USCIS announced on 17 September 2025 that it would bring back the 2020 version of the naturalisation civics test, with one change to how it is given, and the Federal Register notice followed on 18 September. The test that applies to you depends on your filing date. If your Form N-400 was filed before 20 October 2025, you take the 2008 test. If it was filed on or after that date, you take the 2025 test.
Key facts
- Who N-400 filed on or after 20 October 2025
- Questions Up to 20 from a bank of 128
- Pass mark 12 correct; test stops at 12 right or 9 wrong
- 65/20 rule 10 questions from a set of 20, pass with 6
- English test Unchanged
How the 2025 test works
The officer asks the questions out loud. They come from a published list of 128, up from 100 in the 2008 test, and up to 20 are asked instead of 10. You pass with 12 correct answers, which keeps the same 60 percent pass rate. The one change from the 2020 version is that the officer stops as soon as you reach 12 correct answers or 9 wrong ones, so many people will not hear all 20 questions. You still get two chances: if you fail a part at the first interview, you are retested on that part 60 to 90 days later.
The special rule for older applicants stays. If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years, you are asked 10 questions from a specially selected set of 20 and need 6 correct. The English reading, writing and speaking parts are not affected. USCIS formalised the change in Policy Alert PA-2025-24, dated 20 October 2025.
What this means
Check the filing date on your receipt notice before you start studying, because it decides which list you need. New filers should study the full 128 questions and answers and practise answering out loud, since the test is oral. Some answers depend on who holds office on the day of your interview, so look at the USCIS test updates page shortly before you go. If you qualify under the 65/20 rule, concentrate on the specially selected set of 20 questions for your test version, which USCIS publishes alongside the full list.