• Sections of the U.S. Citizenship Test
  • Interview
  • Reading
  • U.S. History and Civics
  • Writing

Sections of the U.S. Citizenship Test

Interview

This part of the naturalization process is included because it is required for progression to the actual tests involved. During the interview, a USCIS officer will ask you to take an oath of honesty while standing before him/her. Following the oath, the officer will review your N-400 application form with you. It is a good idea to be very familiar with the answers you supplied on this form and to be ready to discuss any changes that have occurred since you filed it. During this part, the officer will also be assessing your ability to understand and speak English. You are encouraged to ask the officer to repeat or rephrase questions if necessary. The only things that will cause you to fail the interview portion of the process are: demonstrating that you really do not understand the English language at all the discovery of any dishonesty in the application or in your responses to interview questions

There is no set time limit for this section, but failure to be able to respond to the interviewer’s questions may cause the officer to end the session and schedule a retest.

Reading

You will have three chances to read a sentence in English correctly. As in the initial interview, the officer will not be looking for absolutely perfect performance. You just need to be able to read the sentence in a way that does not cause it to lose meaning and in a way that an English speaker can understand.

There will be a reasonable time given for reading a sentence correctly. The officer will only conclude this section if it becomes apparent that you cannot do the task after you have been given three different sentences.

Your reading should also show that you understand the meaning of the sentence. The officer will be choosing sentences from an official list. You can practice reading words that may be in these sentences here.

You can also practice reading aloud for meaning by using our free Reading Practice Questions. These questions require you to decide which of four sentences makes sense, as it is written. This way, you can practice making sure what you read makes sense in English. The sentences contain words from the approved list, so you can also practice reading these words when they are used in a sentence.

U.S. History and Civics

The officer will choose questions from an official list of 100 questions on U.S. Government, American History, and Integrated Civics (geography, symbols, and holidays in the U.S.). He/she will ask you these questions and wait for your response. You will have a total of 10 chances to answer 6 questions correctly.

While there is no set time, the officer will give you a chance to give your answers in a reasonable amount of time. He/she will conclude the test when you either answer six questions correctly or it becomes apparent that you cannot do so, because of lack of knowledge or inability to respond in English.

The officer will ask the questions out loud and you will respond the same way. There is no reading or writing necessary on this portion of the U.S. Citizenship Test.

Writing

During this part of the naturalization test, a sentence will be read to you and you will be asked to write it down on paper. The officer is looking for basic writing skills that would make the sentence understandable to an English-reading person. You can make minor errors in spelling and still pass this test. However, do not use any abbreviations for words when you write. In other words, spell out government instead of writing govt.

You will be given a reasonable amount of time to complete your sentence and you will be given up to three attempts to do so.