The values theme of the examen civique tests the motto of the Republic, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, the official symbols named in the Constitution, and above all laïcité, the French principle of secularism founded on the law of 1905. It contributes 39 of the 258 official knowledge questions. Candidates lose easy marks here by mixing up official symbols with popular emblems, and by misreading what laïcité forbids and what it protects. The free practice questions below are shown in the original French, as on the real exam.
Complétez les paroles de la Marseillaise "Allons enfants de la patrie..."
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 1 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Dans le cadre d'un entretien d'embauche, que peut-on demander au candidat ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 2 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Déclarer ses revenus aux services fiscaux est :
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 3 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
En France, les impôts permettent de financer les dépenses publiques. Quelle proposition est correcte ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 4 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
La liberté d'association est :
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 5 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
La liberté d'expression sur les réseaux sociaux en France est :
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 6 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Lequel de ces prénoms évoque un symbole de la République ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 7 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Lequel de ces symboles représente la République française ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 8 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Où peut-on voir la devise de la République ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 9 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Lesquels sont des symboles officiels de la République française ?
Based on: Liste officielle des questions de connaissance, examen civique (naturalisation), Ministère de l'Intérieur, thème « Principes et valeurs de la République », n° 10 (data.gouv.fr / leqcmcivique, Licence Ouverte 2.0)
Article 1 of the 1958 Constitution declares that France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, and the Constitution recognises three official symbols: the blue, white and red tricolour flag, the national anthem La Marseillaise, and the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. The exam probes each one. You should know that the first line of the Marseillaise, Allons enfants de la patrie, is followed by Le jour de gloire est arrivé, that the motto is engraved on the pediments of public buildings such as town halls and schools, and that Travail, Famille, Patrie was the motto of the Vichy regime, a classic wrong option. Around the official symbols sit popular emblems that are not in the Constitution: Marianne, the allegorical figure of the Republic who wears a Phrygian cap and appears on postage stamps and in town halls, and the Gallic rooster seen on the jerseys of national sports teams. The 14 July national holiday commemorates both the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération of 1790. One more trap: publicly insulting the flag is not free expression, it is an offence punishable under article R645-15.
Laïcité is the theme's centre of gravity. The founding text is the law of 9 December 1905 separating the Churches and the State: it guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion, and states that the Republic neither pays for nor subsidises any religion. Secularism Day is celebrated each 9 December, the law's anniversary. The exam tests the boundaries precisely. State neutrality binds the State, its administrations and its officials: a public-service agent, in a prefecture or a school, may not wear a visible religious sign on duty, while ordinary users of public services remain free to express their beliefs within the law. In public schools, pupils may wear discreet religious signs but not conspicuous ones, and the secularism charter displayed in schools explains the rules of living together. Crucially, laïcité protects belief as much as non-belief: everyone may believe, not believe, or change religion freely, and a person who believes in no god is an atheist. The same theme also carries the freedom of association under the law of 1 July 1901, which lets anyone create a non-profit association by simple declaration, with no prior authorisation.
| Symbol | Status | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Tricolour flag (blue, white, red) | Official, named in the Constitution | Public buildings, official ceremonies |
| La Marseillaise | Official, named in the Constitution | National anthem, sung at official events |
| Motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité | Official, named in the Constitution | Pediments of town halls and schools, some coins and stamps |
| Marianne with the Phrygian cap | Popular personification of the Republic | Busts in town halls, postage stamps |
| Gallic rooster | Popular emblem associated with France | Jerseys of national sports teams |
| Fleur de lys | Not a symbol of the Republic (royal emblem) | A frequent wrong option on the exam |
The motto of the French Republic is Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. The exam often offers Travail, Famille, Patrie as a distractor, but that was the motto of the Vichy regime, not the Republic. Unie dans la diversité is another trap: it is the motto of the European Union.
Laïcité is the French principle of separation between the State and religions. The law of 9 December 1905 separates the Churches and the State, guarantees freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion, and provides that the Republic neither pays for nor subsidises any religion. It establishes no state religion, and Secularism Day is marked each 9 December.
No. Under the principle of state neutrality, public-service officials, for example staff in schools, hospitals or prefectures, must observe religious neutrality while carrying out their duties. Users of public services are not bound by the same obligation, and in public schools pupils may wear discreet religious signs but not conspicuous ones.
Marianne is the allegorical figure who personifies the French Republic. She traditionally wears a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom inherited from the Revolution, and her bust stands in town halls while her image appears on French postage stamps. She is a personification rather than one of the three official symbols named in the Constitution.
The French national holiday of 14 July commemorates two events: the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a symbol of the end of absolute monarchy, and the Fête de la Fédération of 1790, a symbol of national unity. The examen civique expects both, not just the Bastille.
In the republican motto, fraternité refers to the bond of solidarity and mutual help that unites citizens. It calls on everyone to care about others and the common good. It pairs with égalité, which means the law is the same for all without distinction of origin, sex or religion, not that incomes must be uniform.
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