N-400 Civics Test Questions

The civics test is the component of the naturalization interview that applicants worry about most — and the one where preparation pays off the most directly.

USCIS publishes an official list of 100 civics questions. During your interview, the officer asks you up to 10 of these questions orally, and you must answer at least 6 correctly to pass.

Based on analysis of over 2,000 real civics questions reported by naturalization applicants, this guide identifies which questions officers ask most frequently, breaks them down by category, and gives you a focused study strategy.

The questions cover three broad areas:

1. American Government — principles of democracy, the system of government, rights and responsibilities
2. American History — colonial period, independence, the Civil War, and recent history
3. Integrated Civics — geography, national symbols, and federal holidays

All 100 questions have official answers published by USCIS. Some answers change over time (the current president, your state's governor, your US representative), so make sure your study materials reflect current information.

Officers do not randomly select from the 100 questions. Certain questions appear far more often than others in applicant-reported data.

The following questions are asked most often across real N-400 interviews:

These high-frequency questions span all three categories. If you study nothing else, knowing these confidently gives you a strong foundation.

That said, officers rotate their questions — what is common at one field office may differ at another. Study all 100 for the best preparation.

History questions span from the colonial era to the present. Officers ask these slightly less often than government questions, but they still appear in most interviews.

Colonial Period and Independence

• What is one reason colonists came to America? — Freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, to escape persecution
• Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? — American Indians / Native Americans
• What did the Declaration of Independence do? — Announced our independence from Great Britain, declared our independence, said the United States is free from British control
• When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? — July 4, 1776
• Who was the first president? — George Washington
• Who is the "Father of Our Country"? — George Washington
• Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers. — James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Publius
• What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? — The Louisiana Territory / Louisiana
• Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things. Name one. — US diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac", started the first free libraries

1800s

• Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. — War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War
• Name the US war between the North and the South. — The Civil War
• Name one problem that led to the Civil War. — Slavery, economic reasons, states' rights
• What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did? — Freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saved/preserved the Union, led the US during the Civil War

Recent American History

• Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. — World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War
• Who was president during World War I? — Woodrow Wilson
• Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II? — Franklin Roosevelt
• Before he was president, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? — World War II
• During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? — Communism
• What movement tried to end racial discrimination? — The civil rights movement
• What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? — Fought for civil rights, worked for equality for all Americans
• What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States? — Terrorists attacked the United States / Al Qaeda attacked the United States

You do not need months of preparation. Most applicants who study consistently for 2 to 4 weeks pass the civics test on their first attempt.

Start With the Most Frequently Asked

Focus your first study sessions on the questions that appear most often in real interviews. Getting the high-frequency questions right means you are likely to reach 6 correct answers quickly.

Use the Official USCIS Materials

USCIS provides free study materials:

• The official list of 100 questions and answers (PDF)
• USCIS study materials and resources page with flashcards, audio recordings, and practice tests
• A reading and writing vocabulary list

These are the definitive source. Third-party study guides sometimes contain outdated answers.

Practice Out Loud

The test is oral. Reading the answers silently is not enough — practice saying them out loud. Have a friend or family member quiz you by reading questions randomly. This simulates the actual test format and helps with recall under pressure.

Group by Category

Study questions by topic (government, history, geography) rather than going through 1–100 sequentially. Related questions reinforce each other. If you learn that Congress has two parts, the questions about the Senate and House of Representatives become easier.

Update Time-Sensitive Answers

Several questions have answers that change:

• Who is the current president?
• Who is the vice president?
• Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
• Who is the Speaker of the House?
• Who is your state's governor?
• Who are your state's US senators?
• Who is your US representative?

Verify these before your interview. An answer that was correct when you started studying may change by your interview date.

Failing the civics test is not the end of your naturalization process.

The Retry

• You get one opportunity to retake the civics test
• The retake is scheduled within 60 to 90 days of your initial interview
• You only retake the portion you failed — if you passed the English test but failed civics, you only retake civics
• The same rules apply: up to 10 questions, need 6 correct
• A different set of questions may be asked

If You Fail the Retake

If you fail the civics test on the second attempt, your N-400 application is denied. However, this does not affect your permanent resident status — you remain a green card holder and can file a new N-400 application and try again.

There is no limit on how many times you can apply for naturalization, but each new application requires a new filing fee and a new interview.

How to Avoid Failure

The pass rate for the civics test is high — the vast majority of applicants pass on their first attempt. The most common reasons for failure are:

• Not studying at all — assuming the questions will be easy or that general knowledge is sufficient
• Studying outdated materials — using answers that were correct years ago but have since changed (president, governor, representatives)
• Studying only in writing — the test is oral, and some applicants freeze when they cannot see the answer options
• Extreme test anxiety — some applicants know the material but blank under pressure

If anxiety is a concern, practice with someone asking you questions randomly and out of order. The more you simulate the real format, the more comfortable you will be.

Officers ask from a list of 100 questions, but some appear far more often than others.

Our civics test simulator uses real frequency data from over 2,000 applicant-reported civics questions to quiz you on what officers actually ask most.

Study smarter — focus on the questions that matter most.

Start Your Civics Test Practice →

See the full N-400 Citizenship Interview Questions guide for the complete interview breakdown.