Citizenship Test Accommodations: In Person, Oral and Teams

The online test suits most applicants, but not everyone. If a disability, a medical condition or another situation makes a 45-minute test on a webcam unworkable, IRCC offers other formats. This is what it says, from its page on how the citizenship test works, checked on 23 September 2026.

What does not change

Whichever format you take, two things stay the same. You get three chances to pass, and you can take the test in English or French. The content is the same too: questions drawn from Discover Canada, with the same pass mark.

The formats available

If you ask for an accommodation, IRCC contacts you to arrange it. Depending on your situation, you take the test in person or on Microsoft Teams.

In person

An in-person test can be:

• written on paper, either alone or with other test takers, or
• taken orally, with the questions asked out loud

IRCC can also give the test in a different format, and names Braille as an example. For an in-person test, IRCC contacts you to schedule a specific date, time and place, and the details are in your invitation.

On Microsoft Teams

To take the test orally without travelling, IRCC can schedule a Microsoft Teams video call. You answer the questions out loud to the official on the call.

How to ask

The simplest time to ask is in your application. If you did not, you can still request an accommodation after you receive your test invitation. IRCC's page links to the request process, and the rescheduling address in your invitation is the one to use if you need to change a date.

If you have young children

For an in-person test, only the person scheduled can be in the testing room, so you cannot bring your child in with you. If that is a problem, contact the office that sent your invitation. It will tell you whether you can bring someone to look after your child in the waiting room. If it cannot accommodate your child, IRCC suggests arranging other child care for the day or asking the office to reschedule.

If you fail in these formats

The three chances apply here as well. For a test in person or on Teams, IRCC says that if you fail, you get a new invitation for another time. You also get your official score right after the test, rather than waiting for an officer to review an online result.

Preparing for an oral test

An oral test measures the same knowledge, but answering out loud is a different skill from picking an option on a screen. Practise saying your answers in full, and go chapter by chapter so you find weak areas early. Our study guide reduces each chapter of Discover Canada to the facts it is tested on, and the free practice questions work just as well read aloud.