Are you interested in becoming a United States citizen? You may be aware then that you will have to pass a test before you can become a citizen, in addition to meeting the other eligibility requirements.
In fact, there are two sections to the naturalization test – a civics portion that will test your understanding of the U.S. government and history, and a component that will test your understanding of the English language. Keep scrolling to understand more about the U.S. citizenship test, and how best to prepare for it.
The English Language Test
The first part of the U.S. citizenship test is an English Language assessment. It determines your ability to read, write and speak the English language. Your ability to speak English will be evaluated by the interviewing officer. The reading and writing tests will be conducted using a digital tablet, which an employee will show you how to operate before the test begins. For the writing portion, you must be able to write one out of three sentences correctly. For the reading section, you will be required to read at least one out of three sentences correctly.
Remember, the immigration officers administering the exam will not expect you to be perfect. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. The immigration officers can repeat certain words or rephrase a question at your request.
The Civics Test
To pass the civics component of the naturalization test, you need to be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government. If you filed your N-400 (or Application for Naturalization) before December 1, 2020, you will be tested on the 2008 version of the civics test. If you filed after December 1, 2020, you will be tested from the 2020 version.
If you filed before December 1, 2020, you must answer six out of ten questions correctly. If you filed after Dec 1, 2020, you must be able to answer twelve questions correctly. The revised test also has increased the total number of questions that you are required to study from 100 to 128. Some of the questions on the new naturalization test may be considered harder than the previous test. For example, in the past you may have been asked to name three of the original thirteen states, but now you may be asked to identify five.
At James Immigration Law, we highly recommend anyone seeking to gain U.S. citizenship to prepare as much as possible before taking the naturalization test. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has many online resources to help you prepare for the test. If you’re interested in becoming a U.S. citizen and want advice from a boutique law firm that specializes in immigration, contact us at James Immigration Law for a consultation.
