PassProfessor’s US citizenship program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. We are building free practice for the USCIS naturalization test — both civics versions, plus the English reading, writing, and speaking components. Join the notify list and we will email you when it opens — then use this guide to plan your path to the interview.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
The naturalization test, in one paragraph
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a lawful permanent resident who meets the requirements Congress set in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), per U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The test itself is not a separate exam: it is administered by a USCIS officer during your naturalization interview on Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and it has two components — an English test (speaking and understanding, reading, and writing) and a civics test on U.S. history and government. Which civics version you take is set by your filing date: Form N-400 filed before October 20, 2025 gets the 2008 civics test (study list of 100 questions, up to 10 asked, 6 correct to pass), and Form N-400 filed on or after October 20, 2025 gets the 2025 civics test (study list of 128 questions, 20 asked, 12 correct to pass). Both versions are oral, both require 60% to pass, and you get two attempts at any portion you do not pass the first time.
Who can take the naturalization test?
You do not register for the test on its own. You become eligible for the interview — and therefore the test — by filing Form N-400 when you meet the naturalization eligibility requirements for your situation. USCIS publishes separate eligibility pages for different situations (including lawful permanent residents of 5 years, people married to a U.S. citizen, members of the U.S. military, and children of U.S. citizens), and USCIS is explicit that, depending on your situation, different requirements may apply. The most common path, as USCIS states it for a lawful permanent resident of 5 years, requires that you:
- Be at least 18 years old when you submit Form N-400.
- Have been lawfully admitted as a permanent resident of the United States for at least five years.
- Demonstrate continuous residence in the United States for at least five years immediately before the date you file Form N-400.
- Show physical presence in the United States for at least 30 months out of the five years immediately before the date you file Form N-400.
- Have lived for at least three months in a state or USCIS district having jurisdiction over your place of residence.
- Be a person of good moral character, and have been a person of good moral character for at least five years immediately before the date you file Form N-400.
- Demonstrate an attachment to the principles and ideals of the U.S. Constitution.
- Be able to read, write, and speak basic English — the English requirement this test measures, subject to the exceptions below.
- Have knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of U.S. history, and of the principles and form of government of the United States (civics) — the civics requirement this test measures, subject to the exceptions below.
- Take an Oath of Allegiance to the United States — the final step, covered below.
If your situation is not the 5-year permanent-resident path — a spouse of a U.S. citizen, a service member, or another category USCIS lists — work from USCIS’s eligibility page for your situation and the Form N-400 instructions rather than from the list above. Nothing in this guide changes an eligibility rule; it explains the test that eligible applicants take.
The test, piece by piece
There is one interview and one officer. During the naturalization examination, the officer reviews your Form N-400 and eligibility with you and administers both test components. USCIS’s Policy Manual describes the standard precisely: English proficiency is determined by your ability to read, write, speak, and understand English, using words in ordinary usage — comprehensible, pertinent communication through simple vocabulary and grammar, which may include noticeable errors. You may ask for words to be repeated or rephrased, and some errors in pronunciation, spelling, and grammar are allowed. The components:
The English test
Speaking and understanding. The officer determines your ability to speak and understand English from how you respond to questions normally asked in the course of the naturalization examination — questions about your eligibility and the information in your naturalization application. Per the Policy Manual, you pass if you generally understand and respond meaningfully to questions relevant to your eligibility; you do not need to understand every word or phrase on the application. You fail the speaking test if you do not understand sufficient English to be placed under oath or to answer the eligibility questions — and even then, the officer must still administer the reading, writing, and civics portions.
Reading. You must read one sentence out of three sentences correctly, using USCIS’s standardized reading test forms. Once you read one sentence correctly, the officer stops the reading test. Per USCIS, the reading content focuses on civics and history topics, and USCIS publishes a Reading Test Vocabulary List to study from. The Policy Manual’s standard: you must read the content words and convey the meaning of the sentence so the officer can understand it; omitting a content word, substituting another word, pausing for extended periods, or making pronunciation errors that interfere with meaning will fail that sentence.
Writing. You must write one sentence out of three sentences in a manner the officer understands. The officer dictates the sentence using standardized writing test forms; once you write one sentence understandably, the officer stops the writing test. Per USCIS, the writing content also focuses on civics and history topics, with a published Writing Test Vocabulary List. The Policy Manual’s standard: spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical errors do not fail you unless they interfere with the meaning so the officer cannot understand the sentence; writing a different sentence, abbreviating a dictated word, writing nothing or only isolated words, or producing a completely illegible sentence does fail.
