On Sept. 17, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will implement a new civics test. This will apply to applicants who file Forms N-400 on or after Oct. 20, 2025.
The 2025 version of the civics test requires applicants to correctly answer 12 of 20 posed questions (increased from 6 of 10), out of a bank of 128 possible questions (increased from 100). The 128 possible questions are a combination of 2008 test questions and new questions with varying levels of difficulty.
While USCIS states that the English understanding components of the test have not changed, the increased volume and complexity of the civics tests will likely pose added language challenges for some applicants.
Applicants aged 65 or over and who have been permanent residents for 20 years or longer will receive a simplified version, requiring 6 correct answers of 10, from a bank of 20 possible questions.
This change follows several recent USCIS policy memos affecting naturalization. In its announcement, USCIS indicated plans to announce more changes to the naturalization process in the coming weeks and months.