U.S. Citizenship Test

As part of the naturalization process, applicants must pass a two-part U.S. citizenship test. The first part is the English test, which evaluates the applicant’s reading, writing, and speaking abilities. The second part, the civics test, assesses the applicant’s knowledge of U.S. history and government.

What Are the Requirements for the U.S. Citizenship Test?

An officer will conduct the naturalization test to determine whether the applicant meets the English and civics educational requirements. The U.S. citizenship test consists of two components:

• English Proficiency: Determined by the applicant’s ability to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.
• Knowledge of U.S. History and Government: Determined through a civics test.

Each applicant is given two opportunities to take the test, which typically occurs on the same day as the U.S. naturalization interview. USCIS will deny the naturalization application if the applicant fails any part of the tests after two attempts.

In cases where the applicant requests a USCIS hearing regarding the denial, officers must administer any failed portion of the tests. Unless waived by USCIS, an applicant’s failure to appear for a retest, or failure to take the test during an examination or hearing, will be treated as a failure to pass the test.

What Are the Conditions for a U.S. Citizenship Test Waiver?

Applicants may be eligible for an exemption from the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both. Below are the exemptions regarding the English and civics requirements for naturalization.

1. Age and Residence Exceptions for the English Test

Applicants are exempt from the English language requirement but are still required to meet the civics requirement if:

• At the time of filing Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization), they are 50 years of age or older and have lived in the United States as a permanent resident for at least 20 years since the issuance of their permanent resident card.
• At the time of filing Form N-400, they are 55 years of age or older and have lived in the United States as a permanent resident for at least 15 years since the issuance of their permanent resident card.

Notes:

• You will be permitted to take the civics test in your native language.
• If you take the test in your native language, you must bring an interpreter to the interview.
• The interpreter must be fluent in both English and your native language.

2. Medical Disability Exception for the English and Civics Tests

• Applicants who cannot meet the English and civics requirements due to a medical disability may be exempted from the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both.
• To request this waiver, you must submit a signed Form N-648 (Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions). This form must be completed by a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist.

The English Test Component of the U.S. Citizenship Exam

An applicant for naturalization only needs to demonstrate an ability to read, write, speak, and understand common words. Ordinary usage means understandable and appropriate communication through basic vocabulary and grammar, which may include noticeable errors in pronunciation, structure, spelling, and a complete understanding of certain words, phrases, and sentences.

Applicants may request the repetition or rephrasing of words and may make some pronunciation, spelling, and grammar errors while still meeting the English requirements for naturalization. An officer should repeat and rephrase questions until they are satisfied that the applicant either fully understands the question or is unable to understand English.

1. The Speaking Test

• An officer determines an applicant’s ability to speak and understand English based on their capacity to answer questions typically asked during the naturalization examination. The officer’s questions relate to eligibility and include those provided in the application for naturalization.
• The officer must repeat and rephrase questions during the naturalization exam until they are certain that the applicant understands the questions or does not understand English.
• Applicants who are not eligible for an English waiver must be able to communicate in English regarding their application and eligibility for naturalization. The applicant does not need to understand every single word or phrase in the application.
• Passing the Speaking Test: If the applicant understands and responds meaningfully to questions regarding their eligibility for naturalization, they have demonstrated the ability to speak English.
• Failing the Speaking Test: An applicant fails the speaking test when they do not understand enough English to take the oath or answer eligibility questions on their naturalization application.

2. The Reading Test

To demonstrate sufficient ability to read English, an applicant must read one out of three sentences. The reading test is administered by the officer using a standardized reading test template. Once the applicant correctly reads one of the three sentences, the officer will stop the reading test.

Passing the Reading Test

An applicant passes the reading test if they read one of the three sentences without extended pauses in a manner that conveys the meaning of the sentence so that the officer can understand it. Generally, the applicant must read all content words but may omit short words or make pronunciation or intonation errors that do not affect the meaning.

Failing the Reading Test

An applicant fails the reading test if they do not successfully read at least one of the three sentences. An applicant fails to read a sentence successfully when they:

• Omit a content word or substitute a content word with another word.
• Pause for an extended period of time while reading the sentence.
• Make pronunciation or intonation errors to the extent that the applicant cannot convey the meaning of the sentence and the officer cannot understand it.

3. The Writing Test

To demonstrate adequate writing ability in English, the applicant must write one out of three sentences in a manner understood by the officer. The officer reads the sentence aloud to the applicant using a standardized writing test template.

• Applicants must not abbreviate any words. Once the applicant writes one of the three sentences in a way the officer can understand, the officer will stop the writing test.
• An applicant will not fail the writing test due to spelling, capitalization, or punctuation errors, unless those errors alter the meaning of the sentence and the officer cannot understand it.

Passing the Writing Test

An applicant passes the writing test if they can convey the meaning of one of the three sentences to the officer. The applicant’s writing sample may contain the following:

• Some grammatical, spelling, or capitalization errors.
• Omission of short words that do not affect the meaning.
• Numbers spelled out or written as digits.

Failing the Writing Test

An applicant fails the writing test if they make errors to the extent that the meaning of the sentence is not conveyed and the officer cannot understand it. An applicant will fail the writing test if they write the following:

• A completely different sentence or different words.
• An abbreviation of a word that was read aloud.
• Nothing at all, or only one or two isolated words.
• A sentence that is completely illegible.

The Civics Test Component

An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of U.S. history, principles, and forms of government (civics). To sufficiently demonstrate civics knowledge, a naturalization applicant must pass the civics test by correctly answering a designated number of questions.

USCIS is committed to a test that serves as a civics learning tool and promotes civic assimilation as part of the test preparation process. USCIS will randomly select test questions, and an officer will administer the test orally. The standardized civics test consists of 10 questions. The officer will stop the test once the applicant answers the minimum number of questions required to pass.

• Passing the Civics Test: An applicant passes the civics test if they correctly answer or provide an alternate phrasing for the correct answer to six out of the 10 questions.
• Failing the Civics Test: An applicant fails the civics test if they answer incorrectly or fail to answer five out of the 10 questions.

Special Considerations

An officer will grant special consideration to applicants who are 65 years of age or older and have lived in the United States for a cumulative total of at least 20 years after being lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The age and time requirements must be met at the time of filing the application for naturalization.

The test for applicants granted special consideration consists of 20 specifically designated civics questions chosen from the standard list of 100 civics test study questions. An applicant meeting the criteria for special consideration passes the civics test if they correctly answer or provide an alternate phrasing for the correct answer to at least six out of 10 test questions chosen from the specially designated list of 20 questions.

What Happens if an Applicant Fails the English or Civics Requirements?

If an applicant fails any part of the English test, the civics test, or all tests during the initial U.S. citizenship examination, USCIS will reschedule the applicant for a second examination between 60 and 90 days after the initial test.

When the applicant arrives for the retest, the re-examining officer must not administer the exact same English or civics tests given during the first examination. The officer must only retest the applicant on the portions they previously failed. For example, if the applicant passed the English speaking, reading, and civics sections but failed the writing portion during the first exam, the officer may only conduct the English writing test during the re-examination.

If the applicant fails any portion of the U.S. citizenship test for the second time, the officer must deny the application based on the applicant’s failure to meet the educational requirements for naturalization. The officer must also address any other areas of ineligibility within the denial notice.

An applicant who refuses​ ​to be tested or refuses to answer individual questions on the reading, writing, or civics test, or fails to answer eligibility questions because they do not understand the questions when asked or rephrased, does not meet the educational requirements. The officer must treat the applicant’s refusal to be tested or to answer test questions as a failure to pass the examination.