Who Has to Take the Citizenship Test in 2026?

Naturalization involves two separate tests, and a surprising number of applicants sit fewer than both. Working out who has to take the citizenship test, and which parts, is the first thing worth doing.

It comes down to two numbers and one form. Your age, your years as a lawful permanent resident, and whether a medical certification applies.

Most applicants take English and civics in full. At 50 with 20 years of residence, or 55 with 15, English is waived. At 65 with 20 years the civics test shrinks to 10 questions from 20. Form N-648 can waive either or both on medical grounds. Both age figures are counted on the day you file.

What’s New in 2026

The exemptions survived the 2025 change untouched.

Anyone filing Form N-400 on or after 20 October 2025 takes the 2025 civics test, 20 questions from a bank of 128, passing at 12. Anyone filing earlier takes 10 from 100, passing at 6. The USCIS study page covers both.

That changes what the civics test looks like for people who sit it. It changes nothing about who sits it.

The English requirement and its exemptions were not part of the revision at all.

The Default: Both Tests in Full

Start here, then check whether an exemption moves you.

The English requirement has three parts. Reading and writing are short set pieces. Speaking is judged during the review of your Form N-400, and nobody announces it.

The civics requirement is the question test, spoken, in the version matching your filing date.

Most applicants do all of this. It is the standard route and nothing about it is unusual.

Our page on the citizenship interview order of events walks through how the parts fit together on the day.

The Age Routes

Three combinations, all counted at filing rather than at interview.

At 50 or older with 20 years or more as a lawful permanent resident, the English requirement is waived. You take civics in your own language with your own interpreter.

At 55 or older with 15 years or more, the same waiver applies. The two rules exist to catch different mixes of age and residence.

At 65 or older with 20 years or more, something different happens. The civics test shrinks to 10 questions drawn from a bank of 20 starred ones, passing at 6. Most people meeting this also meet the 50/20 rule, so they get both benefits.

The timing point matters enormously. Somebody turning 55 a month after filing does not qualify, however long the wait afterwards. Waiting a few weeks to file can remove three tests. See citizenship test exemptions.

The Medical Route

Form N-648, for applicants whose situation the age rules do not cover.

A licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist certifies that a physical or developmental disability, or a mental impairment, prevents you from meeting the requirement.

It can waive English, civics, or both. The condition must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months.

File it with Form N-400 wherever possible. See the Form N-648 medical waiver.

This route matters most for applicants too young for the age rules, or who need civics waived rather than only English.

Who Has to Take the Citizenship Test: Four Checks

Four questions, in order.

First, your age on the day you filed Form N-400. Not today, and not at your interview.

Second, your years holding a green card on that same day. Count from the date on the card.

Third, check those two numbers against 50/20, 55/15 and 65/20. Note which one fits, if any.

Fourth, if none apply, consider whether a medical condition prevents you meeting the requirements. Form N-648 is the route where it does.

If none of the four leads anywhere, you take both tests in full, which is the ordinary position.

What No Exemption Removes

Worth stating clearly, because people expect more relief than exists.

The interview always happens. The officer reviews your Form N-400 with you regardless of which tests apply.

The background questions in Part 9 are always asked.

You always bring your documents, always attend, and always take the oath at a ceremony afterwards.

No exemption removes the appointment. They change the testing inside it, and with an interpreter the review often runs longer rather than shorter.

FAQ

Does everyone have to take the citizenship test?

Most applicants take both the English and civics tests in full. Age combined with years as a permanent resident can waive English or shorten civics, and a medical certification on Form N-648 can waive either or both.

At what age do you not have to take the citizenship test?

There is no age that removes the civics test entirely. At 65 with 20 years of residence it shrinks to 10 questions from a bank of 20, and at 50 with 20 years, or 55 with 15, the English tests are waived.

When are my age and residence counted?

On the date you file Form N-400, not at your interview. This is why applicants close to a threshold sometimes wait a few weeks before filing, which is entirely legitimate.

Can I take the civics test in my own language?

Yes if you meet 50/20, 55/15 or 65/20. You must bring your own interpreter, since USCIS does not provide one, and they must translate rather than help you answer.

Two Requirements, Judged Separately

A distinction that clears up most confusion.

English and civics are separate requirements with separate exemptions. Satisfying one tells you nothing about the other.

The 50/20 and 55/15 rules waive English and leave civics in place. The 65/20 rule shortens civics and says nothing about English, though most people meeting it also meet 50/20.

Form N-648 can waive either or both, and the certifying professional specifies which.

That is why some applicants take a shortened civics test in their own language, and others take a full civics test in English while the reading and writing are waived. Both combinations are ordinary.

Work out each requirement separately and the picture stops being confusing.

What Happens If You Assumed Wrong

Recoverable, and better caught early.

Somebody who studied 128 questions and then discovers they qualified for 65/20 has simply over-prepared, which costs effort rather than the application.

The harder case is the reverse. Somebody expecting a waiver they do not qualify for arrives unprepared for tests they must sit.

Check before your interview rather than at it. If you believed an exemption applied and it does not, you would rather find out with weeks to study than in the room.

The officer works from your filing date and your documented history, not from what you expected.

Accommodations Are Not Exemptions

A separate thing entirely, and worth knowing about.

An exemption removes a requirement. An accommodation changes how you meet it.

USCIS provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities.

A sign language interpreter. Extra time. A room you can reach in a wheelchair. A quieter setting. Even an interview elsewhere, where attending is not possible.

Asking for one does not affect your eligibility, and it needs no Form N-648. It is an arrangement, not a waiver.

Ask ahead of the day. These are set up in advance, and staff at the door can arrange little at short notice.

Many people who think they need a medical waiver really need an accommodation. That is far simpler to get.

Verdict on Who Has to Take the Citizenship Test

Do the arithmetic before you do any studying. Two numbers, both fixed at your filing date, decide how much of this exam you actually face.

The answer to who has to take the citizenship test is most people, in full, but the exceptions cover more applicants than realise it. A great many people study 128 questions in English when they were entitled to study 20 in their own language.

Check your age and your green card date first. It takes five minutes and it is the highest-value thing you can do before opening a single question list.