Statsborgerprøven, everything you need to know
Statsborgerprøven (the Norwegian citizenship test) is the test you must pass to apply for Norwegian citizenship, unless you've already taken samfunnskunnskapsprøven (the social studies test) in Norwegian.
It's only available in Norwegian. That's the most important difference from samfunnskunnskapsprøven, and it's set by the regulations, not by the test centre.
The test in brief
| Questions you get | 36 |
| Questions that count | 32 |
| Correct answers to pass | 24 |
| Answer options per question | 3, one correct |
| Time | maximum 60 minutes |
| Language | Norwegian only, Bokmål or Nynorsk |
| Where | a test centre in your kommune |
| Cost | fee set by the kommune |
HK-dir puts it like this: candidates get 36 questions, but only 32 count towards the result, because four new questions are piloted in each sitting.
Can you skip it completely?
Yes. If you've passed samfunnskunnskapsprøven in Norwegian, it covers the knowledge requirement for citizenship, and then you don't need statsborgerprøven.
If you took samfunnskunnskapsprøven in another language, it counts towards permanent residence, but not towards citizenship. Then statsborgerprøven is the way forward.
The content
The same curriculum as samfunnskunnskapsprøven: the social studies curriculum for adult immigrants, with 25 competence goals about Norwegian society. The difference isn't what you're asked, but which language you're asked in.
What's worth practising
Since the test is in Norwegian no matter how good your Norwegian is, it's worth practising reading the questions quickly, not just knowing the answers. Many people discover on the test day that they know the material, but that reading takes time.