Civic exam
French civic exam result: read your score and plan next steps
Enter your number of correct answers to see whether you cleared the pass mark and by how much, then read what you can do next.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Did I pass the civic exam?
Result
Fail
| Pass mark | 32 of 40 (80%) |
| Your score | 75% |
| Missing | 2 more correct answers |
The French civic exam result comes down to one number: your correct answers out of 40. You pass from 32, 80%; each correct answer scores one point, a wrong or blank one scores nothing, and no points are deducted. If you pass, you receive a certificate with no expiry date, which goes into your residence permit or naturalisation file; a certificate at the resident card level also counts for a multi-year permit. If you fail, there is no waiting period: you can book another session straight away. The result can be challenged within 30 days with the body that ran the exam. Cheating bars you from sitting again for 2 years. The certificate will be in French, as the exam itself is. The tool above tells you from your score whether you reached the pass mark and by what margin or shortfall, and the small tool counts the mistakes you can still afford during the paper.
How many mistakes can I still make?
Mistakes still allowed
5
| Mistakes allowed in the exam | 8 |
| A blank answer counts | as a mistake (0 points) |
| Pass mark | 32 correct answers |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
What your score means
| Score out of 40 | Verdict | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 36 | pass | comfortable margin |
| 35 to 32 | pass | narrow pass, no margin |
| 31 to 28 | fail | close, a few notions to review |
| 27 or fewer | fail | rebuild preparation theme by theme |
The pass mark is the same at all three levels and is not negotiable: 31 correct answers is a fail, even if one question made the difference. The marking has no minimum per theme; only the total counts. A strong score in history can make up for a few slips elsewhere, and one neglected theme can be enough to drag the total below the mark.
After a pass
- Get the certificate from the exam body and check the level shown on it.
- Add it to your residence permit or naturalisation file, together with your proof of French.
- Keep it safe: it never expires, and a resident card level certificate can be reused for a multi-year permit.
For naturalisation, the certificate is only one step: the nationality application continues with the assimilation interview at the préfecture.
After a fail
Failing has no lasting effect on your application beyond lost time and the cost of a new booking. There is no waiting period before you resit. Before booking again, take time to diagnose what went wrong:
- Sit a full civic exam mock test and look at your score by theme.
- Work on the weakest theme with the practice questions, marked as you go.
- If scenario questions cost you points, practise them on their own.
- Book again once you clear 32 with a few points to spare, several times in a row.
For many expats the gap is reading speed in French rather than knowledge: if you ran short of time, practise in French under the clock. The cost of a second attempt can be worked out with the tool on the price and booking page by entering two attempts.
Challenging a result
If you believe the session went wrong or the result is incorrect, you have 30 days to challenge it with the exam body. The Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce results page explains the process for its candidates; if you sat the exam with France Éducation international, ask that body. The pass mark itself is set by the decree and cannot be argued: a challenge only makes sense if you believe the session or your mark went wrong. Act quickly, since the window runs from the result.
Cheating costs twice
Any cheating that is detected bars you from sitting again for 2 years. Beyond the lost exam, your residence permit or naturalisation is pushed back by the same amount. Preparation is the only strategy that works.
When and how the result arrives
At the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce, results are sent within 24 to 48 working hours of the test, by an email leading to a digital safe where you download the certificate; no paper copy is posted and the centre keeps it for 10 years. Check your spam folder and save a copy as soon as it arrives. The later deadlines, from decision to decree, are on the naturalisation processing time page.