Citizenship testing 005-01040000

Services Australia undertakes Australian Citizenship testing services on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs in 44 service centres throughout Australia. The service commenced in 2012 and is delivered by trained Services Australia employees who act as test administrators and test invigilators (a person who supervises the applicant sitting the test).

The agency facilitates appointments for applicants aged 18-59 years, verifies the applicant's identity and administers the test. Applicants aged 16, 17 and over 60 attend their interview with the Department of Home Affairs.

The agency does not schedule appointments or make any decisions relating to citizenship applications.

Test administrator role

A test administrator must:

• be a Services Australia employee
• be APS Level 4 or above, and
• conduct citizenship test appointments. This includes the:
• confirmation of applicant information, and
• collection of applicant facial images

Only a test administrator can:

• provide assistance with:
• operating the iPad
• reading the questions aloud if applicant requires assistance with the equipment, or has temporary impairment, such as injury or has forgotten their glasses
• terminate a citizenship test appointment where there is suspected fraud

A test administrator can also act as a test invigilator, if required to do so by operational requirements.

Note: an APS 3 test invigilator must not undertake duties of a test administrator, as they do not have the required delegation.

Test invigilator role

A test invigilator must be:

• a Services Australia employee
• APS level 3 or above, and
• responsible for supervising an applicant while they are undertaking a test

Test invigilators can:

• offer all applicants headphones to listen to the test
• provide assistance on how to use the ReadSpeaker software
• monitor applicants undertaking their citizenship test to ensure adherence with the rules of conduct
• immediately escalate any concerns regarding fraud or cheating to a test administrator

The Resources page contains links to the Australian citizenship website and additional information for test administrators.

To train additional staff for your site, nominated staff are required to learn the citizenship testing process through mentoring, which is a blended learning approach.

See the Training & Support page for more information on this process.

The citizenship test encourages an applicant to gain an understanding of Australia's values, traditions, history, national symbols, the English language, and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. It is an important part of making sure migrants have the capacity to fully participate in the Australian community as citizens, and to maximise the opportunities available to them in Australia. It promotes social cohesion and successful integration into the community.

Information required to pass the citizenship test is available in the book titled 'Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond'. The Resources page has a link to this book.

There are a number of different application options. The right application type depends on the applicant's circumstances.

Most people from 18-59 years of age applying for Australian citizenship by conferral must successfully complete a citizenship test administered by the Department of Home Affairs.

There is no fee for the citizenship test. However, there is a fee to lodge the application for citizenship.

Applicants of the citizenship test must:

• have lodged an application for citizenship
• be a permanent resident of Australia
• satisfy the Department of Home Affairs' confirmation of identity requirements during the process of registering for the test, and
• allow Department of Home Affairs and Services Australia to take a photo (similar to a passport photo)

The test is computer based and consists of 20 multiple choice questions. It also contains 5 mandatory Australian 'values' questions which must be answered correctly to pass the test.

The minimum pass mark is 75% including the 5 mandatory questions. If the applicant fails to answer any of the 5 mandatory questions correctly, the applicant will not pass the test regardless of their overall score.

Applicants have 45 minutes to complete the test. The test is only available in English. Special arrangements are available to applicants who would have difficulty completing the test, for example due to disabilities.

Test with assistance

A test with assistance, where the questions and answers are read aloud to the applicant may be offered at the test administrator's discretion when:

• the applicant is having difficulty using the ReadSpeaker function (top right hand side of the test program)
• the applicant appears to have literacy problems and may benefit from having the questions and options read to them

Assisted test

An Assisted Test will be booked for applicants that have met eligibility requirements, such as applicants who have completed an Australian Migrant English Program (AMEP) English course and have not attained sufficient English language proficiency. An Assisted Test allows applicants up to 90 minutes to sit the test rather than 45 minutes. The Daily Attendees List will indicate if an applicant has been booked for an Assisted Test, where 3 consecutive appointments will be allocated.

Test administrators must:

• discuss the alleged incident with the applicant and allow them opportunity to comment on this, and
• then decide whether the rules of conduct have been breached, and the test attempt should be terminated

If the appointment is terminated, test administrators will tell the applicant:

• to leave the test area
• the Department of Home Affairs will contact them with further instructions

A record of the event must be included on the Daily Attendees List in the applicant test outcomes column. All relevant information from both the test invigilator and test administrator must be included, such as:

• the date, time and location of the incident
• details of the incident (how the applicant did not comply with the conduct requirements)
• if the non-compliance was noticed before the applicant submitted the test or after
• if the test was completed, whether the outcome of the test was a pass or fail
• what action was taken by Services Australia staff at the time

Note: if the test invigilator becomes aware that an applicant is not complying or has not complied with the conduct requirements for sitting the test, they must:

• immediately ask the client to stop, and
• report the incident to the test administrator

APS employees are required to identify and take reasonable steps to manage or avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest. Citizenship testing is conducted on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs therefore, bound by the same policy.

Situations in which a conflict of interest may arise include, but are not limited to:

• relationships with customers
• accepting a gift or benefit
• the decisions made, as employees
• giving or seeking preferential service

In the event of a real or perceived conflict of interest, a staff member must tell their Manager as soon as possible. The Manger will then arrange for an alternative test administrator to assist the applicant. The Resources page contains a link to the Conflict of Interest Policy.

The applicant may have family, friends or interpreters help them during interview only. Family, friends or interpreters are not allowed to assist or communicate with the applicant when the test is started.