Citizenship Test Questions 2026
Your filing date, not your interview date, decides which list of questions you study.
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How to use the filing-date lookup
- Enter the date your Form N-400 was filed (the date USCIS received it, not your interview date).
- Read the result: the 2008 test (100 questions) or the 2025 test (128 questions).
- Check the numbers shown with the result: how many questions the officer asks, how many you must answer correctly and when the officer stops.
- Follow the link under the result to the matching practice or list page.
- If you are not sure of the filing date, check your receipt notice before you rely on the result.
The cut-off is 20 October 2025: filed before it means the 2008 test, on or after it means the 2025 test. The lookup runs in your browser and stores nothing about you.
The lookup works in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. Because these rules are about legal status, treat the result as information that points you to the official page, and confirm anything important with USCIS or with a lawyer or accredited representative. Say each answer aloud once. Check the source link when a number matters to your case. Come back to anything you were unsure about the next day. Nothing you do here is sent to a server. Keep a note of any question you have to look up twice.
Which test applies if I filed before October 20, 2025?
If you filed Form N-400 before 20 October 2025, the 2008 civics test applies. It has 100 questions, the officer asks up to 10 of them, and you must answer 6 correctly. The filing date decides this, not the interview date.
| N-400 filing date | Civics test | Questions in list | Officer asks | Correct to pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 20 October 2025 | 2008 test | 100 | Up to 10 | 6 |
| On or after 20 October 2025 | 2025 test | 128 | Up to 20 | 12 |
Here is how the picker handles the cut-off:
- Filed 19 October 2025, interview in 2026: 2008 test, 100-question list.
- Filed 20 October 2025: 2025 test, 128-question list.
An interview held in 2026 does not move an application filed earlier into the newer list.
How many questions do they ask for citizenship in 2026?
In 2026 the officer asks up to 10 questions on the 2008 test or up to 20 on the 2025 test, depending on your filing date. The test stops early once the answers are decided, so you may not hear every question.
| Test | Questions asked | Correct to pass | Stops at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Up to 10 | 6 | 6 correct or 5 incorrect |
| 2025 | Up to 20 | 12 | 12 correct or 9 incorrect |
Both versions use a 60 percent pass mark.
More questions about this topic
Do I need to give every answer listed under a question?
No. Where a question lists several answers you give as many as the question asks for, so “Name two” needs two. USCIS encourages applicants to use the listed answers, and the Policy Manual also accepts an alternative phrasing of a correct answer.
What happens if I fail part of the naturalization test?
You get two attempts at the English and civics tests. If you fail a portion at the first interview, you are retested on only that portion between 60 and 90 days after the first interview. Failing the same portion a second time means the officer must deny the application (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 12 Part E).
Which USCIS civics test do you take: 100 or 128 questions?
Your N-400 filing date decides. Filed before 20 October 2025 means the 100-question list, and filed on or after that date means the 128-question list.
Does the 50/20 or 55/15 exception reduce the question bank?
No. Only the 65/20 group gets the shorter 20-question list. Applicants who qualify for 50/20 or 55/15 are exempt from the English test but take the full civics test for their version, and may take it in their own language with an interpreter.
Do I have to answer all 128 civics questions at the interview?
No. The 128 questions are the study bank. The officer asks up to 20 of them, and you need 12 correct.
What are the 10 most common questions asked for the citizenship test?
USCIS does not publish how often any question is asked, and a USCIS system picks the questions at random from the whole list, so there is no reliable top ten. Study the full list for your version, and give extra time to the questions flagged as hard on the hardest civics test questions page.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Rules and wording are taken from USCIS pages and the Policy Manual, retrieved 2026-10-26; official links were fetched and kept only if they returned HTTP 200 on 2026-10-26.
Sources
Check yourself: common questions
Is there a separate 2026 USCIS civics test?
No. There is no separate 2026 civics test. Applicants who filed on or after 20 October 2025 take the 2025 test with 128 questions, whatever year the interview falls in.
Is the citizenship test hard in 2026?
The rules did not change in 2026: you need 6 of 10 correct (2008 test) or 12 of 20 (2025 test), the officer stops once the result is decided, and if you fail you get one retest of that part 60 to 90 days later. USCIS publishes no miss rates, so no single question is provably the hardest. By our own rules, 26 of the 128 questions on the 2025 list and 22 of the 100 on the 2008 list are flagged as harder; see hardest civics test questions.
Which 20 questions do 65/20 applicants study?
The 20 questions marked with an asterisk on the list for your version: 20 of the 128 questions on the 2025 list and 20 of the 100 on the 2008 list. The officer asks 10 of them and 6 correct answers pass. See 65/20 civics questions for both lists in full.
What if an answer changes before my interview?
Name whoever holds the office when you are interviewed. Check the USCIS Test Updates page before you go, because office-holder answers can change.
Which civics answers change before the interview?
Officeholder answers can change. On the 2025 list these are Q23 (your senator), Q29 (your representative), Q30, Q38, Q39 and Q57 (Speaker, President, Vice President, Chief Justice), and Q61 (your governor); Q62 (your state capital) depends on where you live. On the 2008 list, check Q20, Q23, Q28, Q29, Q39, Q40, Q43, Q46 and Q47 on the Test Updates page; Q44 (your state capital) depends on where you live.
How can I take the citizenship test in my language?
Only some applicants may take the civics test in another language: those who qualify for the 50/20 or 55/15 English exemptions, for 65/20, or who have an approved N-648 medical exception from English, may take it in their own language and must bring an interpreter fluent in both English and that language (USCIS, Exceptions and Accommodations, reviewed 01/09/2026). Everyone else takes it in English. Our practice questions are in English only. See Citizenship test in Spanish for the checker.
What happens during the civics test, and if you fail?
You get two attempts at the English and civics tests. If you fail a portion at the first interview, you are retested on only that portion between 60 and 90 days after the first interview. Failing the same portion a second time means the officer must deny the application (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 12 Part E).
Related tools
- Which civics test do I take? — Use it if you are not sure which filing-date rule applies to you.
- 128 civics questions — Open this when your filing date is on or after 20 October 2025.
- 100 civics questions — Open this when your filing date is before 20 October 2025.
- US citizenship practice test — Try a mock test once you have studied your list.
- What changed in the 2025 civics test — Read this to see how the new list differs from the 2008 list.
- Citizenship test questions PDF — Download the official lists if you want a printable copy.
- Citizenship test passing score — Check the pass mark for each version before your interview.