; the pass may be no more than six months old when you submit your application. In Bern you pay for the test yourself. On top of that come the fees for the procedure: CHF 100 per adult for the federal authorisation, plus the cantonal and communal fees.

Question 7

Can I retake the test?

Accepted Answer

In Aargau, yes, as often as you like, but you have to wait two months after each attempt. Zurich and Bern publish no rule on this, so ask your commune. The canton of Bern recommends a preparation course after a failed test.

Question 8

Is there an interview too, and can I practise it?

Accepted Answer

In Zurich the commune decides whether to hold an interview; knowledge is the cantonal test’s job. In Aargau the interview is part of the procedure, but after a passed test it may no longer ask about federal or cantonal knowledge – only about life in the commune and your familiarity with everyday life; in Bern the commune holds an interview and may ask about local conditions. In our interview rehearsal an AI plays the officer in Standard German and asks one question at a time; you answer aloud or by typing, and at the end you get a report in your language on how an officer would probably see it and what to work on. It needs an account, and it is a rehearsal, not a prediction.

Question 9

How do I prepare for the Swiss citizenship test?

Accepted Answer

With your canton’s official material: Zurich publishes a naturalisation brochure, the whole question catalogue and a practice test, and Aargau a practice test on einbuergerungstest-aargau.ch. Bern points to the Federal Chancellery’s “Der Bund kurz erklärt” (The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide), “Die Schweiz verstehen” and “ECHO – Informationen zur Schweiz”, and to practice tests from bzi.ch. Our questions cover the same topics with an explanation for every answer, and the mock test shows you where you still have gaps.

Question 10

Are these the real test questions?

Accepted Answer

No. The cantonal question catalogues are not free to reuse, so we wrote our own questions – on the facts of the Federal Constitution and the official information of the Confederation and the cantons, without any wording from the catalogues. Each question was answered blind in a separate round and checked against public sources. We do not know how the questions in your test are worded. The English translation and the explanations were made with AI.

Swiss citizenship test in English: federal and cantonal questions, every answer explained.

A few questions with their answers.

Questions people ask.

Try it under exam conditions.