Pass the 2026 US citizenship test

It depends on when you filed Form N-400. Filed on or after 20 October 2025, you take the 2025 version: 128 possible questions, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass. Filed before that date, you take the 2008 version: 100 possible questions, up to 10 asked, 6 correct to pass. Your interview date does not matter — only the filing date.

The 2025 version has a bank of 128 civics questions and the officer asks up to 20 of them. The 2008 version has a bank of 100 and the officer asks up to 10. Both banks are published in full by USCIS, so nothing on the test is a surprise.

Sixty percent either way — 12 correct out of 20 on the 2025 version, or 6 out of 10 on the 2008 version. The officer stops asking as soon as you have reached the pass mark, so a short civics test is a good sign, not a bad one.

You get a second interview between 60 and 90 days later, and you are retested only on the portion you failed — English or civics, not both. If you fail the second attempt the application is denied, but you can file a new one.

No. The civics test is oral and free-response: a USCIS officer asks a question out loud and you answer out loud. Multiple-choice practice is a fast way to learn the material, but flashcard practice is the closer simulation and the better final check.

Only with an exemption. Under the 50/20 rule (50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident) or 55/15 (55 or older with 15 years) you take the interview and civics test in your language with an interpreter. Under 65/20 you also study only 20 questions instead of the full bank.

If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, you study only the 20 starred questions. The officer asks 10 of them and you need 6 correct, and you may take the test in the language of your choice.

Four depend on where you live — one of your state’s US senators, your US representative, your governor and your state capital. Four more depend on who currently holds office: the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice. Check those on the official USCIS test updates page shortly before your interview.

Yes. You read 1 of 3 sentences correctly, write 1 of 3 sentences correctly, and your spoken English is assessed from ordinary conversation during the interview. The sentences use a published vocabulary list, so they are more predictable than most applicants expect.

No. This is an independent study tool with no connection to USCIS or the US government. The civics questions and answers are public-domain material published by USCIS, and we link to the official sources throughout so you can verify anything.