Short answer: if you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, your citizenship test in 2026 follows the 2025 rules. The officer asks up to 20 questions from an official list of 128, and you need 12 correct answers to pass. Applicants who filed before that date still take the 2008 test: 10 questions from a list of 100, with six correct answers to pass. The English test is the same for both groups.
The citizenship test itself has not changed in 2026. The news sits around it. Neighborhood investigations entered the USCIS Policy Manual on August 25, DHS has proposed a $1,330 N-400 fee, and a routine paperwork notice for Form N-400 appeared on September 14. Below, we cover who takes which version, how scoring works, and the exemptions.
What you will find in this article
- Whether your filing date puts you on the 2008 or the 2025 test
- How officers score the English and civics portions
- New questions on the 2025 list
- The 65/20 rule, other age exemptions, and Form N-648
- What happens if you fail a portion of the test
- Eligibility, fees, and the oath ceremony
Quick overview
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Who takes the 2025 test? | Anyone who filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025. |
| How does it work? | Up to 20 oral questions from a list of 128. You need 12 correct. |
| Who keeps the 2008 test? | Applicants who filed earlier: 10 questions from 100, six correct. |
| Any break for older applicants? | At 65 with 20 years as a green card holder: 10 of 20 starred questions, in your own language. |
| Did the citizenship test change in 2026? | No. The English portion also stayed the same. |
| What does it cost to apply? | $760 on paper or $710 online. The $1,330 fee is only a proposal. |
Which citizenship test will you take?
USCIS announced the 2025 test in a Federal Register notice on September 18, 2025. The new test applies to anyone who files a naturalization application on or after October 20, 2025. Everyone who filed earlier takes the 2008 test.
An interview in 2026 does not change which citizenship test you take. The USCIS Policy Manual confirms that the version depends only on the filing date.
| Filing date | Version | Question bank | Questions asked | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Oct. 20, 2025 | 2008 | 100 | 10 | 6 correct |
| On or after Oct. 20, 2025 | 2025 | 128 | Up to 20 | 12 correct |
| 65/20 applicants | Follows the filing date | 20 starred | 10 | 6 correct |
If you refile, the new N-400 carries a new filing date and moves you to the 2025 version.
How the citizenship test works in 2026
Both parts of the test, English and civics, happen at your naturalization interview. The officer first reviews your N-400 answers with you under oath. Then the officer moves on to reading, writing, and civics.
The English test: reading, writing, and speaking
The 2025 notice left the English test alone. The Policy Manual describes three parts:
- Speaking: There is no separate test. The officer judges your English from your answers about your application.
- Reading: You must read one of three sentences correctly.
- Writing: You must write one of three dictated sentences so the officer can understand it. Minor spelling errors do not fail you unless they change the meaning.
In practice, the whole interview works as an English test.
The civics test: 20 questions, 12 correct
The USCIS 2025 Civics Test page states that the test is oral, with 20 questions drawn from the list of 128. There is no multiple choice. The officer stops once you reach 12 correct or 9 wrong answers, so a well-prepared applicant often hears fewer than 20 questions. That stop rule is the only change from the 2020 version, and the passing rate stays at 60 percent.
Some answers change with elections, such as the President, the Speaker of the House, and your state’s senators. You must name the person in office on the day of your interview.
New questions on the 2025 citizenship test
If you are studying for the citizenship test in 2026, start with the official list. USCIS publishes the 128 questions and accepted answers in a PDF. According to the Federal Register notice, about a quarter of the content is new compared with the 2008 test. Several new questions ask why a rule exists. None of these appear on the 2008 list:
| Question (2025 list) | One accepted answer |
|---|---|
| Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators? | To more closely follow public opinion |
| Why is the Electoral College important? | It decides who is elected president |
| Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why? | To be independent of politics |
| Name one example of an American innovation. | Light bulb, automobile, airplane, or the moon landing |
USCIS encourages applicants to use the listed answers but also accepts other wording of a correct answer. Study the list out loud, in English.
Citizenship test exemptions: 50/20, 55/15, 65/20, and Form N-648
For the age-based exemptions, you must meet both the age and the green card years on the day you file.
- 50/20 and 55/15: Age 50 with 20 years as a permanent resident, or age 55 with 15 years. You skip the English test and take civics in your own language with an interpreter.
- 65/20: Age 65 with 20 years as a permanent resident. You skip English and study only the 20 starred questions. The officer asks 10, and six correct answers pass.
