US Citizenship Test Study Guide (2025 Civics) 2026

How the civics test works

The civics test is part of your naturalization interview with USCIS. It is an oral test: the officer reads questions out loud and you answer out loud. There are no answer choices in the real test, so you must remember the answers, not just recognize them.

If you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 civics test. It uses a list of 128 questions. The officer asks up to 20 of them, and you pass when you answer 12 correctly. The officer stops as soon as you reach 12 correct answers, or 9 wrong answers. If you filed before October 20, 2025, you take the older 2008 test instead.

Many questions have more than one correct answer. The official list shows all of them. You only need to give one answer unless the question asks for two, three or five things.

A few answers change over time: the names of the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice. You must give the name of the person who holds the job on the day of your interview. Some questions depend on where you live, such as your state's senators, your U.S. representative, your governor and your state capital. Look these up before your interview.

Principles of American government

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. No law may go against it. It was written in 1787. It sets up the government, says what each part of the government can do, and protects the rights of the people.

The Constitution begins with the words "We the People." These words mean that the power of government comes from the people. This idea is called self-government, popular sovereignty or consent of the governed. People agree to be governed, and the government must serve them. This is sometimes called a social contract.

Changing the Constitution

The Constitution can be changed. A change is called an amendment. Today the Constitution has 27 amendments. The first ten are called the Bill of Rights. They protect the basic rights of Americans and of everyone living in the United States, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It said the American colonies were free from British control. Its main writer was Thomas Jefferson. It is important because it says that all people are created equal and that people have rights that cannot be taken away. Its most famous words are "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Remember which document does what. The Declaration (1776) declared independence. The Constitution (1787) built the government and is the highest law.

Big ideas

• Equality and liberty: important ideas in both the Declaration and the Constitution. Others are natural rights, limited government, self-government and the social contract.
• Rule of law: everyone must follow the law, including leaders and the government. No one is above the law.
• Republic: the form of government of the United States. People elect representatives to make decisions for them. The official answers also accept "constitution-based federal republic" and "representative democracy."
• Capitalism: the economic system of the United States, also called a free market economy.
• Separation of powers: the government has three branches so that no one part becomes too powerful. Each branch can check the others. This is called checks and balances.

Many earlier documents influenced the Constitution. The official answers include the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation (the first plan of government), the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the Mayflower Compact and the Iroquois Great Law of Peace.

System of government

The federal government has three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. You can also say Congress, the President and the courts.

Congress: the legislative branch

Congress writes federal laws. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Congress can also declare war and makes the federal budget.

Every state has two senators, no matter how many people live there. This gives small states equal representation in the Senate. It came from the Great Compromise (also called the Connecticut Compromise). In the House, states with more people have more representatives, because seats are shared out by population.

Representatives serve shorter terms than senators. Because they face voters every two years, they more closely follow public opinion.

The President: the executive branch

The President leads the executive branch. The President is elected for four years and can serve only two terms because of the 22nd Amendment. This keeps a president from becoming too powerful. If the President can no longer serve, the Vice President becomes president.

• The President is Commander in Chief of the military.
• The President signs bills to make them laws, or vetoes (rejects) them.
• The President enforces laws, acts as the chief diplomat and appoints federal judges.
• The Cabinet advises the President. Cabinet-level positions include the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor and many others.
• The executive branch also includes federal departments and agencies.

The President is chosen through the Electoral College. It decides who is elected president. It is a compromise between a popular vote and a choice made by Congress.

The courts: the judicial branch

The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Courts review and explain laws, settle disagreements about the law, and decide if a law goes against the Constitution. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. It has nine seats, and a case is usually decided by five justices (a majority). Justices serve for life so they can be independent of politics.

How a bill becomes a law

Federal and state powers

Power is shared between the federal government and the states. The 10th Amendment says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

Numbers to remember

Officials whose names change

These names change after elections or appointments. Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates shortly before your interview. Also look up your two U.S. senators, your U.S. representative, your governor and your state capital. People who live in Washington, D.C. say that D.C. has no governor and is not a state.

Rights and responsibilities

Some rights belong to everyone living in the United States, not only citizens. These include freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition the government, freedom of religion and the right to bear arms.

Other rights belong only to citizens. Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections, run for federal office and serve on a jury.

The voting amendments

Four amendments to the Constitution are about who can vote. You can describe any one of them:

• Citizens 18 and older can vote.
• You do not have to pay a tax (a poll tax) to vote.
• Any citizen can vote: women and men can vote.
• A male citizen of any race can vote.

Loyalty and the Oath

When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we show loyalty to the United States and the flag. At the naturalization ceremony, new citizens take the Oath of Allegiance. They promise to give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution, obey the laws of the United States, serve in the military or do important work for the nation if needed, and be loyal to the United States.

Becoming a citizen

People become U.S. citizens in three ways: by being born in the United States under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment, by naturalizing, or by deriving citizenship under conditions set by Congress (for example, through a parent).

Taking part

Civic participation means taking part in the life of your community and country. Examples are voting, running for office, joining a political party, helping with a campaign, joining a civic or community group, giving an elected official your opinion, supporting or opposing a policy, and writing to a newspaper.

