This information has been adapted from Lynne Weintraub’s Citizenship News blog.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that a new 2025 naturalization civics test will be implemented on October 20, 2025, for any individual who applies for citizenship on or after this date. The new test brings changes in both format and content that applicants should be aware of as they prepare for naturalization:
Revised civics questions: The updated civics portion will have a heavier focus on history and government while moving away from geography questions.
Modified test format: Individuals must study 128 possible questions, an increase from 100 on the current test, and answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly. This is a change from the current model where in which applicants must answer 6 questions out of 10.
In response to these changes, Lynne Weintraub, a known expert in the field of citizenship in adult education and author of our popular Citizenship Passing the Test series, shares some guidance for instructors of students who are currently preparing for citizenship interviews.
- Students who have already submitted an application, are safe preparing for the existing 2008 test.
- If you think a student will be ready for the interview (likely to pass the 2008 test) by mid-January, and they will meet the 5-year/3-year qualifications for citizenship by by October 20, they can submit their application before October 20, and they will be given the 2008 test. They have some time to prepare because it takes a minimum of three months to process applications, and often it takes longer. There’s also a little wiggle room in there because if they fail the test, they’ll get a free retest within three months, and presumably it will be the same (2008) test again.
- As of this time, the fee waiver is still available. Students who are likely to qualify for a waiver may feel it’s worth the gamble, and—if they meet the 3/5-year qualification—send their applications early even if they’re not sure they’ll be able to pass the 2008 test by mid-January. If they don’t pass, at least they are not out hundreds of dollars.
- Students who cannot qualify for citizenship before October 20 will have to study for the 2025 test.
- Students who are not likely to pass the 2008 test by mid-January should start working on the 2025 question set. Expect this preparation to take quite a bit longer. For those with lower proficiency or less formal education, it may involve memorization of whole phrase responses rather than genuine comprehension of the new and rather advanced historical and government concepts.
Despite there being more civics questions that are harder, they generally follow the same set of concepts as the 2008 test and nothing has changed in regard to the literacy test. So using Citizenship: Passing the Test Civics and Literacy is a good place to start. Once students have mastered the literacy items and have the civics concepts down, you’ll be able to supplement with new vocabulary and concepts from the 2025 set of questions. Lynne suggests putting less emphasis on chapter 2 as most of the geography questions have been eliminated, and increasing your focus on the civics chapters 7 through 10.
Keep in mind that this is based on current information, and USCIS policies can change any time.
Lynne is working hard on a new edition of Citizenship: Passing the Test: Civics and Literacy, which we expect to release in January 2026. In the meantime, we are dedicated to helping programs prepare students for the 2025 test with a free supplement available now with new vocabulary and concepts from the 2025 test.