Free practice for the USCIS naturalization civics test: lessons, flashcards and a mock interview.
Read one lesson at a time, then practice the questions for that topic.
At your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer tests your English and asks civics questions out loud. You answer in your own words. You do not need to say every answer on the list. A correct answer with the right meaning is enough.
With the 2025 test (for Form N-400 filed on or after October 20, 2025), the officer asks up to 20 questions from the list of 128. You need 12 correct answers. The test stops when you reach 12 correct answers or 9 wrong answers.
If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for 20 years, you study 20 starred questions. The officer asks 10 and you need 6 correct, and you may answer in your own language.
The United States is a republic, or representative democracy. People choose leaders to govern for them. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It forms the government, defines its powers and protects people's rights.
The Constitution begins with the words "We the People." This means the people govern themselves. Changes to the Constitution are called amendments, and there are 27. The first ten are the Bill of Rights.
The Declaration of Independence says the colonies were free from Britain and that all people are created equal, with the rights of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Congress is the legislative branch. It writes laws, declares war and makes the federal budget. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Your own senators, representative and governor depend on where you live. Look them up before your interview.
The President is in charge of the executive branch. The President is elected for four years and can serve only two terms because of the 22nd Amendment. The Electoral College decides who is elected president.
The President signs bills into law or vetoes them, enforces laws, is Commander in Chief of the military, is the chief diplomat and appoints federal judges.
The Cabinet advises the President. Examples: the Attorney General, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury.
If the President can no longer serve, the Vice President becomes President.
The judicial branch is the Supreme Court and the other federal courts. It explains laws, resolves disputes about the law and decides whether a law goes against the Constitution.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. It has nine justices, and usually five are needed to decide a case.
Justices serve for life. This keeps them independent of politics.
Some powers belong only to the federal government: printing money, minting coins, declaring war, creating an army, making treaties and setting foreign policy.
Some powers belong only to the states: schools and education, police, fire departments, driver's licenses, and zoning and land use.
The 10th Amendment says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.
Only citizens can vote in federal elections, run for federal office and serve on a jury. Everyone in the United States has rights such as freedom of speech, assembly, religion and petition, and the right to bear arms.
Amendments about voting say that citizens 18 and older can vote, that you do not pay a poll tax to vote, and that any citizen, women and men of any race, can vote.
When you say the Pledge of Allegiance you show loyalty to the United States and the flag. In the Oath of Allegiance you promise, for example, to give up loyalty to other countries and to defend the Constitution.
American Indians lived in America before the Europeans arrived. Colonists came for freedom, religious freedom and economic opportunity. Africans were taken to America and sold as slaves.
The colonists declared independence because of high taxes, taxation without representation, soldiers living in their homes and no self-government. They fought the American Revolution to win independence from Britain.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It was adopted on July 4, 1776.
The Constitution was written in 1787. The Federalist Papers, written by Madison, Hamilton and Jay under the name "Publius," helped people understand it and supported its passage.
In 1803 the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France.
In the 1800s the United States fought the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
The Civil War was fought between the North and the South, and it ended slavery. Important events: Fort Sumter, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Antietam, Sherman's March, the surrender at Appomattox and Lincoln's assassination.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. He saved the Union, led the country in the Civil War and gave the Gettysburg Address. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states.
Wars in the 1900s: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. In 1920 the 19th Amendment gave all women the right to vote.
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929. Franklin Roosevelt was president during the Great Depression and World War II. The United States entered World War II after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
In the Cold War the main rival was the Soviet Union. The main concerns were communism and nuclear war. The United States entered the Korean and Vietnam wars to stop the spread of communism.
The civil rights movement fought to end racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights and equality.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States. Later came the War on Terror, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.
The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. The Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor, on Liberty Island.
The flag has 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies and 50 stars for the 50 states. The national anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner." The first national motto, "E Pluribus Unum," means "Out of many, one."
Independence Day, July 4, celebrates U.S. independence from Britain. Memorial Day honors soldiers who died in military service. Veterans Day honors people who have served in the military.
★ = on the 65/20 list
Say 2 answers.
The answer depends on where you live. Look up your answer before your interview.
The answer depends on where you live. Look up your answer before your interview.
Mike Johnson
Last checked 2026-11-01. Always confirm on the USCIS website. This answer changes. Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates before your interview.
Donald J. Trump
Last checked 2026-11-01. Always confirm on the USCIS website. This answer changes. Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates before your interview.
JD Vance
Last checked 2026-11-01. Always confirm on the USCIS website. This answer changes. Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates before your interview.
Say 2 answers.
John Roberts
Last checked 2026-11-01. Always confirm on the USCIS website. This answer changes. Check uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates before your interview.
The answer depends on where you live. Look up your answer before your interview.
The answer depends on where you live. Look up your answer before your interview.
Say 3 answers.
Say 2 answers.
Say 2 answers.
Say 5 answers.
Say 3 answers.