Australian Citizenship Test Booklet: What It Is and Where to Download the Free PDF

If you are searching for "the Australian citizenship test booklet", you want Our Common Bond. It is the official study document published by the Department of Home Affairs, and every question in the citizenship test is drawn from it. It is a free PDF — no payment, no sign-up.

What is the citizenship test booklet?

"Booklet" is the informal name people use for Our Common Bond. Officially it is called a resource or study guide, but because it reads as a bound booklet and is the single source for the whole test, most applicants refer to it as the booklet. Either term points to the same document.

It covers what Australian citizenship means — the history, values, democratic beliefs, government, law, and the citizenship journey itself. Nothing in the test comes from outside this document. That is what makes it the only study material you actually need.

Where to download the free PDF

The Department of Home Affairs publishes two versions of the booklet on their citizenship subsite. The one to download is the testable content version — it contains only the material the test can ask about and leaves out the extra reading from the full version.

You can open the testable PDF directly from our study guide page. It opens in a new tab and is hosted by Home Affairs, so you are getting the official current file, not a third-party copy.

What is inside the booklet

The testable content version is organised into five sections that match the five topic areas of the citizenship test:

• Australia and its people — First Nations history, European settlement, federation, migration, national symbols, and public holidays.
• Australian values — freedom, equality, a fair go, the role of English as the national language, and multiculturalism.
• Democratic beliefs, rights and liberties — the Constitution, rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, referendums, and compulsory voting.
• Government and the law — Parliament, the three tiers of government, the Governor-General, the High Court, and tax obligations.
• Becoming an Australian citizen — the application process, the citizenship pledge, and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Is the booklet free?

Yes. Home Affairs publishes the booklet as a free PDF that anyone can download and keep. You should not pay anyone for access to the booklet — if a site is charging for it, they are selling you something that is available at no cost from the Australian Government. The same applies to "question banks" claiming to contain the test questions: the only legitimate source is Our Common Bond, and everyone has the same free access to it.

How to study the booklet efficiently

The booklet is short enough to read cover to cover, but reading alone rarely sticks. The method that actually works is read a chapter, test yourself on that chapter, then move on.

Take our free practice tests after each section of the booklet. The practice questions match the real test format (20 questions, three options, 75% to pass), and the explanations for wrong answers point back to the part of the booklet to re-read. Over two or three weeks of this, the content locks in.

If you prefer listening, the audio lessons cover the same material as the booklet in four tracks. Many applicants read a section, then replay the matching audio on their commute the next day to reinforce it.

Print it or read it on screen?

Either works, but printing a physical copy has a small advantage: you can highlight facts, write notes in the margins, and flip back to earlier sections while you read later ones. If you prefer digital, most PDF readers let you highlight and bookmark, which serves the same purpose. What matters is actively engaging with the text, not just scrolling through it.