Immigration
Taking the U.S. Citizenship Test in 2026? Check the New Citizenship Interview Format
September 25, 2026
If you are preparing for your U.S. citizenship interview, there is one date you need to know: October 20, 2025.
That is the dividing line between the old naturalization civics test and the new 2025 version.
If you filed your Form N-400 before October 20, 2025, you take the 2008 civics test.
If you filed your N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 civics test.
So if your citizenship application has been sitting with USCIS for months and your interview is only happening now, your interview date does not determine which test you take. Your N-400 filing date does.
And the difference is significant.
The old test has 100 possible questions, with up to 10 asked at the interview. You need 6 correct answers to pass.
The 2025 test has 128 possible questions. The officer can ask up to 20, and you need 12 correct answers to pass.
If you filed before the cutoff, you do not suddenly get moved to the new test because your interview was delayed.
The two citizenship tests side by side
| 2008 Civics Test | 2025 Civics Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions to study | 100 | 128 |
| Questions asked | Up to 10 | Up to 20 |
| Correct answers needed | 6 | 12 |
| Passing percentage | 60% | 60% |
| Early stopping | Yes | Yes |
| Applies to N-400 filed | Before Oct. 20, 2025 | On/after Oct. 20, 2025 |
The passing percentage has not changed. You still need 60% correct.
What changed is the size of the question bank and the number of questions you can be asked.
Under the 2025 test, the officer stops once you have either answered 12 questions correctly or reached 9 incorrect answers. You therefore may not actually hear all 20 questions.
Your interview date does not decide the test
This is probably the most important point for people with pending applications.
Imagine two people who have their citizenship interviews on the same day in September 2026.
Person A filed Form N-400 on October 10, 2025.
Person B filed Form N-400 on October 25, 2025.
They can be interviewed at the same USCIS field office on the same day and still take different civics tests.
Person A: 2008 test.
Person B: 2025 test.
USCIS established the cutoff based on when the naturalization application was filed. The agency’s implementation notice says applicants who file 30 days or more after the September 18, 2025 Federal Register publication date receive the 2025 test. That makes October 20, 2025 the operative filing date.
A delayed interview does not by itself move an applicant into the new test.
What is actually different about the 2025 test?
The new version contains 128 questions covering U.S. government and history.
During the interview, the USCIS officer asks up to 20 questions from that bank.
You need at least 12 correct answers.
That means someone preparing for the 2025 test needs to work through a considerably larger question bank than someone taking the 2008 version.
There is also an important detail that can catch applicants off guard.
Some answers can change because of elections or appointments.
For example, questions asking for the name of a current official must be answered using the person serving at the time of the naturalization interview, not necessarily the person who held the position when the applicant filed the N-400.
USCIS specifically warns applicants to check its test-update information for answers that may have changed.
So if you studied the list months ago, do not assume every answer is still current.
This is not the first time USCIS has used 128 questions
The 128-question format may sound new, but USCIS actually used a similar structure in the 2020 civics test.
That test also had:
- 128 questions to study
- 20 questions asked
- 12 correct answers required to pass
USCIS introduced the 2020 test in December 2020 but later reverted to the 2008 test.
USCIS announced the return to the 2008 version in February 2021, with the new guidance effective March 1, 2021. The agency later removed the 2020 test from its policy guidance because it was no longer administering it.
The 2025 test draws heavily from the structure of that earlier version, but USCIS describes it as a new 2025 test and the current official question bank is the one applicants should study.
If you still have old 2020 citizenship-test study materials, don’t assume they are sufficient. Use the current USCIS 2025 question-and-answer list.
What if you are 65 or older and have had a green card for 20 years?
There is an important exception.
If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, USCIS gives you special consideration for the civics test.
Under the 2025 test, you study 20 specially designated questions marked with an asterisk.
At the interview, the officer asks 10 of those questions.
You need to answer 6 correctly to pass.
The rule also applies differently depending on when you filed.
If you qualified for the 65/20 special consideration and filed before the 2025-test cutoff, you take the designated 2008 questions.
If you qualify and filed on or after the cutoff, you take the designated 2025 questions.
Either way, the passing requirement remains 6 out of 10 for this special consideration.
The 50/20 and 55/15 rules are different
Do not confuse the 65/20 rule with the other age-and-residency exceptions.
If you are:
- 50 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years, or
- 55 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 15 years,
you may be exempt from the English-language requirement.
You still have to take the civics test.
The difference is that you can take the civics portion in your native language.
The 65/20 rule adds special consideration for the civics test itself, reducing the study bank to 20 designated questions and the test to 10 questions with 6 correct answers required.
What if a disability makes the test difficult?
Some applicants may qualify for an exception to the English and/or civics requirements because of a physical or developmental disability or a mental impairment.
USCIS uses Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, for this process.
The form must be completed by a qualifying medical professional, and USCIS determines whether the applicant meets the requirements for the exception.
This is separate from the age-based rules.
How long are citizenship applications taking now?
The naturalization process is still not instantaneous.
USCIS’s historical processing data through July 31, 2026 shows a national median processing time of 7.1 months for N-400 applications in fiscal year 2026, compared with 5.6 months in FY2025, 5.0 months in FY2024 and 6.0 months in FY2023.
That is a national historical median, not a promise that your application will take 7.1 months.
USCIS also tells applicants to check processing times based on the office handling their case. For N-400 applications, the relevant processing information can depend on the local field office.
That matters for the civics test because an applicant can file under one test version and have the interview months later.
What should you study in September 2026?
If you filed your N-400 before October 20, 2025, start with the 2008 civics questions.
If you filed on or after October 20, 2025, use the 2025 list of 128 questions.
Do not choose your study material based on when you received your interview notice.
And don’t rely on random citizenship-test videos on YouTube or old PDFs circulating online.
USCIS provides the official 2025 list of 128 questions and answers, along with other study resources.
There is another reason to use the official material: some answers depend on current officeholders.
If the answer to a question is the name of a current official, you need to give the person serving at the time of your interview. USCIS specifically tells applicants to check for updates to answers that may have changed.
The citizenship-test checklist
Before your interview, confirm these four things:
1. When did you file your N-400?
Before October 20, 2025 → 2008 test.
October 20, 2025 or later → 2025 test.
2. Do you qualify for the 65/20 special consideration?
If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years, you study the specially marked 20-question bank.
3. Are you using the current study materials?
Use the USCIS version that corresponds to your test.
4. Have you checked answers involving current officials?
Those answers can change between the time you study and the time of your interview.
The bottom line
The new citizenship test is not automatically for everyone who has a naturalization interview in 2026.
The key date is October 20, 2025, when the new testing rule began applying to N-400 applications filed on or after that date.
If you filed before that cutoff, your pending application remains under the 2008 civics test.
If you filed on or after the cutoff, prepare for the 2025 test: 128 questions in the study bank, up to 20 asked, and 12 correct answers required to pass.
And if you qualify for the 65/20 special consideration, the test is different again: 10 questions from a designated bank of 20, with 6 correct answers required.
The safest way to prepare is therefore not to ask, “Which test is USCIS using now?”
Ask a more specific question:
“When did I file my N-400, and which test does that filing date put me under?”
Sources: Federal Register notice 2025-18050, USCIS 2025 Civics Test: 128 Questions and Answers, USCIS Citizenship Study Materials, USCIS Exceptions and Accommodations, USCIS Processing Times
