Australian values test questions and answers: the 5 must-pass rules

What is the Australian values test?

In November 2020, the Department of Home Affairs updated the Australian citizenship test to place a stronger focus on Australian values. Rather than creating a standalone examination, Home Affairs added 5 specific values questions to the 20-question computer test that applicants sit at their citizenship appointment.

These questions assess whether applicants understand and commit to the core democratic beliefs, rights, liberties, and laws that underpin Australian society. They are not subjective or personality-based; every question has a clear, factual answer defined in Part 4 of the official booklet.

The 100% pass rule explained

In almost every ordinary school or licensing exam, a high mark in one subject compensates for a lower mark in another. The Australian citizenship test works differently because it operates two separate pass rules simultaneously:

1. The overall score rule: You must answer at least 75% of all questions correctly (at least 15 out of 20).
2. The values rule: You must answer all 5 values questions correctly (5 out of 5).

If you answer 19 questions correctly but miss a single values question, you fail. Conversely, an applicant who scores 15 out of 20 with all 5 values questions right passes. The values questions act as an uncompromising safety gate.

You can test different score combinations in the interactive checker below to see how the two rules interact:

What Part 4 covers: the values on the test

Part 4 of Our Common Bond (pages 34 to 39) details the principles that bind Australian society together. Test questions focus on five key themes:

5. Peaceful society & rejection of violence

Australians resolve differences through peaceful discussion, democratic processes, and the court system. Violence, intimidation, and verbal abuse to enforce opinions or achieve political change are strictly against the law.

Sample Australian values questions and answers

Values questions in the real test are multiple choice with three possible choices (A, B, or C). They often present a real-life situation and ask what is lawful or expected in Australia. Try these real sample questions from our question bank:

Common values traps that cost people marks

Thousands of applicants sit the test every year, and most who fail do so on the values questions. Here are the three most common pitfalls:

1. Answering from cultural intuition rather than Australian law

In some countries, traditional customs or religious guidance hold legal weight in family or community disputes. In Australia, the booklet makes it explicit: Australian civil and criminal law always overrides religious or customary rules. Whenever an answer choice suggests that a religious or community tradition takes precedence over Australian law, that choice is incorrect.

2. Confusing voluntary actions with legal duties

Australians value volunteering, helping neighbours, and participating in community groups, but these are voluntary civic virtues, not legal obligations. Voting in federal and state elections and referendums, serving on a jury if summoned, and defending Australia should the need arise are legal duties. Make sure you know which list an action belongs to.

3. Not reading all three choices carefully

Wrong answers are often written to sound superficially reasonable or polite. For example, when asked what Daniel should do on an empty road at night, an option like "drive carefully at any speed he feels is safe" sounds plausible to a hasty reader, but the only correct answer under the Rule of Law is that he must obey the road rules regardless of whether police are present.

How to guarantee 5 out of 5 on values

• Read Part 4 twice: Part 4 of Our Common Bond is only six pages long (pages 34–39). Read every sentence carefully and pay close attention to bolded terms.
• Drill values questions separately: Do not just take mixed practice tests. Use our Australian values questions guide and the values drill in the CitizenOz app to practice Part 4 questions in isolation until your score is 100% every single time.
• Read questions aloud: If English is your second language, reading the questions aloud or listening to them with text-to-speech helps you absorb the sentence structure Home Affairs uses.