The Test Act had a number of significant consequences:
- It effectively excluded Catholics from holding public office in England, including positions in government, the military, and the universities.
- It reinforced the Protestant character of England and helped to secure the position of the Church of England as the established church.
- It contributed to the outbreak of the Exclusion Crisis, a political crisis in England that led to the exclusion of James, Duke of York (the future King James II) from the throne.
- It set a precedent for religious discrimination in England and helped to shape the country's religious identity for centuries to come.