The civics test — two versions, one filing-date rule
Applicants must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of U.S. history and of the principles and form of U.S. government. USCIS selects the questions from a published bank using a standardized system, and an officer administers the test orally. Which bank and which format apply to you is determined entirely by your Form N-400 filing date:
| 2008 Naturalization Civics Test | 2025 Naturalization Civics Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Who takes it | Filed Form N-400 before Oct. 20, 2025 | Filed Form N-400 on or after Oct. 20, 2025 |
| Published study bank | 100 questions | 128 questions |
| Questions on your test | 10 (officer asks up to 10) | 20 |
| To pass | At least 6 correct | At least 12 correct |
| To fail | 5 incorrect | 9 incorrect |
| Stop rule | Officer stops at 6 correct or 5 incorrect | Officer stops at 12 correct or 9 incorrect |
| Passing share | 60% | 60% |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- The filing date — not the interview date — picks your version. USCIS states the rule identically on its Study for the Test page, its Naturalization Interview and Test page, and in the Policy Manual: before October 20, 2025 is the 2008 test; on or after October 20, 2025 is the 2025 test. Studying the wrong list is wasted work, so confirm your filing date before anything else.
- The 2025 test is the current test for new applicants. USCIS’s alert on its Study for the Test page states it is implementing the 2025 test to align with Executive Order 14161, and that the 2025 test is based on the 2020 test, with some modifications to the administration of the test. The Policy Manual notes one of those modifications: unlike the 2020 test, the officer stops the 2025 test once the requisite number of questions has been answered correctly or incorrectly.
- Your words count, not memorized phrasing. For both versions, the Policy Manual states that an applicant passes by providing a correct answer or an alternative phrasing of the correct answer for the required number of questions — and fails a question by giving an incorrect answer or failing to respond. USCIS also updates the responses to certain questions on a rolling basis (for example, because of federal or state elections, judicial appointments, or statutory changes), and updates the public study bank when it does.
Due consideration. The Policy Manual also instructs officers to exercise “due consideration” case by case in choosing subject matter, phrasing questions, and evaluating responses on the civics test, based on factors including the applicant’s age, background, level of education, length of residence in the United States, and the opportunities available and efforts made to acquire the knowledge. That is the officer’s judgment call, not something an applicant can claim as a right — but it is part of how USCIS says the test is administered.
The passing standard, explained
Both civics versions require 60 percent: 6 of 10 on the 2008 test, 12 of 20 on the 2025 test. The stop rules make the arithmetic concrete — on the 2008 test, five wrong answers end the test as a failure before all 10 questions are asked; on the 2025 test, nine wrong answers do the same. There is no scaled score and no partial credit across components: each portion of the English test (speaking, reading, writing) and the civics test is judged on its own standard, as set out above.
Two consequences follow:
- A failed portion is not a failed application — the first time. You have two opportunities to pass: the initial examination and a re-examination. Only the portions you failed are retested (see Retakes below).
- Your results are documented. Officers are required to record your English and civics results and, at the end of the examination, to provide you the results of the examination and testing (on Form N-652, Naturalization Interview Results), unless you are served a denial notice at that time, per the Policy Manual.
Exceptions and special consideration
USCIS publishes exceptions to the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both. The Policy Manual’s summary table, in plain terms:
| Exception (INA 312(b), per USCIS Policy Manual) | English requirement | Civics requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Age 50 or older, and lived in the US as a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time of filing (“50/20”) | Exempt | Still required — may take the civics test in the language of your choice, using an interpreter |
| Age 55 or older, and lived in the US as a lawful permanent resident for at least 15 years at the time of filing (“55/15”) | Exempt | Still required — may take the civics test in the language of your choice, using an interpreter |
| Age 65 or older, and lived in the US as a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time of filing (“65/20”) | Exempt | Still required, with special consideration — specially designated test forms (see below); may take the civics test in the language of your choice, using an interpreter |
| Medical disability exception (Form N-648) | May be exempt | May be exempt — the exception can cover English, civics, or both |
The 65/20 special consideration, in detail. An applicant who, at the time of filing, is 65 or older and has been living in the United States for periods totaling at least 20 years after lawful admission for permanent residence studies a bank of 20 specially designated civics questions — marked with an asterisk (*) in USCIS’s study materials — and is given a 10-question test from that bank. Applicants who filed before October 20, 2025 draw from the 20 designated questions on the 2008 test; applicants who file on or after October 20, 2025 draw from the 20 designated questions on the 2025 test. Passing is 6 of 10, the same as the standard 2008 format.
The medical disability exception. Per the Policy Manual, an applicant who cannot meet the English and civics requirements because of a medical disability may be exempt from the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both. The exception is requested with Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. Whether a condition qualifies is a medical and USCIS determination — if you believe this may apply to you, USCIS’s Exceptions and Accommodations page and the Form N-648 instructions are the starting point, and an immigration attorney can advise on your specific case.
Exceptions are not accommodations. An exception removes a requirement for an applicant who qualifies. USCIS separately addresses accommodations and modifications for applicants with disabilities through its Exceptions and Accommodations page — check that page for what USCIS currently offers and how to request it, and note your needs as USCIS directs. This guide does not list specific accommodations because USCIS’s own page is the authority and its offerings should be read there directly.
Applying and taking the test, step by step
USCIS organizes naturalization as a sequence that runs from eligibility to the oath. In outline — following USCIS’s published “10 Steps to Naturalization” structure — the path is:
- Determine whether you are already a U.S. citizen (for example, through U.S. citizen parents) — if so, naturalization is not your process.
- Determine your eligibility for naturalization under your situation, using USCIS’s eligibility pages and the Naturalization Eligibility Tool USCIS provides.
- Prepare Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Your filing date on this form is what determines your civics test version — keep the date.
- Submit Form N-400 and pay the fees USCIS’s current Fee Schedule sets. (This guide deliberately prints no fee figure: check the current N-400 fee on USCIS’s website before you file, because fees change by rulemaking.)
- Go to your biometrics appointment, if applicable.
- Complete the interview. A USCIS officer asks you questions about your application and background, judges your speaking and understanding of English through that conversation, and administers the reading, writing, and civics tests — unless you qualify for an exemption. Bring the documents your appointment notice lists, and answer with the officials currently serving for any civics question whose answer changes with elections or appointments.
- Receive a decision from USCIS on your Form N-400 — which can include a re-examination first if you did not pass a test portion (see Retakes).
- Receive a notice to take the Oath of Allegiance if your application is granted.
- Take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States. You are not a U.S. citizen until this step is complete.
- Understand your U.S. citizenship — the rights and responsibilities USCIS describes for new citizens.
Retakes and what happens if you do not pass
- Two opportunities. Per the Policy Manual, an applicant has two opportunities to pass the English and civics tests: the initial examination and the re-examination interview. USCIS denies the application if the applicant fails to pass any portion after two attempts. (If an applicant requests a USCIS hearing on a denial, officers must administer any failed portion of the tests at that hearing, where the applicant gets one opportunity to pass the failed portion.)
- Timing. If you fail any portion of the English test, the civics test, or all tests at the initial examination, USCIS reschedules you for a second examination between 60 and 90 days after the initial examination.
- Only what you failed. The re-examining officer must not use the same test forms from your initial examination, and must retest you only in the areas you previously failed. The Policy Manual’s example: an applicant who passed speaking, reading, and civics but failed writing is retested only on writing.
- A refusal counts as a failure. An applicant who refuses to be tested, refuses to respond to individual reading, writing, or civics questions, or fails to respond to eligibility questions because they did not understand them as asked or rephrased, fails to meet the educational requirements, per the Policy Manual. Failing to appear for the re-examination, unless excused by USCIS, also counts as a failed attempt.
Interview day
- The interview is the test day. There is no separate testing center, appointment, or online version: the English and civics tests happen during your naturalization interview with the USCIS officer handling your case, at the time and place on your appointment notice.
- Expect the N-400 review to come first, and to count. The officer’s questions about your application and eligibility are both an eligibility check and the speaking/understanding test. Answer in English as fully as you can; you may ask for a question to be repeated or rephrased.
- For changeable civics answers, be current. USCIS instructs applicants to answer with the name of the official serving at the time of the naturalization interview — check USCIS’s Civics Test Updates page shortly before your interview for any answer that depends on a recent election or appointment.
- You leave with your results. The officer records your test results and provides the results of the examination and testing at the end of the examination (Form N-652), unless a denial notice is served at that time.
- If you qualify for an exception, bring what it requires. Applicants taking the civics test in the language of their choice under the 50/20, 55/15, or 65/20 rules use an interpreter, per the Policy Manual — confirm the arrangements USCIS expects on its Exceptions and Accommodations page before your interview.
How to study for this test
USCIS publishes the study universe itself — the full civics question bank for each version, the reading and writing vocabulary lists, and free study materials through its Citizenship Resource Center. A plan built on that structure:
- Confirm your version before you study anything. Filing date before October 20, 2025: the 2008 list of 100. On or after October 20, 2025: the 2025 list of 128. If you qualify for 65/20 special consideration, your universe is the 20 designated (asterisk-marked) questions from your version’s list.
- Study civics as spoken answers, not as a reading list. The test is oral and alternative phrasings count. Practice saying each answer out loud, in your own words, until the idea — not just the wording — is what you remember.
- Give the English components their own sessions. Reading aloud until sentences come out whole and understandable; writing dictated sentences until the meaning survives on paper; and conversational practice answering questions about your own application, because that conversation is the speaking test.
