What is Our Common Bond?
Our Common Bond is the official handbook for the Australian citizenship test, published and distributed free by the Department of Home Affairs. When you apply for citizenship and are invited to sit the test, this is the booklet you are expected to study. Every multiple-choice question on the test draws directly from its testable section. Nothing outside it is tested.
It was introduced in 2007, when the citizenship test was first reformed, to give every applicant a single, transparent source to prepare from. You will sometimes see it called simply "the handbook" or "the citizenship booklet". They all mean the same document.
The 2020 values update
The most significant change to the booklet and the test came on 15 November 2020, when a mandatory Australian values component was introduced. Since then, five values questions appear on every test and you must answer all five correctly to pass, on top of the 75% overall mark. Part 4 of the booklet was strengthened to support this, and it is now the part you cannot afford to skim. The change is also the main reason per-attempt pass rates fell after 2020. See the complete citizenship test guide for the figures.
The four sections, chapter by chapter
The testable booklet is divided into four parts, and the test draws from all of them. Here is what each covers, with a link to study that section in depth and to practise its questions.
Part 1: Australia and its people
Who Australians are and where they came from: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants, European settlement and the First Fleet, waves of immigration, and the states and territories. It also covers national symbols (the flags, the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the green and gold national colours) and important days such as Australia Day and Anzac Day. Test questions from this part tend to be factual: dates, places and symbols you can learn and lock in.
Part 2: Australia's democratic beliefs, rights and liberties
The principles that hold Australian society together: parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and equality before the law. It explains that rights come with responsibilities, and that no one, not even the government, is above the law. Questions here test understanding rather than recall, often by asking you to pick the statement that is true (or false) about how a freedom or responsibility actually works in Australia.
Part 3: Government and the law in Australia
The densest and, for many applicants, the hardest part. It covers the three levels of government (federal, state or territory, and local), the Senate and the House of Representatives, the role of the Governor-General and state Governors, the Constitution, voting, and how a bill becomes a law. If you grew up under a different system, budget extra time here. It carries the largest share of questions on the real test.
Part 4: Australian values
The shortest section but the one that decides pass or fail. It sets out the values you commit to as a citizen: mutual respect, a fair go, freedom of religion, equality of opportunity, and resolving differences peacefully and within the law. Five values questions appear on every test and you must answer all five correctly. Most preparation guides suggest spending a disproportionate share of your study time here for exactly that reason.
Official resources from Home Affairs
The Department publishes the booklet in several formats, all free. These are the authoritative versions to rely on.
Testable PDF
The testable section of the booklet as a downloadable PDF.
40 translations
The official booklet page, with versions in 40 community languages.
Podcast
Listen to the official citizenship podcast from Home Affairs.
Read Our Common Bond on this site
We publish the full booklet content as a free online study guide that tracks your progress, in English plus 12 other languages. The official booklet is translated into 40 community languages; these are the 13 our guide covers.
English: free online study guide
All four sections of Our Common Bond, read online with progress tracking.
How to study Our Common Bond effectively
Reading the booklet once is rarely enough. The test phrases things differently from the text and includes plausible wrong answers designed to catch you out, so the method that works combines reading with active testing:
- Read one section, then test yourself. Work through a single part of the booklet, then answer questions on that material before moving on. Recall beats recognition.
- Spend extra time on Part 4 (values). Given the must-pass rule, weight your study towards values even though it is the shortest section, and practise those questions in isolation until you score full marks consistently.
- Study in your first language if it helps. If English is not your strongest language, read the content in your language first to build understanding, then practise the questions in English to get used to the phrasing.
- Finish with timed mock exams. In the final week, switch to full 20-question, 45-minute mock exams to build speed and confidence under realistic conditions.
Practise every question from the booklet
Once you have read a section, test it. Our free practice tests are modelled on Our Common Bond, with explanations for every answer and timed mock exams. No sign-up required.
Start free practice testsOur Common Bond FAQs
What is Our Common Bond?
Our Common Bond (full title Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond) is the official booklet published by the Department of Home Affairs. It explains what it means to be Australian, covering history, democratic beliefs, government and law, and Australian values. Every question on the citizenship test is drawn from its testable section, so if you know the booklet you have covered everything the test can ask.
How many languages is Our Common Bond available in?
The official booklet is translated into 40 community languages on the Home Affairs website. Our free study guide covers 13 of those languages (English plus Hindi, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Urdu, Sinhalese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Malay, Italian and Arabic) so you can study in the language you are most comfortable with before practising in English.
Can I download Our Common Bond as a PDF?
Yes. Home Affairs provides a free PDF of the testable section of the booklet on its official website. You can also read it section by section in our free online study guide, which tracks which sections you have completed as you go.
When did the Australian values part of the test change?
The current version of the test, with a mandatory Australian values component, came into effect on 15 November 2020. Since then, five values questions appear on every test and you must answer all five correctly to pass. The booklet was updated to support that change.
Are the 280 questions on this site the official question bank?
No. The 280 questions in our practice bank are our own questions, written to reflect the content of Our Common Bond. The Department does not publish its actual question bank. Studying the booklet and practising with questions modelled on it is the standard way to prepare.
How long does it take to read Our Common Bond?
The testable section is not long. Most people can read it in two to three hours. Finishing it is not the goal, though; you need to retain it well enough to answer questions under exam conditions, so spread it over several sessions across a week or two and test yourself as you go.
Related: the complete citizenship test guide · citizenship test questions and answers.