The 2025 civics test: 128 questions, 20 asked, 12 to pass.

The civics test is spoken, not written. During your naturalization interview a USCIS officer asks you questions from the official list one at a time and you answer out loud, in English. There is no multiple choice and nothing to fill in.

On the 2025 version the officer draws from a list of 128 questions and asks up to 20. You pass the civics portion by answering 12 correctly. The officer stops early once the result is settled: at 12 correct you have passed, and at 9 incorrect the 12 is no longer reachable.

The questions cover three areas: American government (principles, the system of government, rights and responsibilities), American history (the colonial period and independence, the 1800s, and recent history), and integrated civics (geography, symbols, and holidays).

A handful of answers depend on where you live or change over time: your state's senators and representative, your governor, and the current officeholders in Washington. Those are worth checking close to your interview date rather than memorizing early.

Which version you take is set by the date you filed Form N-400. The interview date has no effect on it. USCIS put the 2025 test in place for applications filed on or after October 20, 2025. If that is you, you take the 2025 test: 128 questions to study, up to 20 asked, 12 to pass. If you filed before October 20, 2025, you take the older 2008 test (100 questions, 10 asked, 6 to pass), even if your interview lands much later.

The quickest way to check your date is the receipt notice USCIS mailed you, Form I-797C. The receipt date printed on it is the day your application was filed. If you are still unsure, confirm against the current USCIS guidance or ask your officer at the interview.

Some applicants qualify for accommodations based on their age and how long they have held a green card, each measured as of the filing date:

• 65/20 special consideration. If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 or more years, you study a shorter list of 20 designated questions, marked with an asterisk in the official 2025 materials. The officer asks 10 of those 20 and you pass with 6 correct. This applies to the 2025 test, the same as the 2008 test.
• 50/20 and 55/15 English exemption. If you are 50 or older with 20 years as a resident, or 55 or older with 15 years, you may take the civics test in your own language with an interpreter and skip the English reading and writing test. You still take the civics test.

Read more about the 65/20 special consideration →

Volume is the whole challenge here. Working through the list category by category beats grinding it in order, because related questions reinforce each other, and short daily sessions beat one long cram, as the officer is testing recall weeks or months after you start.

Once you can answer most of a category from memory, switch to practice tests in the real format. The gap between recognizing an answer on a flashcard and saying it out loud to a stranger is the gap our full mock interview is built to close.

That is the routine our app is built around. It covers all 128 questions as flashcards grouped by category with mastery tracking, gives you unlimited practice tests in the real self-check and multiple-choice formats, and reads every question and answer aloud if you would rather listen than read. All of that is free.

When you want more, Pro adds the full mock interview, where a spoken officer runs the whole N-400 from the oath through the civics questions, and a personalized study plan that counts down to your interview date and keeps pushing the questions you miss back in front of you, with a readiness score so you know when you are ready. Pro is a one-time $14.99, never a subscription.