US Citizenship Test: 2025 Civics Questions and How to Pass

The U.S. citizenship test has two parts, English and civics, and both are given during your naturalization interview. If you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 civics test: the officer asks up to 20 questions from an official list of 128, and you pass with 12 correct answers. If you filed before that date, you take the 2008 test: up to 10 questions from a list of 100, and you pass with 6. The English test is the same for everyone: read one sentence aloud, write one sentence, and speak with the officer.

For anyone searching for the "citizenship test questions 2026," there is no separate 2026 test. As of October 2026, USCIS is administering the 2025 version to new applicants and the 2008 version to those who filed earlier. This guide covers both, with real sample questions from the official list, the exemptions for older applicants, and a study plan. It is general information and not legal advice. The official form and instructions are at uscis.gov/n-400.

Which civics test will you take?

Your filing date decides, not your interview date.

Source: USCIS, "The Naturalization Interview and Test" and "2025 Civics Test," checked October 13, 2026.

The receipt date on your Form I-797C receipt notice is the date that matters. If you filed a paper application that arrived at the lockbox on October 17, 2025, you are on the 2008 test even if your interview is in 2027. If you filed online on October 20, 2025, you are on the 2025 test.

How the 2025 civics test works

The test is oral. There is no paper, no multiple choice and no computer screen for you to use. According to the USCIS Policy Manual, a USCIS system randomly selects 20 questions from the bank of 128, and the officer reads them to you one at a time. You answer out loud in English, unless you qualify for an exemption that lets you use your own language.

The officer stops as soon as the outcome is certain. If your first 12 answers are right, the test is over after 12 questions. If you get 9 wrong, the test also ends, because 12 correct is no longer possible. In between, you might hear anywhere from 12 to 20 questions.

Many questions have several acceptable answers, and you need to give only as many as the question asks for. "Name one power of the U.S. Congress" needs one answer. "Name three national U.S. holidays" needs three. USCIS says it knows other correct answers may exist but encourages applicants to answer with the ones on the official list.

What the 128 questions cover

Source: USCIS, "128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version)," form M-1778 (09/25). More than half of the bank, 72 questions, is about how the government works. That is where study time pays off most.

Sample citizenship test questions and answers

These are taken word for word from the official 2025 list. Where several answers are accepted, they are separated by "or."

The words in parentheses are optional. "Jefferson" is as good as "Thomas Jefferson."

Questions whose answers change

Several questions ask for the name of a current official. USCIS expects the name of the person serving on the day of your interview, not the day you studied. On the 2025 test these are question 23 (one of your state's U.S. senators), 29 (your U.S. representative), 30 (Speaker of the House), 38 (President), 39 (Vice President), 57 (Chief Justice) and 61 (your governor). Question 62 asks for your state capital, which varies by where you live.

The USCIS "Check for Test Updates" page lists the accepted answers for the national offices. As that page read when we checked it on October 13, 2026 (USCIS last reviewed it on September 18, 2025), the answers were Donald J. Trump for President, JD Vance for Vice President, Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House and John Roberts for Chief Justice.

Two practical points. First, your senators, representative and governor depend on your address, so look them up for the address you will have at the interview. Second, the midterm elections on November 3, 2026 can change those answers. Newly elected members of Congress take office in January 2027, and many governors are sworn in around the same time. If your interview falls after that, recheck the names the week before.

The English test

The English portion has three components, and the officer evaluates all three in the same appointment.

• Speaking. There is no separate speaking exam. The officer judges your ability to speak and understand English from the way you answer questions about your Form N-400 during the interview.
• Reading. You must read aloud one sentence out of three correctly. The officer stops as soon as you read one correctly. You may make small pronunciation errors and skip short words as long as the meaning comes through.
• Writing. You must write one sentence out of three correctly. The officer reads the sentence aloud and you write it down. Minor spelling, capitalization or punctuation mistakes are acceptable if the meaning is clear. Do not abbreviate any word, and numbers may be written as digits or spelled out.

The sentences are built from two short official vocabulary lists that focus on civics and history words, such as the names of presidents, holidays and basic verbs. Both lists are free on the USCIS "Study for the Test" page. Learning them is the fastest way to prepare, because every reading and writing sentence on the real test draws on those words.

Exemptions: 50/20, 55/15 and 65/20

Age and years as a permanent resident, both measured on the day you file, can change what you are tested on.

