From CLINIC: New Naturalization Civics Test

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USCIS announced that it revised the civics test for naturalization. Some of the changes between the 2008 version and the 2020 version are:

  • The 2008 version required officers to ask examinees 10 questions, and examinees needed to answer 6 correctly to pass. The 2020 version maintains the 60% pass rate, but officers ask examinees 20 questions, and examinees must answer 12 correctly to pass.

  • The 2008 version required examinees to study a full list of 100 civics questions. The 2020 version includes 128 questions.

  • A change that is likely to cause controversy is that the 2008 version asked who a Senator represents, and the answer was “all people of the state.” In the 2020 version, the answer has been changed to “citizens of their state.” A similar question about U.S. representatives has been added with a similarly problematic answer indicating that congress represents only citizens.

Applicants who apply for naturalization on or after Dec. 1, 2020, will take the updated version of the test. Those who apply before Dec. 1, 2020, will take the current version of the test. The test items and study guides can be found on the Citizenship Resource Center on the USCIS website. USCIS has also updated the USCIS Policy Manual accordingly. The changes to the policy manual are open for comment until Dec. 14, 2020.

USCISMelissa SoberalskiImmigration, Naturalization, Test, Exam