Test Structure

• To demonstrate your ability in English, a USCIS officer interviews you. You will need to write one of three sentences correctly in English. You will need to read one additional sentence out of three correctly in English. Your ability to speak English is determined during your interview as you converse with a USCIS officer. The history and government, or civics, portion of the naturalization test contains ten questions. You must get six correct for a passing score.
  
  

Test Content: Civics

• Based on the naturalization self-test, available at the USCIS website, the following questions are representative of what you may see on the civics portion of the exam. Some questions cover U.S. history, such as "What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?" Government-related questions may include "What does the President's Cabinet do?" All questions on the civics section are multiple-choice.
  
  

Test Content: English Skills

• USCIS provides various study materials at its website for the English segment of the naturalization test, including vocabulary lists and flash cards. Many of the words they provide for study deal with civics. Examples include names of Presidents, U.S. holidays and branches of government. Other basic words offered for study include who, what, where, when, why and how, and common action verbs, including want and use.
  
  

Exemptions

• You may qualify for an exemption from the English language portion of the naturalization test. If you age 50 or older and have been a green card holder (permanent resident) of the United States for 20 years you are exempt, but still must take the civics exam. Alternatively, if you age 55 or older and a green card holder for 15 years, you can receive the same exemption. These exceptions are known as the 55/20 and 55/15 rules, respectively. Other exemptions are available for those who have physical or developmental disabilities or mental impairments. If you have one of these issues, USCIS can provide you with necessary accommodations so that you can complete the naturalization test.
  
  

Applicant Performance

• As of January 2010, the naturalization test has a 92-percent pass rate. Between October 1, 2008 and January 31, 2010, applicants took more than 577,000 naturalization tests nationwide. USCIS reconfigured the test from previous years to provide more uniformity and consistency, and a better assessment of an applicant's civics knowledge. If you fail the naturalization test, you will retake the same version of the test when retested.