How hard is the Swedish citizenship test? What 99,633 answers show

The Swedish citizenship test is pitched at school level, but it covers a lot of ground, and most people lose points in the same places. According to the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR), the questions match the level of knowledge in year 9 of Swedish school (årskurs nio). Even so, opinions split when nearly 1,000 people sat the first test in August 2026: one test-taker found it easy, another really difficult. We analysed nearly 100,000 answers from 1,203 people practising on medborgaretest.se. The clearest trap is dates: questions asking for a year were answered correctly only 49% of the time, against 79% for all other questions.

How takers experienced the first test

On 15 August 2026, nearly 1,000 people sat Sweden's first citizenship test in civics (samhällskunskap), in Stockholm. According to SVT, the test consisted of about 60 multiple-choice questions with four options, and according to UHR, as quoted by SVT, the questions are pitched at a level of knowledge corresponding to year 9.

Views on the difficulty split (quotes translated from Swedish):

• One test-taker found some questions "a bit tricky". Hardest were questions about how power is divided between the state and the municipalities, and history questions about the 1800s and the year women got the vote.
• A relative of another test-taker said the test had felt "really difficult" and that it wasn't possible to answer everything.
• Yet another test-taker found the test easy.

The August test was a trial test (utprövningsprov). According to UHR, this means, among other things, that the questions were used in a real test situation for the first time and that test-takers were given generous time. UHR has not yet announced how long the next test will be or how many questions it will have.

What nearly 100,000 practice answers show

We went through every answer to those of our practice questions that are based on UHR's study material Sverige i fokus, from 13 May to 1 October 2026. That comes to 99,633 answers from 1,203 people on 666 questions. Our other practice questions are based on other sources and are not included. To measure how hard a question is the first time you meet it, we count only each person's first answer to each question, 57,034 answers in total. Internal and test accounts are excluded.

Worth knowing: these are our own practice questions, not questions from the real test. We do not have access to UHR's test questions.

Dates are the biggest trap

That doesn't mean the real test is full of date questions. UHR's five official example questions are more about understanding, for example what the public sector does and how freedom of expression works. But one test-taker in August named the year women got the vote as hard, so expect a few dates.

The hardest chapters in Sverige i fokus

Sverige i fokus consists of an introduction and 13 chapters. This is the share of correct answers for the questions in each chapter, averaged per question, on the first answer:

The chapters on religion, history and Sweden and the world stand out. Many of the hardest questions there are about dates or about organisations that are easy to mix up.

Seven of the hardest questions, and the trap in each

These seven questions from our question bank were answered correctly by fewer than four in ten people the first time. They are shown here in English; the real test is only in Swedish. Try them yourself before reading the answer.

1. In what year did it become legal to be homosexual in Sweden?

• A) 1944
• B) 1979
• C) 2003
• D) 2009

Correct answer: A, 1944. Only 20% answered correctly. The most common wrong answer was 1979 (53%). That was the year homosexuality stopped being classed as an illness in Sweden. But sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex had already been decriminalised in 1944.

2. Which of Sweden's fundamental laws states that everyone has the right to practise their religion?

• A) The Instrument of Government (regeringsformen)
• B) The Act of Succession (successionsordningen)
• C) The Freedom of the Press Act (tryckfrihetsförordningen)
• D) The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen)

Correct answer: A, the Instrument of Government. 21% answered correctly, while 65% chose the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression. That law protects freedom of expression in radio, TV and film, among other media. Freedom of religion, like the other fundamental rights and freedoms, is in the Instrument of Government. Read more about Sweden's four fundamental laws.

3. Since what year has the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child been law in Sweden?

• A) 1990
• B) 2000
• C) 2020
• D) 2024

Correct answer: C, 2020. 25% answered correctly. As many as 44% chose 1990, the year Sweden approved the convention. But it only became Swedish law in 2020.

4. Which parts make up what is called the state in Sweden?

• A) The Riksdag and the government together
• B) The Riksdag, the government and the courts
• C) The Riksdag, the government, the public authorities and the courts
• D) The Riksdag, the government, the public authorities, the courts and the municipalities

Correct answer: C. 28% answered correctly. 41% chose B and forgot the public authorities, and 14% included the municipalities. According to Sverige i fokus, the state consists of the Riksdag, the government, the public authorities and the courts. Municipalities and regions are separate political levels alongside the state. The division between the state and the municipalities is exactly what one test-taker in August found hardest.

