2025 Civics Test: What Changed, the 128 Questions and Scoring

Life in the USOct 18, 2026 · 8 min read

The naturalization interview has two tests: English (reading, writing and speaking) and civics (U.S. history and government). In 2025 USCIS replaced the civics test for new applicants with a longer version. The question bank grew from 100 to 128, the officer now asks up to twice as many questions, and you need twice as many right answers. This guide explains which version you will get, how the scoring works, what stayed the same, and how to prepare. You can practice every official question, with Simplified Chinese translations, in our free Civics Test Practice app.

Which test do you take? It depends on your filing date

USCIS's notice in the Federal Register (September 18, 2025) set the rule by the date your N-400 was filed, not the date of your interview:

• Filed on or after October 20, 2025: 2025 civics test (128 questions).
• Filed before October 20, 2025: 2008 civics test (100 questions), even if your interview happens later.

Your filing date is on your receipt notice (Form I-797C). If you have not filed yet, plan for the 2025 test.

2025 vs 2008: the scoring side by side

Both tests are oral. The officer reads each question aloud and you answer out loud in English. The officer stops as soon as the result is decided: on the 2025 test, that means the moment you reach 12 correct or 9 wrong. So a well-prepared applicant often answers 12 in a row and is done, never hearing questions 13 to 20.

The pass rate needed is 60% on both versions (6 of 10, 12 of 20). What changed is the size of the bank you need to know and the number of questions you might face.

What the 128 questions cover

The 2025 list keeps the familiar structure of government, history, and symbols and holidays, with more questions in each area. Here is how the official questions break down by section, as grouped in our practice app:

Two shifts stand out. The 2025 list has no separate Geography section: questions about oceans and rivers are gone, and "What is the capital of the United States?" and "Where is the Statue of Liberty?" now sit under Symbols. And recent history nearly doubled. "System of Government" is still the biggest single block on both lists, so it is the best place to start. A few tips for the questions themselves:

• One acceptable answer is enough unless the question asks for more than one (for example, "Name two..."). The official list gives several acceptable answers for many questions; pick the one easiest for you to say.
• Some answers depend on where you live or who is in office: your U.S. senators, your representative, your governor, your state capital, and current national officeholders. You must give the answer that is true on the day of your interview. USCIS keeps a Check for Test Updates page, and your representative depends on your street address, so look it up on house.gov.
• Pronunciation matters more than perfect grammar. The officer needs to understand your answer. Practice saying the answers out loud, not just reading them.

The 65/20 special consideration

If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for 20 years or more when you file, you study only the 20 questions marked with an asterisk on the official list. The officer asks 10 of them and you need 6 correct. USCIS says this format continues on both the 2008 and 2025 versions, and you may take the civics test in the language of your choice. Each list has its own 20 asterisked questions, so study the list that matches your filing date.

Separately, applicants who are 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, or 55 or older with 15 years (the "50/20" and "55/15" exceptions), are exempt from the English test and may take the civics test in their own language with an interpreter. They still take the regular civics test for their version. Applicants with a qualifying medical condition can ask for an exception using Form N-648. See USCIS's exceptions and accommodations page for the details.

The English test did not change

The 2025 update only replaced the civics portion. The English test still has three parts:

• Speaking: the officer judges your spoken English during the N-400 interview itself.
• Reading: you must read out loud 1 of 3 sentences correctly.
• Writing: you must write 1 of 3 dictated sentences correctly.

USCIS publishes the reading and writing vocabulary lists that those sentences draw from. They are short lists built around civics words (President, Congress, Senators), holidays, months and a few place names, so learning them is a quick win.

If you fail a part: the retest

Failing one part does not end your application. Under 8 CFR 312.5, an applicant who fails the English or civics test at the first interview gets a second chance, normally within 90 days after the first examination. You are retested on the part you did not pass. That second attempt is the last one for this application: failing again means the N-400 is denied, and you would need to file a new application (and pay the fee again) to try once more. Missing the second interview without notice counts as a failure too.

How to prepare efficiently

1. Confirm your version from your filing date, and whether you qualify for 65/20.
2. Learn the meaning first, then the English. If English is your second language, reading each question with a translation makes the answers stick faster.
3. Say answers out loud. The test is oral, so practice listening to the question and answering by voice.
4. Drill your misses. Most people know half the list already; spend your time on the ones you keep getting wrong.
5. Do full mock interviews with the real stop rule, so 20 questions in a row does not feel new on the day.
6. Update the variable answers the week before your interview.

Our Civics Test Practice app is built around exactly that. You pick your filing date and it loads the right list (128 or 100, or the 20 asterisked questions for 65/20). It has flashcards with Simplified Chinese translations and audio, a topic view, a mock interview that stops at 12 correct or 9 wrong just like the officer, and spaced-repetition review that brings missed questions back after 10 minutes, then 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days. Choose your state to see your own senators, governor and capital, and practice the official reading and writing words with a dictation drill. It is free, needs no account, and keeps your progress in your browser.

Still waiting to file? Our N-400 Citizenship Timeline finds your earliest filing date from your trips abroad (see how trips abroad count for N-400), and the USCIS Case Tracker helps you follow your case once it is filed.

FAQ

I filed my N-400 in September 2025. Which test will I get?

The 2008 test. The 2025 test applies only to N-400s filed on or after October 20, 2025, regardless of when the interview is scheduled.

Do I have to answer all 20 questions on the 2025 test?

No. The officer stops as soon as you get 12 correct, or once you get 9 wrong. Many applicants finish after 12 questions.

Is the 2025 test harder than the 2008 test?

The required score is the same 60%, but there are 128 questions to learn instead of 100 and up to 20 asked instead of 10, so it takes more preparation.

Did the English reading and writing test change in 2025?

No. You still read 1 of 3 sentences and write 1 of 3 sentences correctly, and the officer judges your speaking during the interview.

What happens if I fail the civics test?

You get one retest, normally within 90 days, on the part you failed. If you fail again, the application is denied and you would need to file a new N-400.

Sources

• Federal Register 2025-18050: Notice of Implementation of 2025 Naturalization Civics Test
• USCIS: 2025 Civics Test
• USCIS: 2025 Civics Test, 128 Questions and Answers (PDF)
• USCIS: 2008 Civics Test, 100 Questions (PDF)
• USCIS: Study for the Test
• USCIS: Check for Test Updates
• USCIS reading vocabulary and writing vocabulary
• 8 CFR 312.5: Second opportunity to pass the English and civics tests

Last updated 2026-10-18. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Test rules and officeholder answers change; check uscis.gov before your interview.