What happens if you fail the citizenship test

Failing the civics test, or one part of the English test, at your naturalization interview leaves your application open. USCIS gives every applicant two attempts, and it schedules the second one between 60 and 90 days after the first interview.

At the end of the first interview

Whatever the outcome, the officer gives you a notice of results, Form N-652. When you fail a test, the officer continues the case. There is no decision yet, and USCIS schedules you to come back.

Look on the notice for the part you failed. That is what you will be tested on next time.

When the retest happens

The second exam falls between 60 and 90 days after the first, and USCIS cannot make you come back sooner than 60 days.

If you need a later date, ask before the appointment. To push the retest past the 90-day mark you have to agree in writing to give USCIS more time to decide your case, because the 120-day deadline for a decision then runs from your second interview instead of the first.

What gets retested

The officer retests only the parts you failed. Pass speaking, reading, and civics but miss the writing sentence, and you come back for writing alone. The officer has to use a different test form from your first one, so the sentences and civics questions will be new.

Your civics version stays the same, since it follows the date you filed your N-400. Filed before October 20, 2025, you take the 2008 test and need 6 correct answers out of up to 10. Filed on or after that date, you take the 2025 test and need 12 out of up to 20.

If you miss the retest

An unexcused no-show is treated as a failed second attempt, and the officer can deny your application on that basis. That applies when you miss the appointment without good cause and without telling USCIS beforehand, so if something comes up, ask to reschedule before the date.

If you fail a second time

After two failed attempts at any part, the officer must deny the application. The denial notice gives the reason, lists any other eligibility problems the officer found, and explains how to request a hearing.

Requesting a hearing on Form N-336

To have the denial reviewed, file Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings. The window is 30 calendar days from receiving the denial, or 33 if USCIS mailed it. USCIS generally rejects a late request and keeps the filing fee, which is listed on the USCIS fee schedule.

A different officer holds the hearing, someone at the same grade as the officer who denied you or higher. The regulation gives USCIS 180 days from your request to schedule it. If the denial was for a failed test, the hearing officer must give you the failed part of the test again, so treat the hearing as one more attempt and prepare for it the way you prepared for the retest. Not taking the test at the hearing counts as another failed attempt.

You can also file a new Form N-400, which starts the application over. If your denial notice lists any reason besides the test, talk to an immigration attorney before you choose.

Using the 60 to 90 days

You know which part you failed, which makes the second round easier to plan than the first.

Civics needs the whole list for your version, since the retest draws a different set of questions: the 100 civics questions on the 2008 test or the 128 civics questions on the 2025 test. The officer asks and you answer with nothing in front of you, so say each answer out loud from memory, in a random order. Mark the ones you hesitate on and go back to them every day.

If reading tripped you up, read short sentences about U.S. history and government aloud to someone who will stop you when a word comes out unclear. Writing is easier to practice with a partner too: they dictate, you write by hand. One correct sentence out of three passes, and spelling, capitalization, or punctuation mistakes only count against you when they change the meaning.

Speaking is tested during the conversation about your N-400, so practice answering questions about your application out loud while someone plays the officer.

About a week before the retest, run the part you failed start to finish under interview conditions, with someone else asking.

Where the app fits

Flashcards, unlimited civics practice tests, and read-aloud audio for both question lists are free in our app, along with reading and writing practice using sentences built from the USCIS vocabulary lists. Pro, a one-time purchase, adds a scored English mock test and a full mock interview where you choose which parts to run. If writing is what you failed, you can sit a scored writing test before the real one.

The rest of the appointment is covered in what happens at the naturalization interview.

Sources

Checked on October 14, 2026. USCIS can change its procedures, so confirm anything that matters to your case on uscis.gov.

• The Naturalization Interview and Test, USCIS
• Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2: English and Civics Testing, USCIS
• Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part B, Chapter 4: Results of the Naturalization Examination, USCIS
• N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings, USCIS
• 8 CFR 312.5, 8 CFR 335.3, and 8 CFR 336.2, eCFR