The 2025 Civics Test: 128 Questions, 20 Asked, 12 to Pass
The short answer
Last checked against USCIS on August 18, 2026
Start Here: Which Test Applies to You
This is decided by the date your Form N-400 was filed, not the date of your interview and not the date you started studying. Find that date on your receipt notice, Form I-797C.
Filed on or after October 20, 2025
You take the 2025 test
- 128 questions in the study bank
- Officer asks up to 20
- 12 correct to pass
- Stops at 9 wrong
Filed before October 20, 2025
You take the 2008 test
- 100 questions in the study bank
- Officer asks up to 10
- 6 correct to pass
- Stops at 5 wrong
Not sure of your filing date? Check it here
Source: USCIS, 2025 Civics Test
What Changed, and Why
The 2025 civics test replaced the 2008 version for applications filed on or after October 20, 2025. The study bank grew from 100 questions to 128. The number the officer asks doubled, from 10 to 20. The number you need correct went from 6 to 12.
The passing share stayed the same. Six out of ten and twelve out of twenty are both 60 percent. What changed is how much you study and how long the civics portion of the interview takes.
How the Officer Scores It
The officer asks questions one at a time and stops as soon as the outcome is settled. Reach 12 correct and the civics portion ends, even if that happens on question 12. Reach 9 wrong and it also ends, because at that point 12 correct out of 20 is no longer reachable.
That second rule is the one people misread. Nine wrong answers is a fail, so the most you can miss and still pass is eight.
| Outcome | What triggers it | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | 12 correct answers | The civics portion ends and the officer moves on |
| Fail | 9 wrong answers | The civics portion ends and a re-interview is scheduled |
Source: USCIS, 2025 Civics Test
The 65/20 Exemption
If you are 65 or older on the day you file and you have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, you study a reduced list of 20 questions instead of the full bank. The officer asks 10 and you need 6 correct.
You may also take the civics portion in the language of your choice. That is a separate accommodation from the English exemptions, and the two are often confused.
Read the full 65/20 rules, including the English exemptions
The English Test Is Separate
Civics is one part of the naturalization test. English is the other, and it has three pieces: speaking, reading, and writing. Speaking is assessed from how you answer the officer’s questions during the interview itself. For reading you must correctly read 1 of 3 sentences. For writing you must correctly write 1 of 3 sentences.