Americans serve their country by voting, paying taxes, obeying the law, serving in the military, running for office and working for local, state or federal government. Paying federal taxes is required by law (the 16th Amendment allows a federal income tax). Taxes fund the federal government, and paying them is a civic duty.

All men aged 18 through 25 must register for the Selective Service. It is required by law, it is a civic duty, and it makes a military draft fair if one is ever needed.

Colonial period and independence

American Indians, also called Native Americans, lived in America long before Europeans arrived. Later, colonists came from Europe for many reasons: freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, and to escape persecution. Africans were taken from their homes by force and sold as slaves in the colonies.

Why the colonies broke away

The colonies were ruled by Britain. Colonists had to pay British taxes but had no vote in the British Parliament. This was called taxation without representation. Other reasons for independence were high taxes, British soldiers living in Americans' houses, and no self-government. Events and laws that angered colonists included the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, the Townshend Acts and the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts.

Americans fought the American Revolution (the Revolutionary War, or War for Independence) to win independence from Britain. Important events include the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Declaration of Independence, Washington crossing the Delaware (Battle of Trenton), the Battle of Saratoga, the winter at Valley Forge, and the British surrender at Yorktown.

The 13 original states

There were 13 original states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. You may be asked to name five.

Building a new government

The Constitution was written in 1787. The Federalist Papers supported passing it and helped people understand it. They were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, under the shared pen name "Publius."

Famous founders

The 1800s

In 1803 the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France. President Jefferson made the purchase, and it doubled the size of the country.

The United States fought four wars in the 1800s: the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.

The Civil War

The Civil War was fought between the North and the South. It ended slavery in the United States. Important events include the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Battles of Vicksburg, Gettysburg and Antietam (Sharpsburg), Sherman's March, the surrender at Appomattox, and the assassination of President Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. He led the country during the Civil War, saved (preserved) the Union, and gave the Gettysburg Address. His Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederate states.

New amendments

• The 14th Amendment says that all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to its jurisdiction, are U.S. citizens.
• The 15th Amendment (1870) gave all men the right to vote, whatever their race. This happened after the Civil War, during Reconstruction.

Women's rights

Leaders of the women's rights movement in the 1800s include Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Lucretia Mott and Lucy Stone. Women won the right to vote later, in 1920.

Recent American history

Wars the United States fought in the 1900s include World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

All women won the right to vote in 1920, with the 19th Amendment, after World War I.

The Great Depression and World War II

The Great Depression was the longest economic recession in modern history. It started with the stock market crash of 1929. Franklin Roosevelt was president during the Great Depression and World War II. Dwight Eisenhower was a general in World War II and later the 34th president. He was president at the end of the Korean War and signed the 1956 law that created the Interstate Highway System.

The Cold War

After World War II, the United States' main rival was the Soviet Union (USSR). During the Cold War, the main concerns of the United States were communism and nuclear war.

Civil rights

The civil rights movement fought to end racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans. He worked so that people would "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States. They took over planes and crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. U.S. military conflicts after the attacks include the Global War on Terror, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.

Other important information

There are many American Indian tribes in the United States. The official list includes the Apache, Blackfeet, Cayuga, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Choctaw, Creek, Crow, Hopi, Huron, Inupiat, Lakota, Mohawk, Mohegan, Navajo, Oneida, Onondaga, Pueblo, Seminole, Seneca, Shawnee, Sioux, Teton and Tuscarora.

Examples of American innovations are the light bulb, the automobile, skyscrapers, the airplane, the assembly line, the landing on the moon and the integrated circuit.

Symbols and holidays

The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. The Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor, on Liberty Island. The answers New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson River are also accepted.

The national anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner." The nation's first motto was "E Pluribus Unum," which means "Out of many, one." Many states and peoples come together as one nation.

National holidays

The interview and the English test

At your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer checks your application and gives you the English test and the civics test. The interview is in English unless you qualify for an exception.

The three parts of the English test

• Speaking: the officer judges your spoken English while you answer questions about your application. The officer may repeat or rephrase a question.
• Reading: you must read one of three sentences correctly out loud.
• Writing: you must write one of three sentences correctly.

If you do not pass

If you fail any part of the English test or the civics test, you get a second chance. USCIS retests you on the part you failed within 90 days of your first interview. If you do not go to the second interview without a good reason, it counts as a failure.

Exceptions for older applicants

If you take the civics test in your own language, the interpreter may be chosen by you or by USCIS. People with a medical disability that stops them from meeting the English or civics requirement may ask for an exception with Form N-648, completed by a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy or clinical psychologist.

Tips for the day

• Arrive early and bring your interview notice, green card and the documents the notice lists.
• Listen to the whole question before you answer. If you do not understand, politely ask the officer to repeat it.
• Give a short, clear answer. For "name one" questions, one correct answer is enough.
• Check the current names of the President, Vice President, Speaker and Chief Justice, and your own senators, representative, governor and state capital.
• Practice reading and writing simple sentences about civics topics every day in the weeks before your interview.