Which version of the civics test will I take?

It depends on when you filed Form N-400. If you filed on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 test; if you filed before, the 2008 test.

How many questions do I have to answer?

2025 test: the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions and you need 12 right; the test stops once you have 12 right or 9 wrong. 2008 test: up to 10 of the 100 questions, 6 right to pass.

Is the civics test written?

No. The officer asks the questions aloud and you answer aloud, in your own words. Here you can practise them as multiple choice or in the interview mode: your browser reads each question aloud, you answer by microphone or by typing, and each answer is checked at once against the answers USCIS lists. The interview stops where the officer stops — at 12 right or 9 wrong on the 2025 test, at 6 right or 5 wrong on the 2008 test — and needs no account.

What if I am 65 or older?

If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for 20 years or more when you file, you study a shorter list of specially marked questions and may take the test in your own language.

What happens if I fail?

You are tested again on the part you failed, usually within 60 to 90 days. If you fail a second time, your application is denied.

Do some answers change?

Yes. Answers about who holds an office — the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Justice — change with elections and appointments. USCIS lists the current ones at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates, and we follow it.

United States

U.S. citizenship test: every civics question, explained.

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At your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer asks you civics questions aloud. On the 2025 test you need 12 right answers out of up to 20. Here are the official questions, each with an accepted answer and a short explanation.

Practise the interview aloud See the questions

The format

2025 test
- Questions: 20
- Oral exam
- To pass: 12 of 20
2008 test
- Questions: 10
- Oral exam
- To pass: 6 of 10

The pass

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Also explained in

Topics

Principles of American government27
System of government410
Rights and responsibilities20
Colonial period and independence30
The 1800s17
Recent American history29
Geography8
Symbols9
Holidays6

A few questions with their answers.

Question 1 (2008 list)

What is the supreme law of the land?

The Constitution

Why this answer

Question 2 (2008 list)

What does the Constitution do?

Sets up the government

Why this answer

Question 3 (2008 list)

The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

We the People

Why this answer

2025 test · 124 questions 2008 test · 96 questions

The 8 general questions whose answer depends on where you live are not in this list: pick your state below for its senators, governor and capital. Your representative depends on your district — find yours at house.gov.

Questions by state

Questions people ask.

Which version of the civics test will I take?: It depends on when you filed Form N-400. If you filed on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 test; if you filed before, the 2008 test.
How many questions do I have to answer?: 2025 test: the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions and you need 12 right; the test stops once you have 12 right or 9 wrong. 2008 test: up to 10 of the 100 questions, 6 right to pass.
Is the civics test written?: No. The officer asks the questions aloud and you answer aloud, in your own words. Here you can practise them as multiple choice or in the interview mode: your browser reads each question aloud, you answer by microphone or by typing, and each answer is checked at once against the answers USCIS lists. The interview stops where the officer stops — at 12 right or 9 wrong on the 2025 test, at 6 right or 5 wrong on the 2008 test — and needs no account.
What if I am 65 or older?: If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for 20 years or more when you file, you study a shorter list of specially marked questions and may take the test in your own language.
What happens if I fail?: You are tested again on the part you failed, usually within 60 to 90 days. If you fail a second time, your application is denied.
Do some answers change?: Yes. Answers about who holds an office — the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Justice — change with elections and appointments. USCIS lists the current ones at uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates, and we follow it.

Source

Questions and answers: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version), M-1778, and Civics Questions and Answers (2008 version), rev. 08/21 — public domain. USCIS accepts other answers too; we show one of them. The wrong options and the explanations are ours. Not affiliated with or endorsed by USCIS.

Official information

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