Free U.S. Citizenship Test Questions and Answers

Every question on the U.S. naturalization test, along with every acceptable answer, is published free by USCIS. The same is true for the English reading and writing vocabulary. If you are looking for free US citizenship test questions and answers, the official source at uscis.gov is the complete set, and no paid study product contains material that USCIS has kept hidden.¹ Two civics question banks are currently in use: the 2008 version with 100 questions and the 2025 version with 128. Which one applies to you depends on when you filed and where your case sits in the process.

Where to Download the Questions and Answers

USCIS posts the full question banks as PDFs. The 2008 test is a single document listing all 100 questions with their accepted answers, available in English and in translations including Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. The 2025 test comes with its own PDF covering all 128 questions and answers, plus a longer study guide called “One Nation, One People.”¹

Both banks are the entire pool. The officer at your interview draws from that pool and nowhere else. Memorize the sheet you downloaded and you have seen every civics question you can be asked.

How the Civics Test Is Given

The civics test is oral, not a written multiple-choice exam. During your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer asks you civics questions one at a time from the applicable question bank. You need six correct answers to pass, and the officer stops asking once you get there.² Under the 2008 test you can be asked up to 10 questions; get the first six right and the test is done.

The requirement itself comes from federal regulation, which obligates every applicant (unless exempt) to show knowledge of the fundamentals of U.S. history and the principles and form of government.³

What the Civics Questions Cover

The question banks are organized around three broad areas.

American government. This is the largest section. Expect questions on the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, the Bill of Rights and the freedoms it protects, the three branches, and checks and balances. You should know that Congress makes federal laws, that the President is Commander in Chief, and that the Supreme Court heads the judicial branch. Numbers come up: 27 amendments, 100 senators (two per state), 435 voting members of the House, a voting age of 18. Citizenship responsibilities such as voting, jury service, and paying federal taxes also appear.

American history. Colonial and revolutionary questions ask why the colonists fought for independence and what the Declaration of Independence did. Nineteenth-century questions focus on the Civil War (slavery, states’ rights, economic differences), Lincoln, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Twentieth-century questions cover the major wars (World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War), the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr., September 11, and the Cold War against the Soviet Union.

Integrated civics. Geography, symbols, and holidays. Washington, D.C. as the capital; Canada and Mexico as the neighboring countries; the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on either coast; the Missouri and Mississippi as the two longest rivers. The 50 stars on the flag stand for the 50 states, the 13 stripes for the original colonies. National holidays include Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day, and you should know what each commemorates rather than just its date.

Questions About Current Officials

Some questions ask for the name of whoever currently holds a specific office. The President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, one of your state’s U.S. Senators, and your U.S. Representative are all fair game.⁴ You may also be asked to name your state’s Governor.⁵

This is the one area where a printed answer sheet goes out of date. USCIS warns that answers change with elections and appointments, and only the name of the person actually holding the office at the time of your interview counts.⁵ Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates in the weeks before your interview to confirm the current names.

The English Vocabulary Lists

The naturalization exam also tests basic English through speaking, reading, and writing components.⁶ Speaking is judged informally as you answer the officer’s questions about your N-400. Reading and writing use published vocabulary, and those word lists are free too.

The writing vocabulary sheet contains roughly 80 words grouped into categories: people (Washington, Lincoln, Adams), places (United States, Washington D.C., New York City), civic terms (Congress, President, Senators), holidays (Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day), and simple verbs like vote, elect, and pay.⁷ For reading, the officer shows you up to three sentences and you pass by reading one correctly. For writing, the officer dictates up to three sentences and you pass by writing one correctly.¹ Minor misspellings that do not change the meaning of the word generally do not count against you.

Who Can Skip Parts of the Test

Age-based exemptions change what you need to study.

50 or older with at least 20 years as a permanent resident: exempt from the English test. You still take civics, and you may take it in your preferred language with your own interpreter.
55 or older with at least 15 years as a permanent resident: same English exemption, same civics rules.
65 or older with at least 20 years as a permanent resident: English exemption plus special consideration on civics, drawn from a shorter designated question list.⁸

Applicants whose physical or developmental disability prevents them from meeting the English or civics requirement may qualify for a medical exemption by filing Form N-648, completed by a licensed medical or osteopathic doctor or a licensed clinical psychologist.⁸

If You Don’t Pass the First Time

A first-attempt failure is not a denial. USCIS must schedule a second try within 60 to 90 days of your initial interview, and you only retake the portion you failed.⁹ Pass civics but miss the writing sentence, and only writing gets retested.

Miss the second attempt as well, and the officer will deny the application, with a written denial notice due within 120 days of the initial interview explaining what you failed to meet.⁹ After every interview, the officer hands you Form N-652 showing whether you passed, whether a retest is needed, or whether the case is still pending.¹⁰

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Study for the Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Naturalization Interview and Test
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eCFR. 8 CFR 312.2 – Knowledge of History and Government of the United States
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 Version)
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test
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eCFR. 8 CFR 312.1 – Literacy Requirements
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Writing Vocabulary for the Naturalization Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exceptions and Accommodations
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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. Form N-652 – Naturalization Interview Results