If you take the civics test in your own language, you must bring your own interpreter, who has to be fluent in both languages. Form N-648 must be completed by a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy or licensed clinical psychologist.

The 20 questions for the 65/20 group (2025 test)

On the 2025 list, the 20 designated questions are marked with an asterisk. They are numbers 2, 7, 12, 20, 30, 36, 38, 39, 44, 52, 61, 66, 74, 78, 86, 94, 113, 115, 121 and 126. In order, they ask about:

1. The supreme law of the land
2. How many amendments the Constitution has
3. The economic system of the United States
4. One power of the U.S. Congress
5. The name of the Speaker of the House now
6. How many years a president is elected for
7. The name of the President now
8. The name of the Vice President now
9. Who vetoes bills
10. The highest court in the United States
11. The governor of your state now
12. What we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance
13. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived
14. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence
15. One thing George Washington is famous for
16. One thing Abraham Lincoln is famous for
17. One thing Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for
18. The major event of September 11, 2001
19. Why the flag has 13 stripes
20. Three national U.S. holidays

Applicants in this group who filed before October 20, 2025 study the 20 marked questions on the 2008 list instead.

What happens if you fail

You get two attempts. If you fail any part at the first interview, USCIS schedules a second appointment between 60 and 90 days later, and you are retested only on the part you failed. If you passed civics but could not write a sentence, the retest covers writing only. The officer must use different test forms the second time.

If you fail the same part twice, USCIS denies the application. Missing the retest without being excused counts as a failed attempt. After a denial you can request a hearing on Form N-336, where the failed portion is given again, or file a new N-400 and start over with a new fee.

Most people do pass. USCIS reported that 89.7% of applicants passed on the first try and 94.4% passed after the retest, counting those who were exempt. Those figures are for applicants tested since October 1, 2023 on the 2008 version. USCIS had not published pass rates for the 2025 test when we checked in October 2026, so it is too early to say how the longer test compares.

How to study: a realistic plan

The entire question bank is public, which makes this a test you can prepare for completely. A plan that works for most adults with a job and a family:

1. Confirm your version. Check the receipt date on your notice against October 20, 2025, and download the matching list. Studying the wrong list is the most common avoidable mistake.
2. Start with the fixed-answer questions. Numbers, names and dates that never change (27 amendments, 100 senators, 435 voting members, nine seats on the Supreme Court) are quick wins.
3. Group the "name one" questions. For each, pick the single answer that is easiest for you to remember and say, and stick with it.
4. Write your personal answers on one card. Your two senators, your representative, your governor and your state capital.
5. Practice out loud. The test is spoken. Have a family member read questions in random order and answer without looking. Hearing the question in someone else's voice is closer to the real thing than reading silently.
6. Add ten minutes of reading and writing. Copy sentences built from the official vocabulary lists, then have someone dictate them.
7. Simulate the full test. In the last two weeks, draw 20 questions at random and score yourself. You are ready when you reach 12 correct comfortably every time.

Free official study materials

• "128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version)" and the 100-question 2008 list, both as PDFs on uscis.gov
• "One Nation, One People," the USCIS study guide for the 2025 test, which explains the background to each answer
• Reading and writing vocabulary lists and flash cards on the "Study for the Test" page
• The "Check for Test Updates" page for current officials
• Free naturalization information sessions run by USCIS

You do not need to pay for a course or an app. If you want a class, many public libraries, adult education programs and community organizations offer citizenship classes at no charge. Be careful with unofficial practice sites that still show only the 100-question list without saying which version it is.

Test day: what to expect

The test is not a separate event. It happens inside your naturalization interview, usually in the officer's private office. The officer first places you under oath, then typically gives the reading, writing and civics tests before or after going through your application. The order is up to the officer. You may ask for a question to be repeated. Answer briefly: for "Who vetoes bills?" the two words "the President" are a complete answer.

At the end, the officer gives you a notice of results on Form N-652, Naturalization Interview Results, whatever the outcome. Everything else about the appointment, including what to bring and the questions about your application, is in our guide to the citizenship interview. For how long the wait is before you get there, see N-400 processing time, and for what comes after, the oath ceremony.

Where the test fits in the bigger process

The test is one of several requirements. You also need the right number of years as a permanent resident, continuous residence, physical presence and good moral character, all explained in how to become a U.S. citizen. The application itself is covered in the N-400 form guide and the cost in the N-400 fee guide.