How much more difficult is the new US citizenship test? What you need to know

María G. Ortiz-Briones, The Fresno Bee on Oct 20, 2025

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made changes to the naturalization civics test that will make it more challenging for immigrants to obtain their U.S. citizenship.

The changes are part of the federal agency’s ongoing effort to overhaul the legal immigration naturalization process.

“These critical changes are the first of many,” said USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser.

USCIS posted in September a Federal Register notice about the implementation of the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test.

The implementation of the new test is part of President Trump’s executive order to protect the U.S. from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats signed when he took office, according to USCIS.

Immigrants who file their naturalization application Form N-400 on or after Oct. 20 will take the tougher 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. According to USCIS, the new test will better assess applicants’ knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government.

The new test is based on the 2020 test with some modifications to how the test is administered by USCIS officers.

What to know about the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test

The new civics test increased the number of potential civics test questions from 100 to 128.

The number of test questions on the exam rose from 10 to 20.

The number of correct answers needed to pass the civics test increased from 6 answers to 12.

Starting Monday, applicants who submitted citizenship applications must answer 12 questions correctly out of the 20 questions asked by a USCIS officer during their citizenship interview appointment.

According to USCIS, a computer-generated list of 20 questions is selected randomly from the bank of 128 questions.

Officers will only be required to ask questions until an applicant either passes or fails the test. So, if an applicant answers 12 questions correctly, the officer will stop administering the test. Similarly, when an applicant answers nine questions incorrectly and fails the test, the officer will stop administering the questions.

USCIS will update the Naturalization Test and Study Materials and Resources for Educational Programs that applicants may consult to study for the test.

Immigrants who already had filed a naturalization application or who applied before the Oct. 20 filing date will take the 2008 Naturalization Civics Test. USCIS will temporarily retain on its website the study materials for the 2008 Naturalization Civics Test to help immigrants prepare for the civic test.

The notice does not change the English language proficiency parts of the naturalization test including reading, writing, speaking, and understanding.

In the past months the USCIS has made several changes to the naturalization process including a robust vetting for all immigrants and stricter reviews of disability exceptions to the English and civics requirements. It also provided its officers guidance for immigrants’ good moral character and resumed neighborhood investigation.

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