Czech Civics Exam (Reálie) — What Does It Test?

Anyone applying for Czech citizenship must pass not only the B1 language exam but also a separate civics exam (zkouška z českých reálií) — 30 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes, a pass mark of 18 correct answers (60%).

Below: what the reálie exam is, why it's separate from the language exam, what topics it covers, and how to prepare systematically — because the questions aren't a secret.

What the reálie exam is and why it exists

The exam checks basic knowledge of the Czech Republic — its system of government, geography, history and culture. The legal basis is Act No. 186/2013 Coll., on Czech Citizenship, §14, which has required reálie knowledge since the act took effect on 1 January 2014. This is not a recent addition — it's a long-standing requirement, just less talked about than the citizenship-law changes of recent years.

The reálie exam is separate from the B1 language exam (listening, reading, writing, speaking) — two distinct exams with their own dates and fees, both administered by ÚJOP UK (the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University). Check ÚJOP UK's website directly for current dates, fees, and whether the two exams can be scheduled on the same day — these details can change.

Format and scoring

Metric	Value
Duration	30 minutes
Number of questions	30 (multiple choice, 4 options, 1 correct)
Pass threshold	18 of 30 points (60%)
Administered by	ÚJOP UK
Legal basis	Act No. 186/2013 Coll., §14 (effective since 1 Jan 2014)

The questions are drawn at random — from the published question bank, exactly one question per topic is drawn out of 30 topics, so the resulting 30 questions cover the full range of topics evenly.

What the exam covers — three topic areas

The question bank is split into three areas with a fixed number of questions:

Area	Approx. questions	Example topics
Civic life and institutions	16	system of government, constitutional bodies, elections, the legal system, the social system
Geography	7	rivers and mountains, regions, neighbouring countries, major cities
History and culture	7	founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the 1989 Velvet Revolution, joining NATO and the EU, notable figures

You can try what these questions actually look like in our reálie practice module — two question sets in the same format as the real exam (4-option multiple choice, with an explanation for every answer). Typical questions ask things like how many regions the Czech Republic has, the name of its highest mountain, who is head of state under the Constitution, or which year the country joined the EU.

How to prepare — the question bank is public

The biggest advantage of this exam: unlike the language exam, nothing here is unknown territory. The entire bank of possible questions is published on ÚJOP UK's official site — the question bank and the reálie exam specification. A recommended approach:

1. Work through the whole question bank by topic — don't try to cram it all at once.
2. Note the facts that repeat across topics (dates, numbers, names) — those are the hardest to remember.
3. Practise in test format, not just by reading — try the questions in our reálie practice module, which mirrors the real exam and explains every answer.
4. Don't neglect the language side — if you also have the B1 language exam ahead of you, see our full Czech course.

In short

The reálie exam is a separate condition for Czech citizenship (Act No. 186/2013 Coll., §14, in force since 2014) — 30 questions in 30 minutes, pass mark 18/30, testing knowledge of Czech civic life and institutions, geography, and history. The questions aren't a secret: the whole bank is public, so preparation can be systematic with no surprises.

Note: Fees, exact dates and organisational details (e.g. whether the reálie exam can be taken on the same day as the B1 language exam) can change — always check ÚJOP UK's current website. This article is not legal advice.

Official sources: reálie question bank · reálie exam specification