USCIS Study Guide: Which Official Publication You Need in 2026

USCIS puts out a study guide for every part of the test, all of it free. Almost nobody uses them. People buy a study app instead and never find out that the app is repackaging the same public documents.

There is more than one official publication, and they do different jobs. This page covers what each one contains, which version applies to you, and where the official material stops being enough.

USCIS publishes M-1122 as the pocket study guide with the 100-question 2008 list and both English vocabulary lists. M-1778 carries all 128 questions and answers for the 2025 test. Flash cards, MP3 audio and practice tests exist for both versions. Your Form N-400 filing date decides which set applies.

What’s New in 2026 for the USCIS Study Guide

The official material split in two, and the split is the whole story.

USCIS is implementing the 2025 naturalization civics test to align with Executive Order 14161. Applications filed before October 20, 2025 take the 2008 test. Applications filed on or after that date take the 2025 test.

Everything on the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center now carries a version label. The topic filter lists Civics (2008 version) and Civics (2025 Version) as two choices. The flash cards, audio files and practice tests come in two sets to match.

The English material was not duplicated, because the reading and writing tests did not change. One set of vocabulary lists still covers everybody.

Every Official USCIS Study Guide, and What It Holds

Five publications cover the whole test.

• M-1778, 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version). The current civics bank, with every accepted answer, grouped into American Government, American History, and Symbols and Holidays. Twenty questions carry a star for the 65/20 exemption.
• M-1122, Preparing for the Naturalization Test: A Pocket Study Guide. The 100 civics questions and answers for the 2008 test, both English vocabulary lists, and a summary of who can apply.
• M-1178, Reading Vocabulary Word Strips. Every word that can show up in the English reading portion, printed as strips you can cut up and turn into sentences.
• M-715, Writing Vocabulary Flash Cards. Every word that can show up in the English writing portion, one per card, with space on the back to practice writing it.
• Civics flash cards and MP3 audio. The questions and answers as cards and as spoken audio, in both the 2008 and the 2025 version.

All of it is free from the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center. You can also buy printed copies from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

What the USCIS Pocket Study Guide Actually Covers

M-1122 is the closest thing to a single complete document, and it is worth knowing what is inside it.

It starts with the rules for who can apply.

• Be at least 18 years old when you file Form N-400
• Be a permanent resident with a green card for at least five years
• Have lived at least three months in the state or USCIS district where you apply
• Show continuous residence in the United States for the five years before filing
• Have been physically present for at least 30 months out of those five years
• Be able to read, write and speak basic English
• Have a basic knowledge of U.S. history and government
• Be a person of good moral character
• Show attachment to the principles and ideals of the U.S. Constitution

Then come the 100 civics questions and answers, followed by the reading vocabulary list and the writing vocabulary list.

That combination is why the pocket guide is still useful even to people on the 2025 test. The rules on who can apply, and the word lists, are the same for everybody. Only the civics section is version specific.

Where the Official USCIS Study Guide Stops Being Enough

The documents are accurate and complete. They are also passive.

A PDF cannot notice that you keep missing the amendment questions. It cannot shuffle itself, ask you a question out loud, or bring back the answer you dropped last Tuesday. Those are the three things that actually move a question from recognised to known.

The official practice tests help a little, but they run on a screen with the questions in front of you. The real civics test is oral, with nothing to look at and no options offered.

The official material also leaves six answers blank on purpose. Your senators, your representative and your state capital depend on where you live, and the sheet says “answers will vary”. The President, Vice President, Speaker of the House and Chief Justice depend on when you sit the test, and USCIS points you to its civics test updates page for those.

So treat the official files as the source of truth. Then add whatever gives you random order, spoken answers, and repeats on a schedule.

How to Work Through the USCIS Study Guide

Three habits turn a downloaded PDF into a passed test.

Habit 1: Cover the answers. Read the question, say your answer out loud, then uncover and check. If you looked before you spoke, the repetition did nothing.

Habit 2: Break the printed order. The list is grouped by topic, which makes each block feel easier than it is. Shuffle once you have been through the bank once.

