November 17th, 2009 @ admin // No Comments
The modern-day Australian citizenship test is the evolution of several rounds of compiling questions and considering what it means to be an Australian, and what migrants should know before becoming citizens of the country. As with most elements of immigration throughout the world, the Australian citizenship test has met with a considerable amount of both warm and cool reception, with parties on either side of the debate hotly contesting the validity, appropriateness, and difficulty of the test. A great deal of reactions can be found in those who take the test themselves, but there are also several perspectives to be taken into account that come from Australians born and raised in the country. Though getting a feel for reactions to today’s Australian citizenship test might not be especially helpful in producing a perfect score, it may well help test takers and other interested parties more fully understand the national conception of the test and how it is affecting the lives of citizens both old and new.
Those who criticise the current Australian citizenship test and its administration often argue that the test’s difficulty is either too great ñmaking it a challenge for incoming migrants to establish themselves and become incorporated with national society–, or that it is too low, allowing an excessive amount of people to enter the country and gain citizenship without making a serious effort at understanding national law, culture and history. The difficulty of the test itself is not especially easy to gauge in an objective sense, however, and it is likely that this debate will continue indefinitely, as it does for most important tests in places around the world. The actual material that is covered, however, is often accepted as being thorough and complete, touching upon aspects of national life that are indeed important for successful Australian living. Still, some citizens suggest that despite having been raised in the country, they wouldn’t be able to correctly answer many of the questions without first making a study attempt.
Despite the disparate groups of people who oppose the modern version of the test, there are many people who fully support it and praise its efficacy, including several new Australian citizens who themselves prepared for and successfully completed the exam. The suggestion that the requirement of at least seventy five percent correct answers out of a total of twenty is both reasonable and generous to test takers is often cited, even though previous test versions allowed for a higher degree of error. Proponents of the test note that the process helps acquaint migrants with the country in a useful, non-threatening, and approachable way. Forming an opinion on the state of the Australian citizenship test is of course best accomplished through undergoing the exam, though it’s clear that views on the issue are likely to rest at all points of the spectrum so long as people ñand their Australian experiences– are so appreciably diverse.