The civic exam for your French residence permit
Since January 2026 the civic exam is a condition for being granted a multi-year residence permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle) and a resident card (carte de résident). Here is what that means for your application, and how to approach the exam calmly.
Which applications are affected
The exam applies to applications for a multi-year residence permit and a resident card made since the reform came into force. If you are preparing a renewal, or moving to a longer permit, build the exam into your timeline.
Particular situations, possible exemptions or adjustments are a matter for the administration. For your own case, the authority is your préfecture and the official information on service-public.fr.
What the standard actually is
The paper is 40 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes, with 32 correct answers required. The questions come from the public syllabus: values, institutions, history, laïcité, rights and duties. Nothing falls outside it, but 80 percent is a demanding bar.
A written multiple choice format is more accessible than an essay exam: you need to understand the question and recognise the right answer, not compose French prose. With regular practice in the right format, 80 percent is a realistic target for the great majority of candidates.
Fitting preparation around your application
The right instinct is to start practising as soon as your application is on the horizon, not the week before the exam. Ten minutes a day over a few weeks settles the knowledge properly, without taking over your life.
Work topic by topic first to cover the syllabus, then switch to real conditions with the simulator. When your readiness score stays above the pass mark, you can face the exam, and your application, with confidence.
Give yourself every chance
Start free and watch your progress build week by week.