Guides · Answers that change
Eight civics answers that change, and where to check each one the week of your interview
The President, the Vice President, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, your governor, your senator, your representative, your capital. The official sources for each.
Of the 128 questions on the 2025 civics test, 120 have answers that were true ten years ago and will be true in ten more. Eight do not. Four ask who holds a national office now, and four depend on where you live. Any study material, ours included, can be out of date on these the morning after an election. Here is each one with the primary source to check it against.
The four national offices
| Question | Where to check | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| What is the name of the President of the United States now? | whitehouse.gov/administration | After a presidential election, inaugurated January 20 |
| What is the name of the Vice President now? | whitehouse.gov/administration | Same day as the President |
| What is the name of the Speaker of the House now? | house.gov/leadership | When a new Congress convenes on January 3, or whenever the House elects a new Speaker |
| Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? | supremecourt.gov, current justices | Rarely. Only on retirement or death and a new confirmation |
The Speaker is the one people miss. It can change in the middle of a term, without an election, and it has.
The four that depend on where you live
| Question | Where to check | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the governor of your state now? | nga.org/governors | After state elections; most new governors take office in January |
| Who is one of your state's U.S. senators now? | senate.gov/senators | January 3 after an election; either of the two is a correct answer |
| Name your U.S. representative. | house.gov, find your representative, by ZIP code | January 3 after every even-year election, and after any special election |
| What is the capital of your state? | Does not change | Never. Learn it once |
DC residents answer that DC has no governor, no U.S. senators, and, not being a state, no capital. Territory residents have a governor but no U.S. senators.
When to check
Once when you start studying, and once more in the week before your interview. The second check is the one that matters. The next election night is November 3, 2026, and the people elected then take office in January 2027. If your interview falls between an election and the swearing-in, the answer is still the current officeholder, not the winner.
How we keep them current
In our study material these eight answers are not typed into the app. They come from our server and are cross-checked against the sources in the tables above before every release, so a change reaches the app without an update. That is the right way to do it, and it is still not a substitute for you looking once the week before.
Frequently asked questions
Which civics test answers change over time?
Eight on the 2025 test: the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Justice, your governor, one of your U.S. senators, your U.S. representative, and your state capital, though the capital does not in practice change.
Where do I check who the Speaker of the House is for the civics test?
On house.gov under leadership. The Speaker can change in the middle of a term, so check the week of your interview.
What do DC residents answer for the governor question?
That DC does not have a governor. DC residents also answer that DC has no U.S. senators and, not being a state, no capital.
Study the official questions, free
Both versions of the civics test, the answers for your state, and practice tests in the real format with the real pass line.
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