100 Civics Questions for the U.S. Naturalization Test

The 100 civics questions for the U.S. naturalization test are the study bank USCIS uses for applicants who filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025. If that is you, your interview will draw from those 100 questions and you take what USCIS calls the 2008 version of the test. Anyone who filed on or after October 20, 2025 studies a different, larger bank of 128 questions.¹ Both tests remain in active use because interview backlogs mean applicants who filed months ago are still working through the older version.

Which Version of the Test You Take

The filing date on your N-400 is what controls this, not your interview date. File before October 20, 2025 and you get the 100-question test. File on or after that date and you get the 128-question test.¹ Nothing about being scheduled in 2026 pushes you onto the newer version if you filed under the older one.

The rest of this article covers the 100-question test. If you are on the 2025 track, the subjects overlap heavily, but the question list, the number asked, and the passing threshold differ, so study from the 128-question materials instead.

How the 100 Questions Are Actually Tested

You study all 100 questions, but you are not asked all 100. During your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer asks you civics questions orally, one at a time, from the study bank. The officer stops as soon as you answer 6 correctly. That means the most you will ever be asked is 10 questions, and if you get the first 6 right, the test ends there.²

The passing score is 60 percent. There is no written portion for civics, no multiple choice, and no essay. The officer reads the question, you answer aloud, and the officer scores the response. If a question is unclear to you, you can ask the officer to repeat or rephrase it, and officers are trained to do that before deciding you cannot answer.³

What the 100 Questions Cover

The 100 questions are grouped into three subject areas. Knowing the shape of each helps you spot where you are weak.

American Government

This is the largest of the three categories. It covers democratic principles like the rule of law and individual rights, the structure of the three branches, and how laws are made. You should know the roles of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court, and be able to name specific officials who currently hold those positions. Constitutional amendments, the Bill of Rights, and the responsibilities of citizenship such as voting and jury service all appear.

American History

Questions run from the colonial period through the present. The Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Constitution, westward expansion, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement are all fair game. Be familiar with figures like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr., and understand why events like the Declaration of Independence and the abolition of slavery mattered.

Integrated Civics

Geography, symbols, and holidays. You may be asked to name a major U.S. river, identify the oceans on either coast, or explain why the flag has 50 stars. National holidays such as Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day come up here. These tend to be the most straightforward questions in the bank.

Questions With Answers That Depend on Where You Live

Several of the 100 questions do not have a single memorizable answer. The correct response depends on your state, your congressional district, and who currently holds office. Expect items like “who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now” and “name your U.S. representative.” You also need to know your state capital and your current governor.

Look these up shortly before your interview and confirm they are still current. Elected officials change, and USCIS wants the name of whoever holds the office on the day you test, not whoever held it when you started studying. Residents of Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories should know that their jurisdictions may not have voting members of Congress, and that answer itself is accepted.⁴

The Shorter List for Applicants 65 and Older

If you are 65 or older when you file and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, USCIS gives you special consideration on the 100-question test. Instead of studying the entire bank, you study a designated list of 20 questions drawn from it, and the officer only asks from that shorter list.⁵ The 20 designated questions cover the core essentials: the First Amendment, the three branches of government, the current President, Independence Day, and similar foundational items.

This is known as the 65/20 exemption. It is written into federal law along with two related provisions, the 50/20 and the 55/15, that lift the English-language requirement for older long-term residents but still require the full civics test in the applicant’s native language.⁶ Only the 65/20 shrinks the civics list itself.

Where To Get the Official 100 Questions

USCIS publishes the full list of 100 civics questions and answers as a free PDF on uscis.gov, along with a pocket study guide and practice materials.⁷ Applicants who qualify for the 65/20 exemption can download the separate 20-question PDF directly.⁵ USCIS also posts practice tests and flashcards for the 100-question version.⁸

Community organizations and public libraries in many areas run free citizenship preparation classes that work from these same materials. Paid test-prep courses are rarely necessary because the official list is the exact universe of questions you can be asked.

If You Fail the Civics Test

Failing on the first try does not end your application. USCIS reschedules you for a second attempt between 60 and 90 days after the initial interview, and you only retake the portion you failed.⁹ Between the two interviews, you have a defined window to focus on the specific questions that tripped you up.

If you fail the second time, the officer denies the N-400. You can request a hearing before a different USCIS officer by filing Form N-336 within 30 days of receiving the denial notice, or 33 days if the decision was mailed to you.¹⁰ You can also file a fresh N-400 and start over; there is no mandatory waiting period, but you owe the filing fee again. Skipping the rescheduled appointment without contacting USCIS is the outcome to avoid, because the officer can deny the application outright for failure to meet the educational requirements.⁹

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2025 Civics Test
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Naturalization Interview and Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part E Chapter 2 – English and Civics Testing
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version)
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Civics Questions for the 65/20 Exemption
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1423 – Requirements as to Understanding the English Language, History, Principles, and Form of Government of the United States
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for the Naturalization Test: A Pocket Study Guide
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Study for the Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part B Chapter 4 – Results of the Naturalization Examination
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings (Under Section 336 of the INA)