The six areas the test will cover.

How the topics fit together

The six topics describe one connected idea: a country that splits power between institutions, holds government accountable to voters, and protects individuals through clear rights. You will see the same names recur from topic to topic. The Constitution Act 1986 anchors the structure of government and the three-year term. The Electoral Act 1993 governs voting and the rules that are hardest to change. The Bill of Rights Act 1990 sits behind the rights of an accused person in a criminal case, the freedom of speech that makes elections meaningful, and the right of entry that the test treats as a defining mark of citizenship.

The Government has also confirmed that a question on Te Tiriti o Waitangi will appear in the test. Treaty content runs through the government, democracy, and rights pages rather than sitting on a separate topic page.

How to use these pages

Each topic page follows the same shape:

• A short intro explaining what the topic covers and why it matters for the test.
• A bullet list called “What the test expects you to know”, summarising the key points up front.
• Plain-English sections that explain each point, with links to the Acts and official sources.
• A Common misconceptions section that heads off the questions people often get wrong.
• A Quick self-check with five practice questions and answers.
• A Learn more section with primary law, official explainers, and plain-English background.

A practical study order:

1. Skim the intro and the “What the test expects you to know” list.
2. Read through the sections at your own pace, opening links to the Acts only when you want to check a detail.
3. Use the misconceptions section to test your assumptions.
4. Try the self-check questions without looking at the answers.
5. Come back a few days later and redo the self-check from scratch.

The practice questions here draw on publicly available legislation and government guidance. They are not real test questions, and DIA has not yet published any real questions. Once DIA releases its own study materials in 2027, those become the canonical reference.