100 Civics Questions: Who Still Takes This Test in 2026

The 100 civics questions are the 2008 version of the naturalization test, and in 2026 they still apply to a large number of people. If you filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025, this is your list. If you filed on or after that date, your list has 128 questions on it instead.

That single date decides months of study. Getting it wrong is the most expensive mistake in the whole process, and it is entirely avoidable: your receipt notice shows the filing date.

The 100 civics questions belong to the 2008 test, taken by anyone who filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025. The officer asks up to 10 of them out loud and you pass at 6 correct. Twenty questions are starred for the 65/20 exemption. USCIS publishes the full list in pocket study guide M-1122.

What’s New in 2026 for the 100 Civics Questions

The 100-question list did not change. Its audience did.

USCIS is implementing the 2025 naturalization civics test to align with Executive Order 14161. People who file Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025 take the 2025 test, drawn from a bank of 128 questions. People who filed before that date still take the 2008 test, drawn from the list of 100.

Both tests are live at the same time, which is what makes 2026 confusing. The USCIS study pages now carry two parallel sets of everything: two question lists, two sets of flash cards, two sets of practice tests, labelled Civics (2008 version) and Civics (2025 Version).

Nothing about the 100 questions themselves was rewritten. The answers about who currently holds office still change with elections, and USCIS publishes those on its civics test updates page.

How the 100 Civics Questions Are Tested

The scoring is more forgiving than most people assume.

The civics test is oral. A USCIS officer asks you up to 10 of the 100 questions and you answer out loud. You must answer 6 out of 10 correctly to pass.

There is no multiple choice, no written paper, and no way to know your 10 in advance. Once you have 6 right, the officer stops, so a test that ends early is a good sign.

Many questions accept several answers. When the question says “name one”, one correct answer is enough and any of the published options counts. USCIS notes there may be additional correct answers, but asks you to use the answers it publishes.

What the 100 Civics Questions Cover

The list is split into three parts, and they are not evenly sized.

American Government is the largest section, running from question 1 to 57. It covers the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three branches, Congress, the presidency, the courts, federal versus state powers, political parties, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

American History runs from question 58 to 87. Colonial period and independence, the 1800s including the Civil War, then recent American history through the World Wars, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and September 11.

Integrated Civics runs from question 88 to 100. Geography, national symbols, and holidays. It is the shortest section and generally the easiest to secure.

Weight your study accordingly. More than half the list is American Government, so that is where most of your 10 questions will come from.

The 20 Starred Questions for the 65/20 Exemption

Twenty of the 100 are marked with an asterisk, and they exist for a specific group.

If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, you may study just the starred questions. You may also take the civics test in a language of your choice.

Here is the starred set from the 2008 list.

• 6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? Speech / religion / assembly / press / petition the government
• 11. What is the economic system in the United States? Capitalist economy / market economy
• 13. Name one branch or part of the government. Congress / legislative / President / executive / the courts / judicial
• 17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? The Senate and House of Representatives
• 20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. senators now? Answers will vary by state
• 27. In what month do we vote for President? November
• 28. What is the name of the President of the United States now? Check the USCIS test updates page
• 44. What is the capital of your state? Answers will vary by state
• 45. What are the two major political parties in the United States? Democratic and Republican
• 49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens? Serve on a jury / vote in a federal election
• 54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President? Eighteen and older
• 56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? April 15
• 70. Who was the first President? George Washington
• 75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did? Freed the slaves / saved the Union
• 78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. World War I / World War II / Korean War / Vietnam War / Gulf War
• 85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do? Fought for civil rights / worked for equality for all Americans
• 94. What is the capital of the United States? Washington, D.C.
• 95. Where is the Statue of Liberty? New York Harbor / Liberty Island
• 97. Why does the flag have 50 stars? One star for each state
• 99. When do we celebrate Independence Day? July 4

If you do not meet the 65/20 thresholds, these 20 are not a shortcut. They are simply 20 of your 100.

How the 100 Civics Questions Differ From the 128

If you have seen both lists, the differences are larger than the headline number suggests.

The 2008 list asks what the supreme law of the land is and gets one answer: the Constitution. The 2025 list keeps that question and adds ones the older test never asked, like what the rule of law means and why representatives serve shorter terms than senators.

Answer style changed too. The 2008 list often gives a short phrase, sometimes a single word, like “speech” for a First Amendment freedom. The 2025 list tends to give several fuller answers for the same kind of question.

The scoring is different in a way that matters more than the content. On the 2008 test you can miss 4 of 10 and pass. On the 2025 test you can miss 8 of 20 and pass, but you face twice as many questions from a bank that is 28 questions larger.

