Samfunnskunnskapsprøven and statsborgerprøven are two separate Norwegian tests with two separate pass marks: 26 out of 34 scored tasks for samfunnskunnskapsprøven, and 24 out of 32 scored tasks for statsborgerprøven. Both give you 60 minutes, and both are easy to confuse because their names and subject matter overlap. This page covers the format and scoring for each.
How many questions are on samfunnskunnskapsprøven?
Samfunnskunnskapsprøven presents 38 tasks, but only 34 of them are scored. The remaining four are new tasks that HK-dir is trialling for future versions of the test; answering them right or wrong has no effect on your result, and you are not told which four they are. You are given 60 minutes to finish.
Most tasks are multiple choice with three options and one correct answer. Samfunnskunnskapsprøven also includes a small number of image tasks, where you mark the correct spot in a picture rather than choosing from a list.
Samfunnskunnskapsprøven can be taken in any of 23 languages, so applicants can sit it in a language they already know well rather than in Norwegian.
What is the pass mark for samfunnskunnskapsprøven?
You need at least 26 correct answers out of the 34 scored tasks. Because four tasks on the real test score nothing, a mock built to be realistic should draw exactly 34 scored tasks and require 26 correct, without padding the count with items that cannot affect the outcome.
How many questions are on statsborgerprøven?
Statsborgerprøven presents 36 tasks, of which 32 are scored, again with four unscored trial tasks mixed in. You are given 60 minutes, the same time limit as samfunnskunnskapsprøven. HK-dir describes statsborgerprøven as a multiple-choice test in which every task has three options and one correct answer. The image tasks described above appear in HK-dir’s page for samfunnskunnskapsprøven; its page for statsborgerprøven does not mention them.
Statsborgerprøven is offered only in Norwegian, in either bokmål or nynorsk, and is written at language level A2, a little lower than samfunnskunnskapsprøven.
What is the pass mark for statsborgerprøven?
You need at least 24 correct answers out of the 32 scored tasks.
Why are there two different tests?
Samfunnskunnskapsprøven and statsborgerprøven serve two different applications, not two versions of the same requirement.
- Samfunnskunnskapsprøven is a condition for permanent residence. Applicants aged 18 to 67 must pass it, alongside a separate oral Norwegian requirement at level A2 or higher.
- Statsborgerprøven is a condition for citizenship. Applicants aged 18 to 67 must reach oral Norwegian level B1 and pass statsborgerprøven, or qualify for an exemption from it.
Passing statsborgerprøven does not satisfy the permanent-residence condition, and passing samfunnskunnskapsprøven does not automatically satisfy the citizenship condition either, with one exception: passing samfunnskunnskapsprøven in Norwegian is one of the listed grounds for exemption from statsborgerprøven. Passing it in one of the other 22 languages does not count toward that exemption.
What topics do the tests cover?
Both tests draw on the same curriculum for adult immigrants, in force since August 2021 (FOR-2021-06-20-2054). It sets three modules, 25 hours of instruction each:
- Education, competence and working life: schooling, training, workers’ rights and tax-funded welfare.
- Family, health and everyday life: children’s rights, public services, health care and personal finances.
- Norway past and present: history, democracy, holidays, diversity and human rights.
What does registration cost, and what happens on the day?
HK-dir publishes no national price for either test. Each municipality sets its own fee and its own test dates, and some applicants are entitled to sit free of charge, so treat the amount shown at registration as the one that applies to you.
At the test centre you need valid photo identification; a physical Norwegian driving licence is accepted, but a digital driving licence on a phone is not. Electronic devices, dictionaries and personal notes are not allowed during the test, and you may not communicate with anyone other than test centre staff.
Practising with realistic timed mocks, built around the exact scored-task counts and pass marks above rather than the padded totals, is the most direct way to know whether you are ready before you register.
The facts above come from HK-dir’s own published test descriptions and the underlying regulation. This app is an independent study tool built from the public curriculum and Norwegian statutes; it is not affiliated with HK-dir, Kunnskapsdepartementet or any municipality.