- Track the changeable answers separately. Keep a short list of the questions whose answers depend on current officeholders, and re-verify that list against USCIS’s Civics Test Updates page in the days before your interview.
- Use USCIS’s free materials as the source of truth. The Citizenship Resource Center’s study resources — including the official question lists for your version — are what the interview is built from. Third-party materials, including ours when it launches, are practice layered on top of that source, never a replacement for checking it.
- If you fail a portion, study only that portion — deliberately. Your re-examination covers only what you failed, is scheduled 60 to 90 days out, and uses different test forms. That window is a focused second chance; spend it on the failed component.
PassProfessor’s US citizenship program is being built on this same structure — both civics versions separated by filing date, the 65/20 designated set marked, and the English components practiced as their own track — as free practice. The US Citizenship Exam Prep program page shows the coverage plan — and the notify list there will email you when the program opens.
Frequently asked questions
Which civics test will I take? The one matching your Form N-400 filing date, per USCIS. Filed before October 20, 2025: the 2008 naturalization civics test. Filed on or after October 20, 2025: the 2025 naturalization civics test. Your interview date does not change the version.
How many civics questions must I study? 100 questions on the 2008 test, or 128 questions on the 2025 test — USCIS publishes the full list for each version as study material. If you qualify for the 65/20 special consideration, you study only the 20 specially designated questions from your version’s list.
How many questions will the officer ask me, and how many must I get right? On the 2008 test, up to 10 questions, with 6 correct to pass — the officer stops at 6 correct or 5 incorrect. On the 2025 test, 20 questions, with 12 correct to pass — the officer stops at 12 correct or 9 incorrect. Both versions require 60%.
Is the civics test written or multiple choice? Neither. Per USCIS, it is an oral test administered by the USCIS officer during your naturalization interview, with questions selected from the published bank. A correct answer — or an alternative phrasing of the correct answer — counts as correct.
What does the English test consist of? Speaking and understanding, judged by the officer during your eligibility interview on Form N-400; reading, where you must read aloud 1 of 3 sentences correctly; and writing, where you must write 1 of 3 dictated sentences correctly in a way the officer understands. USCIS says the reading and writing content focuses on civics and history topics.
What is the 65/20 rule? USCIS’s special consideration for applicants who are 65 or older at filing and have been living in the United States for periods totaling at least 20 years after lawful admission for permanent residence. You are exempt from the English test, you may take the civics test in the language of your choice using an interpreter, and your civics test is 10 questions drawn from a specially designated bank of 20 questions from your version’s list (2008 or 2025); 6 correct answers pass.
What are the 50/20 and 55/15 exceptions? Age-and-residence exceptions to the English requirement only, per the USCIS Policy Manual. Age 50 or older with at least 20 years living in the United States as a lawful permanent resident at the time of filing (50/20), or age 55 or older with at least 15 years (55/15), exempts you from the English test. You must still take the civics test, and you may take it in the language of your choice using an interpreter.
Can a disability exempt me from the English or civics test? Possibly. Per the USCIS Policy Manual, an applicant who cannot meet the requirements because of a medical disability may be exempt from the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both, requested with Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. USCIS’s Exceptions and Accommodations page covers this exception and disability accommodations — read it directly, because USCIS decides these requests case by case.
What happens if I fail part of the test? USCIS schedules a re-examination between 60 and 90 days after your initial examination, and retests you only on the portions you failed, using different test forms. If you fail a portion a second time, USCIS denies the application for failure to meet the educational requirements.
Where does the test take place? At your naturalization interview, with a USCIS officer — there is no separate testing center, online version, or standalone test appointment. The English and civics tests are part of the same examination in which the officer reviews your Form N-400 and eligibility.
How much does the citizenship test cost? This guide prints no fee figure. The test is administered as part of the naturalization process on Form N-400, and USCIS sets the N-400 filing fee in its Fee Schedule, which changes by rulemaking — check the current fee on USCIS’s website before you file. (See the internal load note in this package: a dated fee figure may be added at load from USCIS’s official fee page.)
Do I become a citizen when I pass the test? No. Passing the English and civics tests satisfies the educational requirements, but naturalization is complete only when your Form N-400 is granted and you take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States — step 9 of USCIS’s process. USCIS sends a notice for the oath ceremony after approval.
Where can I get the official study questions? From USCIS. The Citizenship Resource Center and the Study for the Test page publish the civics question lists for both versions, the reading and writing vocabulary lists, and free study materials. Note that some answers change with elections or appointments — USCIS’s Civics Test Updates page carries the current answers for those questions.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or any government agency. This guide is general information about the naturalization test, current as of October 2026; it is not legal advice and does not determine any individual’s eligibility or exception. USCIS’s official publications govern if anything here differs from them.