Skip to content
Menu

All 128 questions of the 2025 civics test

This is the full official list, one line per question. Each line opens a page with the accepted answers and an explanation of why the answer is what it is. Before you start reading, check that this is the list you need, because two versions of the test are still in use.

Which list is yours

The version you take depends on the date you filed Form N-400. If you filed on or after October 20, 2025, you study this list. If you filed before that date, you take the 2008 test and its own list of 100 questions.

Rule 2025 test 2008 test
Form N-400 filed on or after October 20, 2025 before October 20, 2025
Questions on the list 128 100
Asked at the interview up to 20 up to 10
Correct answers to pass 12 6

Filed before October 20, 2025? Go to the 2008 test section, which has its own list, explanations and practice test.

How the officer asks

At your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer asks you questions from this list. The officer asks up to 20 and stops as soon as the result is settled. With 12 correct answers you have passed. With 9 incorrect answers you can no longer reach 12, so the civics part ends there too. Either way, the questions can stop well before number 20.

Applicants 65 or older with 20 years as permanent residents study a shorter list. Its questions carry an asterisk below. The officer asks 10 of them, and 6 correct answers pass. The interview guide covers the rest of that day.

How to use this list

  1. Pick one category and read it in order, opening each question. The explanation is what makes an answer stick; the line on this page only points to it. The study plan splits all 128 into four weeks.
  2. Write down the answers that belong to you alone: your senators, your representative, your governor and your state capital. Then check who holds the federal offices the list asks about in the current officeholders guide.
  3. Take the practice test once you have read a category. It draws from the 120 questions that have one fixed answer and uses the same 20-question format and stopping rule.
  4. Come back here and reopen the questions you missed. Repeat until you pass the practice test several times in a row.

What is in the list

The 128 questions are split into 3 official categories. American Government is the largest, with 72 questions. Of all 128, 4 have an answer that depends on where you live, and 4 ask who holds a federal office today, so their answer changes after an election or an appointment.

Questions by category
Category Questions 65/20 list Answer depends on your state Answer depends on who holds office
American Government 72 12 4 4
American History 46 6 0 0
Symbols and Holidays 10 2 0 0
All categories 128 20 4 4

Take the practice test

American Government

Principles of American Government

  1. 1 What is the form of government of the United States?
  2. 2 What is the supreme law of the land? *
  3. 3 Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.
  4. 4 The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?
  5. 5 How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
  6. 6 What does the Bill of Rights protect?
  7. 7 How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? *
  8. 8 Why is the Declaration of Independence important?
  9. 9 What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
  10. 10 Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
  11. 11 The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?
  12. 12 What is the economic system of the United States? *
  13. 13 What is the rule of law?
  14. 14 Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.
  15. 15 There are three branches of government. Why?

System of Government

  1. 16 Name the three branches of government.
  2. 17 The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
  3. 18 What part of the federal government writes laws?
  4. 19 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
  5. 20 Name one power of the U.S. Congress. *
  6. 21 How many U.S. senators are there?
  7. 22 How long is a term for a U.S. senator?
  8. 23 Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now?
  9. 24 How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
  10. 25 How long is a term for a member of the House of Representatives?
  11. 26 Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?
  12. 27 How many senators does each state have?
  13. 28 Why does each state have two senators?
  14. 29 Name your U.S. representative.
  15. 30 What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? *
  16. 31 Who does a U.S. senator represent?
  17. 32 Who elects U.S. senators?
  18. 33 Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?
  19. 34 Who elects members of the House of Representatives?
  20. 35 Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?
  21. 36 The President of the United States is elected for how many years? *
  22. 37 The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?
  23. 38 What is the name of the President of the United States now? *
  24. 39 What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? *
  25. 40 If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?
  26. 41 Name one power of the president.
  27. 42 Who is Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
  28. 43 Who signs bills to become laws?
  29. 44 Who vetoes bills? *
  30. 45 Who appoints federal judges?
  31. 46 The executive branch has many parts. Name one.
  32. 47 What does the President’s Cabinet do?
  33. 48 What are two Cabinet-level positions?
  34. 49 Why is the Electoral College important?
  35. 50 What is one part of the judicial branch?
  36. 51 What does the judicial branch do?
  37. 52 What is the highest court in the United States? *
  38. 53 How many seats are on the Supreme Court?
  39. 54 How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?
  40. 55 How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
  41. 56 Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?
  42. 57 Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
  43. 58 Name one power that is only for the federal government.
  44. 59 Name one power that is only for the states.
  45. 60 What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
  46. 61 Who is the governor of your state now? *
  47. 62 What is the capital of your state?

Rights and Responsibilities

  1. 63 There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
  2. 64 Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States?
  3. 65 What are three rights of everyone living in the United States?
  4. 66 What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? *
  5. 67 Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance.
  6. 68 How can people become United States citizens?
  7. 69 What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?
  8. 70 What is one way Americans can serve their country?
  9. 71 Why is it important to pay federal taxes?
  10. 72 It is important for all men age 18 through 25 to register for the Selective Service. Name one reason why.

American History

Colonial Period and Independence

  1. 73 The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
  2. 74 Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? *
  3. 75 What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
  4. 76 What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
  5. 77 Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
  6. 78 Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? *
  7. 79 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
  8. 80 The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
  9. 81 There were 13 original states. Name five.
  10. 82 What founding document was written in 1787?
  11. 83 The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
  12. 84 Why were the Federalist Papers important?
  13. 85 Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one.
  14. 86 George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. *
  15. 87 Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
  16. 88 James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
  17. 89 Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.

1800s

  1. 90 What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
  2. 91 Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
  3. 92 Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
  4. 93 The Civil War had many important events. Name one.
  5. 94 Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. *
  6. 95 What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
  7. 96 What U.S. war ended slavery?
  8. 97 What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?
  9. 98 When did all men get the right to vote?
  10. 99 Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s.

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

  1. 100 Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
  2. 101 Why did the United States enter World War I?
  3. 102 When did all women get the right to vote?
  4. 103 What was the Great Depression?
  5. 104 When did the Great Depression start?
  6. 105 Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
  7. 106 Why did the United States enter World War II?
  8. 107 Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
  9. 108 Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?
  10. 109 During the Cold War, what was one main concern of the United States?
  11. 110 Why did the United States enter the Korean War?
  12. 111 Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?
  13. 112 What did the civil rights movement do?
  14. 113 Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. *
  15. 114 Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?
  16. 115 What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? *
  17. 116 Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
  18. 117 Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
  19. 118 Name one example of an American innovation.

Symbols and Holidays

Symbols

  1. 119 What is the capital of the United States?
  2. 120 Where is the Statue of Liberty?
  3. 121 Why does the flag have 13 stripes? *
  4. 122 Why does the flag have 50 stars?
  5. 123 What is the name of the national anthem?
  6. 124 The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

Holidays

  1. 125 What is Independence Day?
  2. 126 Name three national U.S. holidays. *
  3. 127 What is Memorial Day?
  4. 128 What is Veterans Day?

* On the 65/20 list.