Would You Pass the New Spanish Citizenship Exam?

Hundreds of immigrants from various countries across the globe camped out in the cold last night outside Madrid’s Central Civil Registry so that they would be one of the first 200 people to be given a number that will allow them to process their application for Spanish nationality for free.

From tomorrow, 15 October, these people will have to pay up to 500 euro for the same procedure and they will also have to pass two exams based on Spanish language and culture.

The test, which comes with a fee of 85 euro, has been put together by the Cervantes Institute and will act as a way to measure whether applicants are sufficiently integrated into the life and culture of Spain.

There will be a total of 25 questions, that will be updated and changed regularly, which will be of a true or false or multiple choice nature. The whole exam will be written in Spanish.

The test content will be divided into two groups: The Spanish constitution and territorial and administrative organization (60% of the questions) and Spanish culture, society and history (40%).

Applicants will have 45 minutes in which to answer all the questions and must answer 15 out of the 25 questions correctly to pass the exam and obtain the certificate, which is obligatory in order to then apply for nationality.

The test results will be announced 20 days after the test was taken and can be consulted online.

You can apply for Spanish nationality after you have lived in Spain for 10 years, although this would usually mean giving up your original nationality and passport. Most EU members can live in Spain for as long as they want with more or less the same rights and benefits with their EU residency permit. (For more info, visit: http://www.expatica.com/es/visas-and-permits/How-to-get-Spanish-citizens...)

Interesting statistics

Various websites offer free practise tests for those who will have to sit the exam, or for those who just want to see for fun whether they would pass anyway. One of these is www.testnacionalidad.es.

Online users

During the last 24 hours the majority of people logged on to take the practise test come from the following countries:

• Spain
• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Russia
• Pakistan

Users by region

The majority of people taking the practise test live in the following regions:

• Cataluña
• Madrid
• Andalucía
• Balearic Islands
• Valencia

Percentage of people who passed the test

Number of people who took the test: 41818

Failed: 21.88%%

Passed: 78.12%

Best results by country

• Columbia
• Morocco
• Ecuador

Sample questions

Below are a number of some of the easier sample questions. Can you answer them all correctly?

1. Which is the only citizen assistance emergency number in Spain?

1. 911          b) 112       c) 060

2. Which of these products does Spain export in large quantities?

1. Natural gas         b) fruit and vegetables        c) coffee

3. What’s the name of the news bulletin programme shown on public television daily at 3pm and 9pm?

1. Telenoticias        b) Noticiario   c) Telediario

4. Maternity leave for one child only can last up to how many weeks?

1. 16      b) 20             c) 10

5. At what age is it obligatory to have your own National Identity Card?

1. 14      b) 18             c) 16

6. Which is the most famous fiesta in Cádiz and the Canary Islands?

1. El Carnaval              b) La Semana Santa       c) Los Sanfermines

7. Which of these museums is in Bilbao?

1. El Museo Thyssen Bornemisza        b) El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia            c) El Museo Guggenheim

8. Who was the president of the government of the Transition period?

1. Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo         b) José María Aznar  c) Adolfo Suárez       d) Felipe González

9. What are the past participles of the verbs amar and hacer?

1. Amado y hacido       b) amar y hacer       c) amad y haced      d) amado y hecho

10. Who is the chief of the Armed Forces?

1. The King        b) The Home Affairs minister         c) The Princess of Asturias   d) The minister of Defence

Other websites with practise tests in Spanish: http://verne.elpais.com/verne/2015/01/12/articulo/1421064968_522049.html

http://www.parainmigrantes.info/test-de-nacionalidad-espanola/

http://nacionalidadespanola.com/test-de-nacionalidad/

Source: www.antena3.com, www.testnacionalidad.es, www.elpais.com