U.S. Citizenship Test– How to prepare for it?

Updated: May 3, 2021

Important Update to the Civics Test:
USCIS is reverting back to the 2008 version of the civics test.

All applicants are required to take the 2008 civics test, except:
Applicants who filed their Form N-400 on or after Dec. 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, with an initial examination (interview) before April 19, 2021, will have the option to take either the 2020 civics test, or the 2008 civics test at initial exam, re-exam, or N-336 hearing.

The English Test portion of the Naturalization Test which includes a speaking, reading and writing test has not changed.

The U.S. citizenship test will take place in English only and is in the form of a one-on-one interview.

It will consist of two components. The first part is an English test followed by a Civics test. The English test consists of three parts. A speaking and comprehension test, a reading test and a writing test. The Civics portion will test your knowledge of United States Government, History, Geography, Symbols and Holidays.

Simply reading the 100 (2008 civics test version) or 128 (2020 civics test version) questions and answers provided by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) will not be enough to be well prepared for this test.

You must also demonstrate your ability to speak and understand English and to read and write in English. Even if you are fluent in English, you do not want to go into this test completely unprepared.

U.S. Citizenship Test – English Test

Speaking and comprehension test

Your speaking and comprehension test starts the very moment the officer greets you and invites you to enter his/her office.

At the beginning of the U.S citizenship test (interview), the officer might ask you some simple “small talk” questions (about every day life) to be friendly and make you feel comfortable. The purpose of this is to test your understanding of basic English.

For example:
The officer might ask: “How do you like the weather today?”
You could answer: “It is too cold for me!”

In our FREE training program, we provide you with some “small talk” samples for you to practice with.

During the citizenship interview you might hear some commands.

For example:
The officer might say: “Please be seated.” Your response will be to say “thank you” and sit down.

In our FREE training program, we prepare you to understand most of the common commands.

To determine your ability to speak and understand English and to verify the information provided in your N-400, the USCIS officer will ask you some questions about your background. Most of these questions are from the N-400 application form that you have filled out.

Our FREE training program will provide you with a quiz to test your comprehension of 61 possible questions that the office might ask.

For example:
The officer might ask: “What is your home phone number?”

Choose the correct answer:
I was born in India
562-746-2244
795 Colbert Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85705
I bought my home last year

The N-400 form has a lot of vocabulary that you will need to understand. In our FREE training program, we train you on the words and phrases (vocabulary) that you might hear during your interview. Our vocabulary is based on the N-400 form.

Writing test

During your citizenship interview, the USCIS officer will determine your ability to write in English by asking you to write a sentence in English. The officer will read out the sentence and you will have to write exactly what you have heard. You will have three chances to write one sentence in English correctly.

Example sentence to write: Mexico is south of the United States

In our FREE training program, we train you to correctly write out 44 possible test sentences. All sentences are based on the official USCIS writing vocabulary list.

Reading test

The USCIS officer will also determine your ability to read in English by asking you to read a sentence in English. The officer will point at a sentence and you will have to read the sentence out loud. You will have three chances to read one sentence in English correctly.

Example sentence to read: George Washington was the first president

In our FREE training program, we train you on some reading sample sentences. These sentences are based on the official USCIS Reading Vocabulary List.

U.S. citizenship test – Civics Test

The 100 Questions and Answers (for the 2008 version of the civics test)

During your U.S. citizenship test interview, the USCIS will ask you up to 10 of the 100 civics questions, to test your knowledge of U.S. history, government, geography, symbols and holidays. You must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the test. Nobody knows which questions you will be asked so it is essential to learn all 100 questions and answers.

The 128 Questions and Answers (for the 2020 version of the civics test)

During your U.S. citizenship test interview, the USCIS will ask you to answer 20 of the 128 civics questions, to test your knowledge of U.S. history, government, symbols and holidays. You must answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the test. Nobody knows which questions you will be asked so it is essential to learn all 128 questions and answers.

In our FREE training program, we provide you with a very user-friendly way to read the civics questions and answers that you must learn.

Civics Test Quiz

Our Civics Test Quiz will test your knowledge of U.S. history and government, geography, symbols and holidays (based on the 100/128 Questions and Answers). The actual civics test is an oral rather than a multiple choice test.

Our FREE Civics Test Quiz will assess your knowledge and also help you remember the 100 questions and answers (for the 2008 version of the civics test) or the 128 questions and answers (for the 2020 version of the civics test).

Flash cards

Our FREE online flash cards are a fun and efficient way to help you memorize the Civics Test Questions and Answers.

Government

In our FREE training program, you will find the answers to all the government-specific questions (state and federal) from the Civics Questions.

U.S. citizenship test – Very Important

You only have two chances to pass your citizenship test. If you fail any portion of the test in your second attempt your citizenship application will be denied.

As a result, you must be well prepared for this test.

Have a look at our FREE U.S. Citizenship Test complete online training program to help you pass your test successfully. Good luck on your U.S. citizenship test!

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