Starting from October 20, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will implement a new version of the citizenship test for naturalization. Applicants who submit Form N-400 for naturalization on or after this date will be required to take the newly revised test for the year 2025. Those who submitted their naturalization applications before will continue to use the 2008 version of the test.
The 2025 version of the Naturalization Civics Test consists of a bank of 128 questions and answers. During the citizenship test, officers will randomly ask 20 questions from this pool, and applicants need to correctly answer at least 12 questions to pass. Failing to answer 9 questions correctly will result in a failed test. Once an applicant answers 12 questions correctly or fails 9 questions, the officer will stop asking questions.
Applicants are allowed two opportunities to take the test, and if they do not pass on their second attempt, their naturalization application will be denied.
The content and process of the new 2025 version are considered more challenging compared to the previous 2008 version. In the 2008 version, which had a bank of 100 questions, officers orally asked 10 questions during the citizenship test, and applicants needed to answer at least 6 questions correctly to pass.
Elderly applicants are eligible for special considerations. Permanent residents who are 65 years of age and have resided in the U.S. for 20 years only need to prepare 20 selected questions from the 128-question bank (marked with an asterisk *), and they can choose to take the test in their native language. Officers will ask 10 questions randomly from these 20, and answering 6 correctly will lead to a passing grade.
The 2025 version is generally perceived to be more challenging than the 2008 version based on the test content. The addition of more “why” questions distinguishes the 2025 version, such as questions like: “Why is the Declaration of Independence important?” “Why does the government have three branches?” “Why do House members serve shorter terms than Senators?” “Why does each state have two Senators?” “Why do some states have more Representatives than others?” “Why is the President limited to two terms?”
According to a new announcement published by USCIS in the Federal Register on September 18 this year, the 2025 version builds on the 2020 version, with three-quarters of the content derived from the 2008 version and the remaining one-quarter being new content.
In the initial announcement of the new naturalization test plan in September this year, USCIS mentioned that the new version balances the requirements for immigrants and the interview duration, integrating feedback received after the initial implementation of the 2020 version.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated in the announcement that U.S. citizenship should only be granted to foreigners who fully identify with the values and principles of the country. He emphasized that only individuals meeting all naturalization conditions, including proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English, along with understanding the U.S. government system and civic knowledge, can become U.S. citizens, ensuring their full integration and contributions to the nation’s greatness.
The updated study guide for the citizenship test, “One Nation, One People,” comprises 88 pages and provides a detailed overview of the U.S. Constitution, the system of checks and balances, U.S. history, geography, and more. It includes 128 questions and answers for applicants to study.
As per the latest data released by USCIS on January 24 this year, the U.S. has welcomed nearly 8 million naturalized citizens over the past decade. Before the pandemic in the years 2010-2019, an average of 730,000 people obtained citizenship annually. The figures increased by 12% in the 2024 fiscal year (from October 2023 to September 2024), reaching 820,000 individuals.
In the 2024 fiscal year, the top five countries of origin for naturalized citizens were Mexico (13.1%), India (6.1%), the Philippines (5.0%), the Dominican Republic (4.9%), and Vietnam (4.1%). Chinese naturalized citizens accounted for 3.0%, totaling 24,300 individuals.
Statistics indicate that 50% of naturalization applicants reside in four U.S. states, with California having the highest percentage at 18.4%, followed by Florida, New York, and Texas, each ranging from 10% to 11%.