IMPORTANT NOTE: USCIS announced on February 22nd that it plans to restore the previous 2008 version of the civics test. Applicants will have a choice to take the 2020 or the 2008 civics test until April 19, 2021, after which USCIS will only offer the 2008 version regardless of filing date.

Green card holders hoping to become naturalized United States citizens will now tackle a more rigorous set of questions as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rolls out its revised civics test. Naturalization applicants who filed their Form N-400 on or after December 1st will be asked 20 out of 128 civics questions, and will be required to answer at least 12 correctly to pass. While the percentage score remains the same (60%), the new test doubles the number of questions applicants must answer correctly from 6/10 to 12/20. Immigration advocates have criticized the new test, with many suggesting that new requirements will greatly increase the burden on applicants, USCIS, and service providers and increase the number of denials. Advocates also criticize the process and methodology used by USCIS to create the new test, noting the agency’s lack of transparency and lack of a sufficient pilot program.

The Naturalization Test - A Brief History

The origins of the naturalization civics test date back to the early 20th century. Until 1986, immigration officers used their own discretion to administer the test, resulting in inconsistent procedures and standards across the country. The now-dissolved U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) implemented a semi-standardized examination with questions pulled from the Federal Textbook On Citizenship, but several studies, including one commissioned by INS in 1997, found a pattern of bias toward immigrants from English-speaking countries, as well as a lack of public information regarding the quality of the test itself. In 2001, INS began a formal initiative to standardize the exam, a process that would prove to be lengthy and hampered by frequent setbacks. Early pilot programs delivered suboptimal results, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, which replaced INS in 2003) faced major technical and policy challenges in their efforts. USCIS finally implemented the redesigned naturalization test in October of 2008, over a decade after INS began initial research into the project.

Major Changes

2020 marks the first time the naturalization civics test has been revised since 2008, and there are several key changes to be aware of. Notably, while the Systems of Government section remains mostly the same, there are some subtle terminology changes that may catch some applicants off guard. For example: in the 2008 test, the answer to “who does a U.S. Senator represent?” is listed as “all people of their state.” In the 2020 version, the answer is changed to “citizens of their state.” Further, the scope of history questions has expanded significantly. Applicants are expected to be familiar with several historical events not mentioned in the 2008 version—including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War—and will need to study general information about all major wars, including a basic timeline of events and the United States’ reason for engaging. The 2020 test also features several questions asking for specific contributions of major historical figures, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Dwight Eisenhower, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

With the implementation of the revised civics test, it’s more important than ever that naturalization applicants review USCIS study materials. The 2020 exam eliminates several areas that could be considered general knowledge, including all geography questions, and includes some complex questions with somewhat subjective answers. For example, both “why did the United States enter the Korean War?” and “why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?” have only one acceptable answer listed: “to stop the spread of communism.” Other questions inquire about the meaning of E Pluribus Unum, what documents influenced the U.S. Constitution, and why U.S. Representatives serve shorter terms than Senators. You can review new questions with our test comparison chart here.