Test day, the oath, the ceremony, and a final review

Kwame is thirty-five. He came from Ghana, and he works as an accountant in Ottawa. For weeks he has waited for his test invitation. Nothing. Then his sister says, check your spam folder. There it is. IRCC gives the same advice. Check your junk or spam folder, and look for an address ending in cic.gc.ca or canada.ca. I'm Vinnie. Remember, this is a free, independent course. It is not a government course.

This is our last lecture. So here is the question. What happens on test day, and what happens at the ceremony after you pass?

Most people take the test online. Use a desktop computer, laptop or tablet with a webcam, and Chrome or Safari. Don't use a mobile phone, or Chrome on an iPad. Turn off your VPN, your virtual private network. Close other tabs and programs. Have your permanent resident card or a photo ID with a signature ready. Sit in good light, and take the test alone.

Once the timer starts, you can't stop it. You have forty-five minutes. Don't use the browser's back button. You'll get a warning when five minutes are left, and the test sends itself at the end. Your score shows right away, but online it is temporary. An officer reviews it.

To pass, you need at least fifteen correct answers out of twenty. You have up to three chances to pass, within your thirty-day test period. If you fail all three times, IRCC will invite you to a hearing with a citizenship official. If you fail the hearing, your application is refused, and you must apply and pay again.

After you pass, the ceremony is the last step for most people. The invitation comes at least one week ahead. A real call may show as Unknown caller, but IRCC will never ask for payment by phone. Bring your invitation, your permanent resident card, and two pieces of ID. The ceremony may be virtual or in person.

Then you take the oath. You may swear or affirm. Here are the words, as IRCC gives them. I swear, or affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

You sign the oath form, and the national anthem is part of the ceremony. You receive your citizenship certificate. Don't laminate it. Then you can apply for a passport, and register to vote with Elections Canada.

Let's make it stick. Four numbers: twenty, fifteen, forty-five, three. Twenty questions. Fifteen to pass. Forty-five minutes. Three chances. Say it like a phone number until it sticks.

Let's change one fact. What if Kwame's internet drops halfway through? The timer keeps running. He should sign in again right away, with his most recent test link. If he can't finish, he contacts IRCC within thirty days of his test start date.

The mistake people make is rushing. This is our advice, not IRCC's. Read every answer choice, and watch for the word not in a question. Forty-five minutes for twenty questions is more than two minutes each.

Here's the one thing to remember. Twenty questions, fifteen to pass, forty-five minutes, three chances. And the oath names King Charles the Third.

This week, read the guide once more, with its audio, and try every practice question in this course again. Before your test, check canada.ca for today's officeholders. In September twenty twenty-six, the Governor General is Louise Arbour, and the Prime Minister is Mark Carney. Good luck. You've done the work, and I'm cheering for you, future citizen.