5. Within which organisation is the European Court of Human Rights found?

• A) The United Nations (UN)
• B) The European Union (EU)
• C) The OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)
• D) The Council of Europe

Correct answer: D, the Council of Europe. 30% answered correctly and 44% answered the EU. It's an easy mix-up, because the EU has its own court, the Court of Justice of the European Union. The European Court of Human Rights belongs to the Council of Europe, which Sweden is also a member of.

6. Who takes the decision to remand a suspect in custody?

• A) The police
• B) The public prosecutor
• C) A court
• D) The defence lawyer

Correct answer: C, a court. 33% answered correctly and 41% answered the prosecutor. The prosecutor can decide that a suspect is to be arrested (anhållande), but remand in custody (häktning) is decided by a court.

7. What applies to the politicians after a Swedish referendum?

• A) They are legally required to follow the result
• B) They must hold a new election within a year
• C) They do not have to follow the result
• D) They may not comment on the result

Correct answer: C. 38% answered correctly. Almost half, 49%, thought politicians are legally required to follow the result. Referendums in Sweden are usually advisory, and then politicians do not have to follow the result. That is also how Sverige i fokus describes it. The exception is a referendum on a change to the fundamental laws, where a no vote can be binding.

How many correct answers do you need to pass?

Nobody knows yet. Because the August test was a trial test, the pass mark is set afterwards, according to UHR's questions and answers (in Swedish). The results are published at the end of October. Test-takers will be able to see them on their account, and they are reported automatically to the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). Follow our results page (in Swedish), which we update as soon as UHR has published them.

This is how it looks for people who practise. 182 people have done at least one full 60-question mock exam on medborgaretest.se. On their first attempt they averaged 79% correct. 78% scored at least 70%, 55% scored at least 80%, and just under one in ten scored below 60%. Two in three had practised questions beforehand.

Because the pass mark has not been set, nobody can say what level is enough. So aim for a margin across all 13 chapters rather than a particular score.

Time rarely seems to be the problem. In our mock exams, half of people finished all 60 questions in 21 minutes or less.

How to make the test easier for yourself

1. Read Sverige i fokus. UHR has produced the material for anyone who wants to prepare for the test, and it is free. Our guide to the study material shows where to find it.
2. Make your own timeline. Write down the dates from the chapters on history, human rights and religion in order. That makes it easier to keep, say, 1944 and 1979 apart.
3. Learn the mix-ups. The EU and the Council of Europe, the Instrument of Government and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression, the state and the municipalities, the prosecutor and the court.
4. Start with your weakest chapters. Try our free practice test and see where you lose points. If you want a week-by-week plan, read how to study for the test.
5. Do a full mock exam once you can handle the chapters one by one.

FAQ

Is the Swedish citizenship test hard?

According to UHR, the questions are pitched at a level of knowledge corresponding to year 9 of Swedish school, but the test covers a lot of ground. Takers in August 2026 disagreed about how difficult it was. In our practice data, dates and mix-ups between similar concepts trip up the most people.

How many questions are on the Swedish citizenship test?

The August 2026 test consisted of about 60 multiple-choice questions with four options, according to SVT. UHR has not yet announced the test time and number of questions for the next sitting.

How many correct answers do you need to pass?

It has not been decided yet. Because the August test was a trial test, UHR sets the pass mark afterwards. The results are published at the end of October.

Can you take the Swedish citizenship test in English?

No. According to UHR, the citizenship test can only be taken in Swedish.

What happens if you fail?

According to UHR, anyone who fails may be given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge again. Contact the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) to find out what applies in your case.

Find out how hard it is for you

The quickest way to find out how hard the citizenship test will be for you is to test yourself. Try the free questions on medborgaretest.se and see which chapters you need to practise more. When you want to study properly, there are over 1,000 practice questions across all 13 areas.

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Sources: UHR, About the citizenship test (in Swedish), UHR, Questions and answers (in Swedish), UHR, Study material (in Swedish), SVT Nyheter, 15 August 2026 (in Swedish), and our own analysis of practice data from medborgaretest.se, 13 May–1 October 2026. medborgaretest.se is a private practice service with no connection to UHR.