What Happens If You Fail the Australian Citizenship Test?

If you fail the Australian citizenship test, the Department of Home Affairs books another test appointment for you at no extra cost. Failing does not affect your visa, and you can keep living in Australia. If you still have not passed after three appointments, Home Affairs may refuse your citizenship application.

This post covers how many chances you get, whether you can re-sit on the same day, whether you pay again, and what failing means for your permanent residency. Everything here comes from the Home Affairs citizenship test page, the citizenship application form and the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. Where an official source does not say something, we tell you that instead of guessing.

What happens if you fail the Australian citizenship test?

The "After the test" section of the Home Affairs citizenship test page lists what happens if you do not pass:

1. "This will not affect your visa."
2. "You can continue living in Australia."
3. "We will book another appointment for you at no extra cost."

The page then says: "While you wait for your next appointment, you should prepare for the test."

Your application also keeps going in the background. Home Affairs says that after the test, "We will continue processing your citizenship application", and that it will write to you if it needs more information or when it makes a decision.

How many attempts do you get at the citizenship test?

Here is exactly what Home Affairs publishes. The official limit is stated in appointments, not attempts:

"If you do not pass the test after three appointments, we may refuse your application."

Two things are worth noticing in that sentence:

• It counts appointments. The test page does not give a fixed number of attempts. It does not say how many times you can sit the test within one appointment.
• It says "may", not "will". The page does not say your application is automatically refused after a third unsuccessful appointment. It says Home Affairs may refuse it.

The only other mention of attempts on the test page is for people approved for an Assisted Test because of a physical or cognitive impairment. For them, the listed "additional accommodations" can include "extra test attempts" and "a rest break between test attempts." These need to be requested in your application, backed by evidence from your registered health practitioner and approved by the Department.

Can you retake the citizenship test on the same day?

The Home Affairs test page does not say whether you can re-sit the test on the same day. What it does say is that if you do not pass, "We will book another appointment for you at no extra cost." It also says your result "will be displayed on the screen after you complete the test," so you will know at the appointment whether you passed.

If you have questions about your own appointment, follow the instructions in your appointment letter or contact Home Affairs.

Does failing the citizenship test affect your PR?

No. According to Home Affairs, if you do not pass the test, "This will not affect your visa." and "You can continue living in Australia."

Home Affairs does not say anything more about permanent residency on its test page. So the official answer is short: failing the test does not affect your visa. A refused citizenship application is a separate question, covered below.

Do you have to pay again to re-sit the test?

No. Home Affairs books your next appointment "at no extra cost." The same page explains why: "There is no extra cost to sit the citizenship test. The citizenship application fee that you paid includes the test."

When can Home Affairs refuse your application?

Not passing is one of several test-related situations that official sources link to a possible refusal. Here they are side by side:

The test rules are listed on the citizenship test page under "Citizenship test rules". The attendance rule is in Step 7 of Form 1300t, Application for Australian citizenship. If you need to change your appointment, Home Affairs says to "follow the instructions in your appointment letter."

What the law says about passing the test

The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 is the law behind these rules. In plain words:

• Section 21 lists what you need for citizenship by conferral, including a basic knowledge of English and an adequate knowledge of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. Subsection 21(2A) says these are met only if the Minister is satisfied that you sat an approved test and "successfully completed that test".
• Section 23A says the Minister must approve the test by written determination, and that the determination "must specify what amounts to successful completion of the test." It can also set the period within which you must start and complete the test.
• Section 24 says the Minister "must not approve" you becoming a citizen unless you are eligible.

The Act itself does not set a number of attempts or appointments. It leaves the details of the test to the Minister's determination, and subsection 23A(7) says that determination "is not a legislative instrument."

What if your application is refused?

Form 1300t says: "If your application is refused you may have the right to ask for the decision to be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal (the Tribunal)." Your refusal letter tells you where to lodge a review, and the form says you "should lodge your application with the Tribunal as soon as possible."

How to pass at your next appointment

To pass you need at least 15 out of 20 overall and all 5 Australian values questions correct, in 45 minutes. One wrong values question is a fail even with 19 out of 20. We explain the scoring in detail in Australian citizenship test pass mark: why 19 out of 20 can still be a fail.

Home Affairs' Prepare for the test page says to read Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, and that "All test questions are based on the OCB resource booklet." It also lists the Our Common Bond podcast, the official citizenship practice test and the AMEPOnline citizenship modules. The test itself "is conducted in English only."

If you have low literacy skills and have completed at least 400 hours of English tuition under the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), or have an impairment that stops you sitting the Standard Test, you may be eligible for an Assisted Test. It gives you 90 minutes instead of 45. Home Affairs may offer it if you asked for it in your application.

Practise with both pass rules

Home Affairs states that it "does not endorse or recommend any external courses that claim to help you prepare for the citizenship test, including paid external apps." That includes ours, so start with the free official resources above.

If you also want more practice, our free Australian citizenship mock exams are marked with both pass rules (15/20 and 5/5 values), so a values mistake shows up as the fail it would be on the day. A second free mock exam is also available. The AU Citizenship Test: Values app has 630+ questions written from Our Common Bond and mapped to its four testable parts, a Values Drill that tracks every Australian values question, and 40 timed mock exams marked with both rules.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I fail the Australian citizenship test?

Home Affairs books another appointment for you at no extra cost. Your visa is not affected and you can continue living in Australia.

How many attempts do you get at the citizenship test in Australia?

The Home Affairs test page does not give a fixed number of attempts. It says that if you do not pass after three appointments, it may refuse your application.

Can you retake the citizenship test on the same day?

The Home Affairs test page does not say. It says that if you do not pass, it will book another appointment for you.

Does failing the citizenship test affect PR?

No. Home Affairs says failing "will not affect your visa" and you can continue living in Australia.

Do I have to pay to re-sit the citizenship test?

No. The next appointment is booked at no extra cost, because the citizenship application fee you paid includes the test.

Will my application be refused if I fail three times?

It may be. Home Affairs says that if you do not pass after three appointments, "we may refuse your application." It does not say refusal is automatic.

Can I appeal if my citizenship application is refused?

You may be able to. Form 1300t says you may have the right to ask the Administrative Review Tribunal to review the decision, and your letter will tell you where to apply.

What score do I need to pass?

At least 15 out of 20 (75%), and all 5 Australian values questions correct.

Sources

• Department of Home Affairs, Learn about the citizenship test: what happens if you do not pass, the three-appointment rule, no extra cost, effect on your visa, test rules, photo ID, result on screen, Assisted Test and extra test attempts, pass mark.
• Department of Home Affairs, Prepare for the citizenship test: Our Common Bond, free official resources, English only, statement on paid external apps.
• Department of Home Affairs, Form 1300t, Application for Australian citizenship (General eligibility): refusal for not attending your appointment, review by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
• Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Compilation No. 37, 4 June 2026): sections 21, 23A and 24.

All quotations were checked against these pages in October 2026.