Swedish citizenship test questions: format and types

Wondering what the questions on the Swedish citizenship test are like? They are multiple-choice questions about Swedish society: according to the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) the test consists of around 60 questions with four answer options, is written on paper in Swedish within 90 minutes, and is based on the study material Sverige i fokus. On medborgaretest.se you can practise with over 1000 test questions in the same format — try one right below. There are, in practice, two types of question, and a few simple tricks make them easier to answer.

How many questions are there, and how are they built?

The format is confirmed by UHR: the test consists of around 60 multiple-choice questions with four answer options, exactly one of which is correct. The time limit is 90 minutes, and the test is written on paper and in Swedish.

Each question therefore has a single correct letter, and the pass mark has not yet been published by UHR. So plan to know the whole content, not to hit a particular percentage.

The questions assess basic knowledge of Swedish society — not language. A separate test of Swedish proficiency is introduced later and is something other than this civics test.

Two types of test question: factual and applied

When UHR published its five official example questions in July 2026, one thing became clear: the test mixes two kinds of question.

Factual questions test a single piece of knowledge. One of UHR's examples is "What title does Sweden's head of state hold?" — where the correct answer is King. Here you simply need to know the fact. This type dominates and is familiar from most knowledge tests.

Applied questions instead describe a situation and ask you to reason from a principle. UHR's scenario question runs roughly: a person criticises a political proposal in a social media post — which option best describes how freedom of expression works? The correct answer is that the person may express their opinion as long as what is written does not break the law. You don't need to recall a figure; you need to understand how freedom of expression actually works.

The takeaway is simple: it isn't enough to cram isolated facts. You also need to understand how society fits together, so you can apply the knowledge to a new situation.

Which topics do the questions come from?

Every question is drawn from UHR's study material Sverige i fokus, which is free to download from UHR and divided into thirteen chapters. A test question can be about any of the core topics:

• democracy and how Sweden is governed (Riksdag, government, elections)
• law and justice and the four fundamental laws
• human rights and gender equality
• the labour market, personal finances and welfare
• Sweden's history, geography and natural resources
• traditions, holidays and social life

If you want to see how the topics fit together, read about the seven knowledge areas, and a full walkthrough is in the guide to the study material Sverige i fokus.

How to reason your way to the right answer

The multiple-choice format has a strength: the right answer is always in front of you. It's just a matter of filtering. A few tricks:

• Read the whole question and all four options before you choose. One option can seem right until you read the next.
• Eliminate the obviously wrong first. You can often rule out one or two options quickly, which improves your odds even when you're unsure.
• Watch for tempting near-miss answers. Test questions are often built with options that sit close to the correct one — 21 counties versus 290 municipalities, or EU membership in 1995 versus NATO membership in 2024. They test whether you can really tell the concepts apart.
• For applied questions: find the principle. Ask which rule or right the situation is about, and the correct answer usually falls into place.

The person who understands why an answer is right can also handle questions phrased in a new way. If you want to see what individual questions and answers can look like, with explanations, there are twelve worked examples in the article on sample questions with answers.

FAQ

How many questions are on the Swedish citizenship test?

According to UHR the test consists of around 60 multiple-choice questions with four answer options, one of which is correct. The time limit is 90 minutes, the test is written on paper in Swedish, and the questions are based on the study material Sverige i fokus.

What types of test questions are there?

UHR's official example questions show two types: factual questions that test a single piece of knowledge (for example the title of Sweden's head of state) and applied questions that describe a situation and ask you to reason (for example how freedom of expression works in a concrete case). The test is not only rote memorisation.

Where do the test questions come from?

Every question is based on UHR's study material Sverige i fokus, divided into thirteen chapters. Questions can touch any of the core topics: democracy, how Sweden is governed, law and justice, human rights, the labour market, welfare and history.

How many correct answers do you need to pass?

UHR has not yet published the pass mark. What is confirmed is the format — around 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Plan to know the whole material rather than aim for a particular percentage.

Where can I practise the test questions?

You can start practising for free on medborgaretest.se, where you train with over 1000 practice questions in the same multiple-choice format as the test. UHR's study material Sverige i fokus is also free to download and is the source everything is based on.

Next step

Once you recognise the question types and know which topics they come from, the test becomes far less daunting. The last step is to practise until that recognition is automatic.

That's exactly how the platform is built. Start practising on medborgaretest.se today with over 1000 questions in the same format as the test — you'll see right away which topics you need to build out before test day. If you also want to drill questions more smartly, read how to practise questions for the test.

Source: UHR – About the citizenship test. The practice questions on medborgaretest.se are illustrative and created for readers preparing for the citizenship test — they are not official test questions.