Form N-648 covers medical exceptions to English, civics, or both. Since June 2025, USCIS requires applicants to file it together with the N-400, barring extenuating circumstances. Only a licensed U.S. medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist can certify it. The condition must last, or be likely to last, at least 12 months.
Even without an exemption, officers may give “due consideration” to your age and education when they choose questions.
What happens if you fail the citizenship test?
You get two chances. If you fail any portion at the first interview, USCIS schedules a retest. Under 8 CFR 312.5, the retest must take place within 90 days, and a separate rule keeps it from happening sooner than 60 days. The officer covers only the portion you failed and uses a different test form.
A second failure leads to a denial. Missing the retest without good cause, or refusing to answer, also counts as a failure. After a denial, a hearing on Form N-336 ($830 today) gives you one more attempt at the failed portion. A new N-400 means a new fee and the 2025 test.
Eligibility, fees, and the oath ceremony in 2026
The test is only one requirement. The general rule in 8 CFR 316.2 lists the others:
- Age 18 or older with a green card
- Five years of continuous residence as a permanent resident
- At least 30 months of physical presence in those five years
- Three months in your state or USCIS district before filing
- Good moral character and attachment to the Constitution
For spouses of U.S. citizens, 8 CFR 319.1 shortens the periods to three years of residence and 18 months of presence, with three years of marital union with a citizen spouse. On both paths, you can file up to 90 days early. Long trips abroad can break continuous residence, so check the requirements to become a U.S. citizen before you file.
The character review has tightened. An August 15, 2025 USCIS memo directs officers to weigh positive contributions, not just the absence of misconduct. On August 25, 2026, neighborhood investigations entered the Policy Manual. The new FBI security checks from April 2026 also affect citizenship cases. Make sure your N-400 addresses and work history match your records.
The fee proposal and the September 14 notice
The N-400 costs $760 on paper and $710 online, or $380 for households at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. On June 23, 2026, DHS proposed raising it to $1,330 on paper and $1,280 online. The proposal would also end the reduced fee and fee waivers. The comment period closed on August 24, and no final rule had appeared as of September 23.
On September 14, USCIS published a paperwork notice for Form N-400. It asks to extend the form’s approval “without change,” so it adds no new questions or fees. Comments run until November 13, 2026.
What happens at the oath ceremony
After approval, you take the Oath of Allegiance at a ceremony run by a court or by USCIS. The USCIS ceremony page walks through the steps. It may take place on the interview day, or Form N-445 gives you a later date. You turn in your green card at check-in. You become a citizen only when you take the oath, and then you receive your Certificate of Naturalization. Missing the ceremony more than once can lead to a denial.
Common mistakes
- Studying the wrong list because you went by the interview date
- Expecting only 10 questions on the 2025 test
- Forgetting to check current officeholders before the interview
- Treating English as just reading and writing
- Sending Form N-648 after the N-400
Short checklist
- Find the filing date on your I-797C receipt notice and pick the right list.
- Study the official PDF: all 128 questions, or the 20 starred ones under 65/20.
- Check the answers that change a few days before the interview.
- Practice explaining your N-400 answers in English.
- If you need a medical exception, file Form N-648 with your N-400.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take the citizenship test in my own language?
Only under the 50/20, 55/15, or 65/20 exemption. In that case, you take civics with an interpreter. Everyone else takes the test in English.
Which citizenship test applies if my interview is in 2026?
The interview date does not matter. If you filed before October 20, 2025, you take the 2008 test. If you filed on or after that date, you take the 2025 test.
Is the civics test multiple choice?
No. The officer asks each question out loud, and you answer out loud.
How many chances do I get?
You get two: the first interview and a retest 60 to 90 days later. After a denial, a hearing on Form N-336 adds one more attempt.
Did Form N-400 change in 2026?
No. The September 14 notice only extends the current form, and the fee remains $760 on paper or $710 online for now.
Conclusion: your filing date decides your citizenship test
In 2026, most applicants take the 2025 citizenship test, while older cases continue under the 2008 list. Start with your filing date, then study the right list aloud and in English. The same care applies to the rest of the citizenship application process.
If you want help calculating your dates, checking an exemption, or preparing for the interview, contact Clinch Law.
Legal information notice
This content is general information only. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not guarantee any outcome. USCIS may update test questions and answers, and the fee proposal has not become final. Legal information checked on: September 23, 2026.