Habit 3: Print the vocabulary and use a pen. The writing test is handwritten, to dictation, in a second language. Typing the words trains none of that.

Then add a person. Ask someone to read the questions at you twice a week. It is the cheapest gain on offer. Hearing a voice you do not know ask the question is most of what makes the real test feel different.

What the Vocabulary Lists in the USCIS Study Guide Contain

The English half of the official material is smaller than people expect.

The reading vocabulary list is short. Two people, about a dozen civics terms, a few places and holidays, six question words, a dozen verbs, and a handful of function words. That is every word that can appear in the reading portion.

The writing list is separate and slightly longer. It adds months, colours, numbers, and more place names.

• People: Adams, Lincoln, Washington
• Civics: American Indians, capital, citizens, Civil War, Congress, Father of Our Country, flag, free, freedom of speech, President, right, Senators, state, White House
• Places: Alaska, California, Canada, Delaware, Mexico, New York City, United States, Washington, Washington D.C.
• Months: February, May, June, July, September, October, November
• Holidays: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving
• Verbs: can, come, elect, have, has, is, was, be, lives, lived, meets, pay, vote, want
• Other: and, during, for, here, in, of, on, the, to, we, blue, dollar bill, fifty, first, largest, most, north, one, one hundred, people, red, second, south, taxes, white

USCIS warns that the two lists share some words and are not the same. Its own guidance says to keep them separate when you practice, so the overlap does not hide the differences.

Neither list is long enough to justify skipping. An hour of handwriting covers the whole writing list. It also removes the one part of the day most people have never rehearsed.

Using the USCIS Study Guide With a Real Schedule

The official files give you content. A schedule turns it into a pass.

Week 1 and 2: cover the civics list. A dozen questions a day from M-1778 or M-1122. Cover the answer. Say yours out loud. Then check.

Week 3: shuffle. Draw at random from the whole bank. Start a card for every question you drop.

Week 4: print the word lists. Two writing sessions and two reading sessions this week. Write by hand. Read out loud.

Week 5: mock tests. Twenty random questions most days, asked by someone else. Score before you talk about any of it.

Week 6: your own Form N-400. Read it end to end, slowly. Look hard at your travel history and at the yes or no questions in Part 9.

In the last week, open the civics test updates page and check the current office holders. Look up your own senators, your representative and your state capital as well.

That is about 20 minutes a day. It is the difference between owning the right PDF and being ready to sit the test.

FAQ

Where do I download the official USCIS study guide?

From the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center. M-1778 holds the 128 civics questions and answers for the 2025 test, and M-1122 is the pocket study guide with the 100-question 2008 list plus both English vocabulary lists.

Which USCIS study guide applies to me?

Your Form N-400 filing date decides. Filed before October 20, 2025 means the 2008 material. Filed on or after that date means the 2025 material. Your receipt notice shows the date.

Does the USCIS study guide cover the English test?

Yes. The pocket study guide M-1122 includes both vocabulary lists, and USCIS also publishes them separately as reading word strips and writing flash cards. Those lists contain every word that can appear in the English portion.

Is the USCIS study guide enough on its own?

For content, yes. For practice, not quite. A PDF cannot ask you questions in random order, listen to your spoken answer, or bring back the ones you missed, and those are the things that make the answers stick.

Do I have to pay for any official material?

No. Everything is free to download from the Citizenship Resource Center. Printed copies can be purchased from the U.S. Government Bookstore, but the same content is available at no cost.

Verdict: Getting the Most From the USCIS Study Guide

The USCIS study guide you need depends on one date, and after that the material is settled. M-1778 or M-1122 for civics, the reading and writing vocabulary lists for English, and your own Form N-400 for the longest part of the interview.

None of it costs anything, and none of it is hidden. What the official files cannot do is make you practice well. That means covering the answers, saying them out loud, shuffling the order, and having someone else ask.

Download the right version first. Everything after that is repetition, spaced out, in the wrong order on purpose.