The situational questions on the French civic exam

What the situational questions test

Each mise en situation describes a concrete case: an exchange at work, at school, in a public service or in daily life. You choose the response that respects republican principles, such as laïcité (state secularism), equality between women and men, or freedom of expression.

The exam is not asking for your personal opinion. It is checking that you can identify the behaviour that matches the principles the civic training sets out. There is always an expected answer, and it is anchored in those principles.

The principles that keep coming back

Four reference points cover the great majority of cases: laïcité and the neutrality of public services; equality between women and men; fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and of conscience; and respect for the common law, which takes precedence over personal convictions in public space.

When you are torn between two answers, ask which one puts those principles first. That single lens resolves most situational questions, including ones you have never seen before.

How to practise effectively

The simulator reproduces the real proportion: situational questions mixed in with knowledge questions, against the clock. Every explanation names the principle being applied, so that you learn the reasoning rather than a list of answers.

After a few dozen cases you will start seeing the same mechanisms return. That is the sign the preparation is working: on the day, the situational questions will read like variations on cases you have already met.

Test your judgement

Try situational questions with full explanations, free.