Our Common Bond: The Official Study Guide for the Australian Citizenship Test

If you are preparing for the Australian citizenship test, there is one document you need: Our Common Bond. Every question on the test comes from it. Nothing else is tested, nothing outside it will appear.

This article explains what the guide covers, where to find it and how to use it effectively.

What is Our Common Bond?

Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond is the official study resource published by the Department of Home Affairs. It is the authoritative source for the citizenship test and the only material you need to study from.

The document covers what it means to be an Australian citizen: the country's history, its values, how its government works and the rights and responsibilities that come with citizenship. It is designed to be accessible and readable, not academic.

What the guide covers

The content is organised into four sections.

The first is "Australia and Its People." This section introduces Australia's geography, its Indigenous history and culture, the waves of migration that shaped the country and how Australia became the multicultural society it is today. Questions from this section often touch on timeline and key historical milestones.

The second is "Australia's Democratic Beliefs, Rights and Liberties." It covers the democratic beliefs, rights and liberties Australians share: freedom of speech, freedom of religion and belief, equality under the law, parliamentary democracy and a commitment to the rule of law. The five Australian values questions do not come from this section. They come from Part 4, Australian Values, and all five of those questions must be answered correctly regardless of your overall score. You can pass every other question and still fail the test if you miss even one values question.

The third is "Government and the Law in Australia." This section explains how Australia's federal system works, the role of the Constitution, how parliament operates, the separation of powers and the relationship between federal and state governments. It also covers the role of the courts and the legal system.

The fourth is "Australian Values." This final section explains the values Australians share: the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, freedom of speech, association and religion, equality of all people, a 'fair go' and mutual respect. It also covers making a contribution to your community and loyalty to Australia.

Which section needs the most attention?

All sections can produce test questions, but two deserve extra time.

The Australian values section is non-negotiable. Those five compulsory questions are pass-or-fail on their own. Read this section carefully, understand the values rather than just memorising words, and test yourself on it repeatedly.

The history section requires more memorisation than the others. Facts about when key events happened, who was involved and what the outcomes were are exactly the kind of specific details that slip through if you only read the material once.

Where to find Our Common Bond

The guide is available for free as a PDF on the Department of Home Affairs website. You can download it, read it on screen or print it. When you submit your citizenship application, a copy is sometimes sent to you as well.

How to use it effectively

Read it through once to get a feel for the material. Then go back section by section and test yourself after each one. The test is multiple choice, so using practice questions in the same format helps you understand how the material is actually assessed rather than how it reads on the page.

When you get a practice question wrong, go back to the relevant part of the guide and read it again. Understanding why the correct answer is correct is more useful than just moving on.

Where to practise

PassCitizen has free Australian citizenship test practice questions based on Our Common Bond, organised by section. Take a chapter at a time or run a full 20-question mock test under timed conditions. No account needed.

Start practising now