None of that helps you if you are on the 2008 test. Study the list that matches your filing date and ignore the other one entirely, because mixing them produces answers in the wrong wording.

Four Mistakes People Make With the 100 Civics Questions

The list is short enough that people get casual with it.

Mistake 1: Studying a “most asked” subset. Your 10 questions are drawn from all 100. A popular shortlist leaves 70 questions you have never said out loud.

Mistake 2: Learning three answers per question. Where a question says “name one”, one answer is enough. Learning three answers badly is worse than learning one well.

Mistake 3: Reading instead of reciting. The test is oral. If your study session has no moment where you struggle to remember and then succeed, it was reading.

Mistake 4: Leaving your own state answers to the end. The questions about your own senators, your representative and your state capital are among the easiest marks on the test, and the easiest to walk in without.

The Answers That Change and the Ones That Depend on You

Six of the 100 civics questions have no fixed answer printed on the list.

Your senators, your representative, your governor, and your state capital depend on where you live. The official sheet marks these “answers will vary” and expects you to know your own.

Questions about the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, and Chief Justice depend on when your interview happens. USCIS sends you to its civics test updates page for those, and expects the name of the official serving at the time of your eligibility interview.

Residents of the District of Columbia and of U.S. territories get their own answers. The District has no U.S. senators and no governor, and the official notes say so.

Look yours up once, write them on a card, and test them in every session.

What the 100 Civics Questions Feel Like in the Room

The exchange is shorter and plainer than people expect.

The officer says the question once, in a normal voice. You answer. They write something down and move to the next one. There is no discussion, no follow-up, and no hint about whether you got it right.

That pace is why short answers win. Say the answer and stop. Extra sentences are not scored, and they give you more chances to talk yourself out of a correct answer you had already given.

If you did not hear the question properly, ask the officer to repeat it. That is normal and it costs you nothing. Guessing at a question you half heard is much more expensive.

If a question stumps you, say so and move on. With 6 correct out of 10 needed, one miss is survivable and sitting in silence hunting for the answer burns the calm you need for the next question.

The civics test also sits inside a longer appointment. Before it, the officer places you under oath and walks through your Form N-400 with you. After it comes the reading and writing test. You leave holding Form N-652, which records the result of the appointment. Granted, continued or denied are the three outcomes.

How to Learn 100 Questions Without Cramming

Three weeks of short sessions is comfortable for a list this size.

Step 1: Split the list. Work through one block of about a dozen questions a day. Cover the answer, say yours out loud, then check.

Step 2: Shuffle the blocks. From the second week, mix questions from all three sections into every session. A block studied in order feels easy because the topic tells you what kind of answer to give.

Step 3: Run 10-question mock tests. Random draws, spoken answers, honest scoring. Treat 9 out of 10 as ready rather than 6.

Step 4: Drill only the misses. Keep a running list of the questions you drop. Most people close the gap by working 15 stubborn questions rather than rereading all 100.

Do not forget the English portion. You also read one sentence out of three aloud and write one sentence out of three by hand, both from the official USCIS vocabulary lists.

FAQ

Do I take the 100 civics questions or the 128?

Your Form N-400 filing date decides. Filed before October 20, 2025 means the 2008 test with 100 questions. Filed on or after that date means the 2025 test with 128 questions. The date is printed on your receipt notice.

How many of the 100 civics questions will I be asked?

Up to 10. You need 6 correct to pass, and the officer stops asking as soon as you reach 6. That means a short test is a good outcome rather than a worrying one.

Where can I get the official list of 100 civics questions?

USCIS publishes them free in pocket study guide M-1122, along with the reading and writing vocabulary lists. The Citizenship Resource Center also offers flash cards, MP3 audio, and practice tests for the 2008 version.

Can I study only the 20 starred questions?

Only if you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more. Applicants who meet both thresholds may study just the starred questions and may take the test in a language of their choice.

What happens if I miss more than four questions?

You do not pass that portion, and USCIS generally schedules a second interview within 60 to 90 days. You are retested only on the part you did not pass, so a civics miss does not mean redoing the English test.

Verdict: Studying the 100 Civics Questions in 2026

The 100 civics questions are still a live exam in 2026, and they belong to anyone who filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025. Confirm that date first, because studying the wrong list costs you weeks.

After that it is ordinary work. Cover the answers, say yours out loud, shuffle the order, and run 10-question mock tests until 9 out of 10 is normal. Learn your own senators, representative, governor, and state capital, and check the test updates page in the final week.

Six out of ten passes. Aim higher, because you do not get to choose which ten.