(NEXSTAR) — As part of a “multi-step overhaul” of the naturalization process, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday that it is expanding and altering its Naturalization Civics Test.
Applicants have had to take a naturalization test in some form for at least a century, according to USCIS. For the last few years, the agency had been using the 2008 version of the citizenship test. The Biden administration switched to that older, shorter version of the test over concerns that the version enacted in 2020 would “inadvertently create potential barriers to the naturalization process.”
However, the USCIS is now reverting to the 2020 iteration of the test, adding 28 questions to the pool of potential questions (there are 100 in the 2008 version, which is viewable online). Roughly 75% of the new test (also found online) is the same or similar to the former version, USCIS said.
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An analysis by Nexstar found multiple instances of that. For example, the old test asked, “The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?” The new test asks, “The U.S. Constitution starts with the words ‘We the People.’ What does “We the People” mean?”
Similar questions ask what the Bill of Rights protects, updated from “What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution,” and which branch of the government the president is in charge of, instead of asking who is in charge of the executive branch.
For other questions, participants will be asked to list one or two additional answers over what was required in 2008. Instead of naming a single branch or part of the government, they’ll need to list all three. A participant will also be asked to name three rights of everyone living in the U.S., up from two.
Some of the new questions seek broader answers. With the older test, participants were asked when all men must register for Selective Service. In the updated version, participants are asked to name one reason why it’s important for men to register.
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As part of the new testing process, applicants will need to answer 20 questions, up from 10 in the current process. A passing score will be 12 correct, twice the current benchmark of six. The test will still be given orally, but USCIS officers will need to ask only as many questions as needed to determine if the participant has passed or failed, instead of asking all 20 questions.
Think you could pass the test? Below, we’ve included 20 of the more than two dozen new questions participants may be asked. To reveal the answer, swipe right on the slideshow below the question. The second slide will show the acceptable answer (or answers) from the online test guide.
1. What is the form of government of the United States?
2. The words “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are in what founding document?
3. Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms than U.S. senators?
4. The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?
5. Why is the Electoral College important?
6. How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?
7. Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?
8. What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment?
9. Why is it important to pay federal taxes?
10. The American Revolution had many important events. Name one.
11. Why were the Federalist Papers important?
12. Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things. Name one.
13. James Madison is famous for many things. Name one.
14. Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one.
15. The Civil War had many important events. Name one.
16. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?
17. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one.
18. Name one U.S. military conflict after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
19. Name one example of an American innovation.
20. The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?
Other newly added questions touch on the significances of Memorial Day and Veterans Day; why the U.S. entered World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; when all men and women got the right to vote; how people can become U.S. citizens; why each state has two senators; the powers of Congress; and the documents that inspired the U.S. Constitution.
Some questions that appeared in the 2008 version of the test were also removed. That includes almost all of the geography questions, like naming a border state for Canada and Mexico, one of the nation’s longest rivers, and the oceans on either coast. Other snubs include:
What is one right or freedom of the First Amendment?
What is freedom of religion?
What are the two major political parties in the United States?
What is the political party of the President now?
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
Participants may also still be asked to name national holidays (three, up from two), but Juneteenth is no longer an acceptable answer, according to the online test guide.
Nexstar’s Alix Martichoux contributed to this report.
