100 Questions for the Citizenship Test With Answers

The 100 questions for the citizenship test with answers are published for free on the USCIS website, but that list only applies if you filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025. If you filed on or after that date, USCIS tests you from a different pool of 128 questions with a stricter passing standard. Check your filing date before you spend any time studying, because a lot of third-party study guides still show only the 100-question version and don’t flag which applicants it actually covers.¹

Who Still Takes the 100-Question Test

The 100-question version, sometimes called the 2008 test, remains in use for applicants whose N-400 was filed before October 20, 2025. As those pending interviews finish, this version phases out.² Anyone who filed on or after that date takes the 2025 version, drawn from 128 questions, with 20 asked and 12 needed to pass.³

Both the 100-question and 128-question lists are free downloads on the USCIS study materials page. Download the one that matches your filing date. That is the only source guaranteed to match the questions the officer will ask.¹

How the 100-Question Test Is Scored

The officer draws from the pool of 100 and asks up to 10 questions during your interview. You need 6 correct answers to pass. Once you hit 6, the officer stops and moves on to the next part of the interview.²

The test is oral. The officer reads each question aloud and you answer out loud. There is no written or multiple-choice section.⁴

What the 100 Questions Cover

The questions are organized into three subject areas. Most study time goes into the first.

American Government

This is the largest category. It covers the principles of American democracy, the structure of the three branches of government, and the rights and responsibilities of people living in the United States. Expect questions about the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, how the branches check each other, and what the Bill of Rights protects.

American History

Questions run from the colonial period to the present. Common topics include the reasons for the American Revolution, the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, major events of the 1800s such as the Civil War, and more recent history including the world wars and the civil rights movement.

Integrated Civics

This category tests basic knowledge of American geography, national symbols, and federal holidays. Typical questions ask about major U.S. rivers, the oceans on either coast, what the stars and stripes on the flag represent, the location of the Statue of Liberty, and the national anthem.

Special Consideration if You Are 65 or Older

If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time you file, you study a smaller set of 20 questions rather than all 100. The officer asks 10 of those 20 and you must answer 6 correctly to pass.⁵ The designated questions are marked with an asterisk on the official 100-question list. This same rule applies whether you are being tested on the 2008 or 2025 version.³

Applicants with a qualifying medical condition may be exempt from the civics test entirely through Form N-648, which must be completed by a licensed doctor or clinical psychologist. USCIS reviews each waiver individually.⁶

How to Study the 100 Questions

Start with the official 100-question list on the USCIS website. Read every question and its accepted answers. Some questions accept more than one correct answer, and the official document shows all of them. Working from the official text is the only reliable way to prepare, because that is what the officer uses.¹

Pay close attention to questions that ask you to name current officeholders. Several questions require you to identify the current president, vice president, your state’s governor, or one of your U.S. senators. These answers change after elections. Verify them close to your interview date so you don’t lose points for an outdated answer you memorized months earlier.

USCIS also offers a free mobile app called “USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools” with practice modes and audio in English and Spanish. Community organizations and public libraries in many areas run free or low-cost citizenship classes, which help if you are preparing for the English portion of the interview at the same time.

The Civics Test at the Interview

The civics test happens during your naturalization interview at a USCIS field office, in the same session where the officer reviews your N-400 under oath and evaluates your English. The officer asks the civics questions one at a time and stops once you have answered 6 correctly.²

Unless you qualify for an age-based exemption or a disability waiver, you also take an English test that day covering speaking, reading, and writing. Speaking is judged from your responses during the interview itself. For reading and writing, the officer gives you up to three sentences each, and you only need to get one right in each portion.⁷

If You Don’t Pass on the First Try

Failing the civics test at your first interview isn’t the end. Federal regulations require USCIS to give you a second chance within 90 days, and you’ll receive a notice in the mail with the new date and time.⁸ At the second appointment, the officer only retests the portions you failed. If you passed English but failed civics, only civics questions are asked again.⁹

If you fail the second attempt, USCIS denies the N-400. You then have 30 days from receiving the denial to file Form N-336 requesting a hearing (33 days if USCIS mailed the notice), or you can file a new N-400 and start over.¹⁰

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Study for the Test
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Naturalization Interview and Test
3
Federal Register. Notice of Implementation of 2025 Naturalization Civics Test
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Scoring Guidelines for the U.S. Naturalization Test
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exceptions and Accommodations
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part E Chapter 2 – English and Civics Testing
8
eCFR. 8 CFR 312.5 – Re-examination
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part B Chapter 4 – Results of the Naturalization Examination
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings