Citizenship Test FAQ

Common questions about the civics test itself — separate from the 228 official practice questions.

• How many questions are on the U.S. citizenship test?It depends on your Form N-400 filing date: 20 questions from a bank of 128 (2025 test), or 10 from a bank of 100 (2008 test).
• What happens if you fail the citizenship test?You don't lose your case on the first attempt: USCIS gives every applicant a second interview 60-90 days later to retake only the parts they failed.
• Which citizenship test version do I take: 2008 or 2025?Your Form N-400 filing date decides it: on or after October 20, 2025 means the 2025 test; before that date means the 2008 test.
• How many times can you retake the citizenship test?USCIS gives you one retest per N-400 application, at a second interview 60-90 days after the first.
• Is the U.S. citizenship test hard?Most applicants pass: the questions and exact accepted answers are published in full by USCIS in advance, so preparation is mostly memorization.
• Do you need to answer citizenship test questions word-for-word?No — USCIS accepts any of the listed correct answers in your own words, as long as the meaning matches.