The 5 themes of the French civics exam, and how to revise them
4 min read
The 40 questions of the examen civique are not drawn at random: the arrêté of 10 October 2025 fixes how many questions come from each theme, and the split is the same in every paper. Two of the five themes are worth 22 of the 40 questions — that is where the exam is won or lost.
Information verified on 12 August 2026, from the arrêté of 10 October 2025, CESEDA art. D. 413-12-2 and the Ministry of the Interior's own site
formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. This page is revision help, not legal advice.
What each theme is worth
| Theme | Questions | Share of the paper | Effect on the 32/40 threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principles and values of the Republic | 11 | 27.5 % | On its own, it can sink you |
| Rights and duties of life in France | 11 | 27.5 % | Same |
| History, geography and culture | 8 | 20 % | The widest field to revise |
| Institutional and political system | 6 | 15 % | Few questions, very stable content |
| Living in French society | 4 | 10 % | The smallest weight |
| Total | 40 | 100 % | Pass at 32/40 |
One useful reading of that table: there is no minimum score per theme. The 32/40 threshold is a pooled total — you may lose points anywhere as long as the sum holds. But the margin is thin: only 8 wrong answers are allowed across the whole paper.
What each theme covers
The syllabus is published by the Ministry of the Interior; the headings below are the ones in the arrêté, and the examples are taken from the official lists of knowledge questions published on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr under the Etalab 2.0 licence.
- Principles and values of the Republic — the motto, laïcité, equality, the national symbols. An official prompt reads: "Quelle est la devise de la République française ?"
- Rights and duties of life in France — work, health, school, family, everyday obligations. For example: "Jusqu'à quel âge l'école est-elle obligatoire ?"
- History, geography and culture — dates and landmarks. For example: "À quoi correspond la date du 14 juillet ?"
- Institutional and political system — who does what, and who appoints whom. For example: "Qui nomme le Premier ministre ?"
- Living in French society — everyday procedures and customs.
These prompts are short, factual and readable at A2 level: the civics exam is sat in French, but it is not a language test.
What is published, and what is not
This is the fact that shapes any revision plan:
| Published by the Ministry | Not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge questions | yes — 172 prompts for the carte de séjour pluriannuelle strand, 189 for the carte de résident strand (counted on 12 August 2026) | — |
| The four answer options | — | no |
| The correct answer | — | no |
| The 12 situational questions | — | no |
In other words: the list of possible subjects for the 28 knowledge questions is public, but the answers are not. That is an opportunity — revising a finite corpus of 172 prompts is a reachable goal — provided you do not stop at reading the questions.
For the 12 situational questions, no official bank exists at all. We write our own practice situations from the Ministry's framework and its civics training sheets; we do not claim to hold the real ones.
How to split your revision time
A split that follows the real weight of the paper rather than what is interesting:
- Half your time on the two big themes (values of the Republic, rights and duties). 22 of 40 questions: neglect one of them and it costs the pass on its own.
- A quarter on history, geography and culture. Only 8 questions, but the widest field — and the theme where the official lists help most, because they bound what can come up.
- The last quarter on institutions and everyday life. 10 questions between them, with very stable content that is learned quickly.
- Finish with full papers, against the clock. Revising theme by theme does not prepare you for the real exercise: 40 mixed questions in 45 minutes.
Moving on to practice
Our free practice paper reproduces the full format — 40 questions, four options, one correct answer, carte de séjour pluriannuelle strand — with instant marking and an explanation for each answer. Exam-room method, timing and the classic mistakes are covered in training for the civics exam, and the official format in 40 questions, 32 correct answers.
A reminder: passing the civics exam does not exempt you from proving level A2 — they are two separate conditions. The two language papers least covered elsewhere, writing and speaking, are marked by AI on our site.
The texts, the question lists and the exam rules change. Always check
formation-civique.interieur.gouv.frand your approved centre before registering. More frequently asked questions, with their sources, are gathered in our FAQ.