HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE CITIZENSHIP TEST – ENGLISH
Remember, your ability to understand and speak English will be evaluated from the moment the USCIS officer meets you. If you don’t understand a question, it’s okay to ask the officer to rephrase it.
During your interview, a USCIS officer will also test your ability to read, write, and speak English (unless you are exempt from the English requirements). Your English skills will be tested in the following ways:
- To test your ability to read in English, you must read one sentence, out of three sentences, in a manner suggesting to the USCIS officer that you understand the meaning of the sentence.
- To test your ability to write in English, you must write one sentence, out of three sentences, in a manner that would be understandable as written to the USCIS officer.
- Your ability to speak English is determined by your answers to questions normally asked by USCIS officers during the naturalization eligibility interview on Form N-400.
Several FREE study tools are available from USCIS to help you prepare for the English test. Check the links below.
Understanding Commands for the Naturalization Interview
Vocabulary for the Naturalization Interview: Self-Test 1
Vocabulary for the Citizenship Interview: Self-Test 2
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE CITIZENSHIP TEST – HISTORY/CIVICS
You will also be given a civics test in English (to test your knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government) unless you are exempt. Even if exempt from the English test, you will need to take the civics test in the language of your choice or qualify for a waiver.
There are 100 civics questions on the U.S. citizenship test. During your test, you will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions in English. You must answer correctly six of the 10 questions to pass the civics test in English. Several FREE study tools are available from USCIS to help you prepare for the history/civics portion of the test.
100 Civics Questions and Answers
(English version)