Civic exam real-life scenarios: the method

In the civic exam, 12 out of 40 questions do not ask you for a date or a number. They put you in a real-life situation and ask what you should do. This is called a real-life scenario.

These questions are not published in advance: the French Ministry of the Interior publishes the lists of knowledge questions, but not the real-life scenarios. It is impossible to memorise them. The good news is that they almost always follow the same logic.

What does a real-life scenario look like?

A real-life scenario starts with a context: you are at work, at the town hall, at your child’s school, at a doctor’s office, or in your building. Something happens, and you are given four possible answers. Usually:

• one answer follows the rule and goes through the right people;
• one answer is about taking justice into your own hands;
• one answer is about giving up your rights or ignoring the problem;
• one answer seems reasonable but is based on a rule that does not exist.

The 3-step method

1. Spot the principle involved

Before reading the answers, ask yourself what the situation is really about. Almost all real-life scenarios are based on a small number of principles:

• equality: no one can be treated differently because of their origin, sex, religion, or disability;
• secularism: the State and public services are neutral, everyone is free to believe or not believe;
• respect for the law: you do not take justice into your own hands;
• appeals: if there is a problem, there are people you can talk to (your manager, the town hall, the police, the courts, the Defender of Rights).

2. Rule out the wrong answers

Two types of answers are almost always wrong:

• Taking justice into your own hands: cutting off a noisy neighbour’s electricity, keeping someone’s money to pay yourself back, threatening.
• Giving up your rights: accepting discrimination because “that’s just how it is”, saying nothing in a dangerous situation.

3. Choose the answer that follows the rule through the right channel

From what is left, the correct answer is the one that follows the rule and goes to the right person: start with talking when possible, then use the official appeals if needed.

Two explained examples

Example 1. Your neighbour plays very loud music every night after midnight. What do you do?

a) You cut off his electricity. b) You play your music even louder. c) You talk to him, then, if it continues, you contact the building manager or the police. d) You say nothing: everyone is free in their own home.

The principle here is respect for the law and your neighbours’ peace and quiet. Answer a) means taking the law into your own hands, b) makes things worse, and d) means giving up your rights. The correct answer is c): talk first, then use the official options if needed.

Example 2. In a company, a female employee has the same qualifications and experience as her male colleagues, but she is paid less for the same job. What does the rule say?

a) It’s normal if the company is private. b) This is forbidden discrimination: she can talk to her manager, staff representatives, or contact the Defender of Rights (Défenseur des droits). c) It’s allowed if she signed her contract. d) Only the employer can decide, there is no way to complain.

The principle here is equality between women and men. The correct answer is b): equal work means equal pay, and there are ways to take action.

The most common traps

• The “practical” answer. An answer might seem effective but is not legal. In the exam, you are asked what the rule says, not what is fastest.
• The made-up rule. Be careful with answers that include a specific and reassuring condition (“it’s allowed if…”): these often describe an exception that does not exist.
• Confusing users and staff. Religious neutrality applies to public employees at work, not to users of public services.

How can you practise?

The best way to practise is to do real-life scenarios (mises en situation), then read the explanation for each mistake to understand the principle behind it. The free mock exam on the website includes some. The Citoyen app offers more than 130, all with corrections and explanations.