USCIS Announces 2025 Naturalization Civics Test Implementation Timeline

(UNITED STATES) The Department of Homeland Security, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will reimplement a revised Naturalization Civics Test first rolled out in 2020, with one key procedural modification and a phased start tied to the Federal Register publication date. The 2025 Naturalization Civics Test restores a 20-question format drawn from a 128-question bank, requires 12 correct answers to pass, and keeps the English reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension parts unchanged.

USCIS will begin using the new civics test for applicants who file their naturalization applications 30 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, which is scheduled for September 18, 2025. Applicants who already filed or who file within the first 30 days after publication will continue with the 2008 test.

Purpose, Authority, and Background

USCIS says the revised civics test is intended to better assess knowledge of U.S. history and government while keeping administration fair and uniform nationwide. The Department cites legal authority under INA section 312 (8 U.S.C. 1423) and INA section 332 (8 U.S.C. 1443) to design, revise, and administer the test.

The decision also aligns with Executive Order 14161, issued by President Trump on January 20, 2025, directing the Department to evaluate programs that help immigrants assimilate and to promote shared attachment to the Constitution and founding principles. USCIS states the 2020 test was too short-lived to generate data supporting claims it created barriers, and that returning to it—with a time-saving tweak—strikes the right balance.

Historically, USCIS frames this change as part of a decades-long effort to standardize and strengthen civics testing: reforms in the 1930s and 1950s, a 100-question standard in the 1990s, and revisions in 2008 and 2020.

Key Procedural Change

Under the 2025 implementation, officers will no longer be required to ask all 20 questions in every interview. Instead:

• Examiners will stop once an applicant has either:
  • 12 correct answers (a pass), or
  • 9 incorrect answers (a fail).

The passing score remains the same as in 2020. By ending questioning at pass/fail, USCIS aims to preserve interview time for other parts of the naturalization process without reducing the breadth of topics covered across the full slate of potential questions.

Important: The English reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension parts of naturalization are unchanged.

Study Materials and Timing

USCIS will update study materials in advance of the change and will keep the 2008 materials available for a period to support applicants whose filing date places them under the older version. The agency says most people subject to the 2025 test will not sit for it until at least three months after publication because of the 30-day runway and typical interview scheduling.

Official study tools — including the full 128-question bank — will be posted on the USCIS website. For applicants and educators looking to prepare, USCIS directs the public to its Naturalization Test and Study Resources.

Policy Changes Overview

• Question bank: 128 questions on U.S. history and government (as in 2020).
• Test length: 20 questions asked orally by an officer, randomly selected at set difficulty levels.
• Passing score: 12 correct answers (unchanged).
• New administration rule: Officers stop once the applicant reaches 12 correct (pass) or 9 incorrect (fail). Previously, officers asked all 20 questions even if the outcome was already decided.
• English component: No changes to reading, writing, and speaking requirements.

Filing-date implementation schedule

• If you file before publication of the Federal Register notice or within 30 days after publication: Take the 2008 test.
• If you file 30 days or more after publication: Take the 2025 test.

Special Consideration for Older Applicants

Special consideration for older adults remains in place:

• Applicants age 65 or older who have been lawful permanent residents for at least 20 years will continue to receive a 10-question civics exam drawn from a special 20-question list.
• They must answer 6 correctly to pass.
• If their filing date is within the 30-day window, their questions will come from the 2008 special list; if they file 30 days or more after publication, their questions will come from the 2025 special list.

Impact on Applicants and Educators

For applicants planning to file soon, the 30-day window after publication matters. USCIS chose this schedule to honor “reliance interests” of people who studied for the 2008 questions and to give educators time to update curricula.

What remains constant across both versions is the core purpose: to measure knowledge of the fundamentals of American history and the principles and form of the U.S. government, as required by law. The Department of Homeland Security emphasizes that civics knowledge supports full participation — voting, serving on juries, following constitutional duties, and engaging with local and federal institutions.

People with disabilities remain eligible for existing exemptions under INA 312(b)(1), and the English parts of the naturalization test are not affected by this notice. USCIS underscores that only the civics component changes.

Practical effects for instructors and programs

• A broader spread of topics may appear in any given interview because of the 20-question format.
• Interviews will have a predictable stopping point once pass/fail is reached, which may reduce fatigue for nervous applicants.
• Updated official materials will mirror the exact language of acceptable answers, helping programs align lessons with the test.

USCIS piloted questions in 2020 with partner programs, adjusted wording and difficulty based on results, and reports that about three-quarters of the 2020 bank drew from 2008 material while one-quarter was new. That mix carries over into 2025.

Classroom guidance and timelines

• Citizenship classes have a window to refresh lessons, hold practice interviews with 20 questions, and adjust homework so students aim for 12 correct.
• Teachers should explain the early stopping rule so students understand why an interview might feel shorter than expected.
• USCIS recommends using the official question bank and answer key rather than third-party summaries that may be outdated.

Examples Illustrating the Rule

• Ana — a 63-year-old caregiver who began studying the 2008 list with her church group:
  • If she files within 30 days of publication, she continues with the 2008 questions she practiced.
  • If she waits to file after 30 days, she should switch to the 128-question bank and aim for 12 correct.
• Carlos — 70 years old, a permanent resident for 20+ years:
  • He will receive a 10-question test from a 20-question special list and needs 6 correct.
  • Whether his special list is from 2008 or 2025 depends on whether he files within or after the 30-day window.

Rationale and Expected Outcomes

USCIS argues the longer 20-question format helps officers sample more content areas, reducing the chance a person passes with only a narrow slice of knowledge. Stopping early once there is a clear result should:

• Keep interviews on schedule,
• Reduce unnecessary questioning and interview fatigue,
• Preserve breadth across the full bank of questions.

The decision follows a short-lived rollout and rollback in 2020–2021. The 2020 test went live on December 1, 2020, before USCIS reverted to the 2008 version on March 1, 2021, citing concerns about potential barriers. USCIS now says that brief period did not provide enough data to support those concerns and that the 2025 approach fixes time burdens without lowering standards.

Practical Pointers from USCIS

1. Keep an eye on the Federal Register publication date and count 30 days forward to know which test applies to you. For Federal Register notices, see the Federal Register entry for the USCIS notice on the Department of Homeland Security docket at Federal Register publication date.
2. Use the agency’s official study bank and tools rather than third-party summaries. USCIS updates answers when elected officials change or laws shift, so the official list is the most reliable.

USCIS will post the full question bank and answer key and will temporarily maintain the 2008 materials so applicants can follow the correct path based on filing date.

For official study materials and resources, see: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources.