Citizenship TestWhich civics test will I take: 2008 or 2025?
It depends on one date: the day you filed Form N-400, the application for naturalization.
| You filed Form N-400 | Your civics test | Study list |
|---|---|---|
| Before October 20, 2025 | 2008 version | 100 questions |
| On or after October 20, 2025 | 2025 version | 128 questions |
This is the rule published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on its Study for the Test page, which we read on 12 November 2026. The date that counts is the filing date of the application, not the date of the interview. A person who filed in September 2025 and is interviewed in 2026 still takes the 2008 version.
How to find your filing date
USCIS sends a receipt notice after it accepts an application. The notice shows the date the application was received. If you filed online, the same date is in your USCIS online account. If you are not sure which test applies to you, ask USCIS or your legal representative before you choose a study list. Studying the wrong list wastes weeks.
What is different between the two
| 2008 version | 2025 version | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions in the study list | 100 | 128 |
| Questions the officer asks | Up to 10 | Up to 20 |
| Correct answers needed to pass | 6 | 12 |
| Officer stops asking when you have | 6 right or 5 wrong | 12 right or 9 wrong |
| How it is given | Spoken, in the interview | Spoken, in the interview |
In both versions you need 60 percent. The 2025 version simply asks twice as many questions from a longer list. USCIS says the 2025 test is based on the test it introduced in 2020, with some changes to how it is given. The content of the two lists is compared on the page 2008 and 2025 lists compared.
If you are 65 or older
If you are 65 years old or older and have lived in the United States as a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, you study only 20 marked questions, from whichever version your filing date gives you. The officer asks 10 of them and you need 6 right. See the short lists: 2025 version and 2008 version.
Does the English test change too?
The filing-date rule on the USCIS page is about the civics test. The English part, speaking, reading and writing, is described on our English test page.
Next
How the civics test works All guides
Independent study site. Citizenship Test is not a government website and is not connected with USCIS or any agency. Questions and accepted answers are quoted from the official USCIS lists; the notes are ours. Rules were read on uscis.gov on 12 November 2026. Always confirm with uscis.gov/citizenship before your interview.