The Alternative German Citizenship Test

Germany is the Wurst No. 6

After publicly declaring two weeks ago that I would apply for German citizenship, I started to do my homework as to what that would entail, exactly. Not only did I leave my contact information with the appropriate authorities, who have yet to get back to me, but in an effort to prepare for the required citizenship test, I took a look at some of the sample questions.

The Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) has put together a helpful catalog of over 300 practice questions under three test topics: "Leben in der Demokratie," "Geschichte und Verantwortung" and "Mensch und Gesellschaft.” And, while these topics cover important concepts, such as the difference between the Bundesrat and the Bundestag and what Meinungsfreiheit means and why it is part of the German Grundgesetz, I couldn’t help but notice a few glaring omissions. What about really crucial German cultural items and practices? Bread? Recycling? The Autobahn?

Therefore, I took it upon myself to create an alternative citizenship test, with a set of questions that I believe truly reflect life in Germany. If anyone from the BAMF is reading this, please feel free to incorporate any or all of my questions in your official practice catalog and on future citizenship tests. As my three-year old would say, “Bitte schön.”

The real German citizenship test consists of 33 questions with a time limit of 60 minutes. To pass the test, you need to answer a minimum of 17 questions correctly. My citizenship test is much simpler: I created 15 questions (I was too tired last night to think of any more) and there is no time limit (because I am cheap and wanted to stick to the free version of the quiz maker). This is a test where the questions are all made up and the points don’t matter!

If you know the answer to more than half of the questions on my alternative citizenship test, I applaud you. If you’re not already living in Germany, please consider moving here to flaunt your deutschhaftigkeit.

Click here to take my alternative German citizenship test!

You’ll be able to see your results immediately, and I’ll publish the correct answers in my next newsletter in two weeks.