US Citizenship Civics Test: Answers, English Portion, and Retakes

The U.S. citizenship civics test questions and answers come from one of two official banks published by USCIS. If you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you study the 2025 bank of 128 questions and need 12 correct answers out of up to 20 asked. If you filed before that date and your case is still pending, you study the 2008 bank of 100 questions and need 6 correct out of up to 10.¹ Either way, the questions are not secret. USCIS releases every question and every accepted answer in advance, so passing is a matter of memorizing the set list that applies to you.²

How the Test Is Given

The civics test is oral. During your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer asks the questions one at a time and you answer out loud. The officer stops the moment you have answered enough correctly to pass, or enough incorrectly that passing is no longer possible.³ On the 2025 version that means the officer may ask as few as 12 questions if you get every one right, or run all the way to 20. On the 2008 version, six correct answers ends it.

Many questions have more than one accepted answer. You only need to give one. If the question asks you to name a right in the First Amendment, “freedom of speech” is enough; you do not have to list all five.

Government and Civics Answers

Most of the test covers how the federal government works. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It sets up the government and protects the basic rights of Americans. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. The rights protected by the First Amendment are speech, religion, assembly, press, and petitioning the government. The rule of law means that everyone must follow the law, including leaders and government itself.⁴

The three branches of government are legislative, executive, and judicial. Congress is the legislative branch and makes federal laws. It has two chambers: the Senate, with 100 members (two per state), and the House of Representatives, with 435 voting members allocated by state population.⁵ Senators serve six-year terms; House members serve two-year terms. The President leads the executive branch. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the judicial branch.

Federalism, the sharing of power between federal and state governments, comes up in several questions. Federal powers include printing money and declaring war. State powers include issuing driver’s licenses and running public schools. The two major political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Voting in a federal election and serving on a jury are responsibilities reserved to U.S. citizens.⁴

Current Officials (2026)

Several answers depend on who currently holds office and change with elections. As of 2026:

President: Donald Trump
Vice President: JD Vance
Speaker of the House: Mike Johnson
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Roberts

You also need to know your own state’s two U.S. Senators, your U.S. Representative, your state’s governor, and your state capital. USCIS only expects the ones tied to where you live. Look these up shortly before your interview so the names are fresh.

History Answers

The colonists fought the British for reasons USCIS accepts in several forms: because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering), or because they didn’t have self-government. The Declaration of Independence announced that the colonies were free from Britain. George Washington was the first President and is called the Father of Our Country. The war is called the American Revolution or the Revolutionary War.⁶

For the 1800s, the Civil War is the dominant topic. It was fought between the North and the South. When asked what Abraham Lincoln did, any of these single answers passes: he freed the slaves (the Emancipation Proclamation), he saved (or preserved) the Union, or he led the country during the Civil War.⁴

For the 1900s, wars fought by the United States that USCIS accepts include World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the accepted answer for who fought for civil rights and who worked for equality for all Americans.⁴

Symbols, Geography, and Holidays

The flag has 50 stars, one for each state, and 13 stripes for the original 13 colonies. The national anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Statue of Liberty sits in New York Harbor and represents freedom. The two longest rivers in the United States are the Mississippi and the Missouri. The capital is Washington, D.C. Independence Day is celebrated on July 4. Other federal holidays that appear on the test include Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.⁴ These are the easiest points on the test; do not overthink them.

The Shorter Test for Older Long-Term Residents

If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, you take a simplified civics test drawn from a designated short list of 20 questions. The officer asks 10, and you need 6 correct to pass.⁶ USCIS marks the qualifying questions on its published question lists, so you know exactly which 20 to study.

Two other age-and-residency exemptions, the 50/20 and 55/15 rules, waive the English requirement and let you take the full civics test in your native language with an interpreter, but they do not shorten the civics questions themselves.⁷ Applicants with a qualifying medical condition can request a full exception from both the English and civics tests by filing Form N-648, which a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist must complete.⁸

The English Portion at the Same Interview

The civics test is one part of the interview. Unless you qualify for an exemption, you also have to show basic English in speaking, reading, and writing.⁹ Speaking is judged throughout the interview from how you answer the officer’s questions about your N-400.¹⁰ For reading, you read one sentence aloud in English, with up to three tries; one correct sentence passes. For writing, the officer reads a sentence and you write it down, with the same three-try rule.³

USCIS publishes the reading and writing vocabulary lists. Reading words include “Washington,” “President,” “citizen,” and “freedom.” Writing words include “pays,” “taxes,” “lives,” and “America.” Studying the official word lists is the most efficient way to prepare for the English portion.

If You Fail a Portion

Failing any portion of the English or civics test gives you one more chance. USCIS schedules the re-examination 60 to 90 days after the first interview and retests only the portion you did not pass.¹¹ Failing the second attempt results in denial. After a denial you would need to file a new N-400 and pay the filing fee again to try once more.

1
Federal Register. Notice of Implementation of 2025 Naturalization Civics Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2025 Civics Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Study for the Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Civics Questions and Answers 2008 Version
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USAGov. U.S. House of Representatives
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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. Exceptions and Accommodations
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-648 – Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions
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eCFR. 8 CFR 312.1 – Literacy Requirements
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Naturalization Interview and Test
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual Volume 12 Part B Chapter 4 – Results of the Naturalization Examination