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CivicsPrep

The Citizenship Test Pass Rate

Sourced from USCIS’s own published statistics, last checked August 27, 2026.

Important caveat: the numbers below are USCIS’s most recently published official figures (fiscal year 2022, page last reviewed 10/05/2023) — they predate the October 20, 2025 civics test redesign (100 → 128 questions, 6 → 12 correct needed to pass). USCIS has not yet published updated pass-rate data for the new 2025 test, so these figures describe the older, somewhat easier test version. Treat them as a historical baseline, not a live prediction for the current test.

95.7% of all naturalization applicants passed the test overall in FY 2022 — about 88% on their first attempt, and another 7% after a second try (a re-exam). Broken down by section:

Civics pass rate, by group

Applicants who qualify for an age/residency exception take the civics test in their own language — the 65/20 group also studies from a shorter question list, which shows up in a noticeably higher pass rate than 50/20 or 55/15.

All applicants (no exception)92.4%
50/20 exception88.7%
55/15 exception85.9%
65/20 exception91.2%

English test pass rate, by part

More than 93% of applicants pass the English portion on their first try. Reading has the highest pass rate of the four parts, likely because the vocabulary list is short and fixed.

Speaking94%
Understanding93%
Writing94%
Reading97%

What this means for you

Most people pass — failing is the exception, not the norm, even under the older, easier test data above. The applicants who don’t pass on the first try generally aren’t failing because the material is obscure; USCIS publishes the entire civics question bank and English vocabulary lists in advance. The gap is almost always preparation, not difficulty of the underlying material.

Source: USCIS Naturalization Test Performance. This page reports USCIS’s own published data and is not an independent estimate.

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