Requirements & grading

Pass or fail — and who sets the mark

The citizenship test is not graded. The result is a pass or a fail, and it is a pass you need for the knowledge requirement to be met in your application for Swedish citizenship. Whether you clear the mark comfortably or by the narrowest margin makes no difference.

The number of questions, the time limit and the pass mark are decided by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). We do not repeat them here, and you should not trust figures circulating in groups, comment threads or second-hand articles. Such numbers are often guesses repeated often enough to sound authoritative.

Check the format with UHR directly before you plan your revision, and check again closer to the day. Details can be adjusted, and it is the published description that applies on the day you are sitting in the exam room.

If a figure does not come from UHR, treat it as a rumour, however confidently it is stated.

The level of knowledge expected

The test measures basic civic knowledge, not academic depth. It expects you to know how Sweden works in practice — who decides what, where to turn, which rights and obligations apply — and its content is drawn solely from the 13 chapters of Sverige i fokus, which is free.

So there is no need to take up law, political science or history on the side. Time spent on material outside the study guide is usually wasted; time spent working carefully through the guide is not.

• The focus is on understanding and context, not dates and detailed figures
• Everything that can appear is in the study guide — there is no hidden syllabus
• The test is in Swedish and consists of multiple-choice questions

Retaking the test

A fail is not final. The test can be retaken at a later sitting, and for most people it is a matter of coming back better prepared rather than of having failed for good.

The conditions for a retake — how soon you can register again, whether the number of attempts is limited, and what registration involves — are set by UHR. Check them with UHR before you make new plans, and expect a fresh registration to follow the same procedure as the first.

Look at your result before you rebook. If you know which areas caught you out you can put your revision there instead of rereading everything, which makes the second attempt both shorter and steadier.

How the knowledge requirement fits with the rest

The knowledge requirement arrived with the citizenship law that took effect on 6 June 2026. It was added to the requirements already in place — it replaced none of them. Passing the test therefore does not offset too short a period of residence or an identity that has not been established.

• Established identity
• Enough time in Sweden under the residence rules
• Conduct — that you can be expected to lead an orderly life
• A pass in the citizenship test

How the requirements apply in your case is for the Migration Agency to decide. The list above is an overview, not a checklist to work through on your own, and the details differ depending on the basis of your application.

Exemptions on medical grounds

Anyone unable to sit the test because of illness, injury or disability may be exempted from the knowledge requirement. The exemption is not automatic and does not attach to a diagnosis as such; it is assessed on what the obstacle actually means for your ability to take the test.

The assessment is made individually by the Migration Agency as part of your application — not by UHR, and not by us. You need medical certification or equivalent documentation to support the grounds. Do not leave the question late; certificates are easier to obtain in good time than under pressure.

If you are unsure whether the exemption could apply to you, ask the Migration Agency about your case. No general description can replace a decision in your own matter.