Guides · The 65/20 test
The 20 questions on the 65/20 civics test, and how the shorter test works
If you are 65 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, your civics test comes from these 20 questions. All of them, with the accepted answers.
Applicants who are 65 or older and have held a green card for 20 years or more get a civics test drawn from a marked bank of 20 questions instead of the full pool of 128. The officer asks up to 10 of them and you need 6 correct. Here is the whole bank for the 2025 test, with the accepted answers, in the order USCIS lists them.
The rules first
- You qualify if you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, both counted on the day USCIS received your N-400.
- You are also exempt from the English test and may take civics in your own language. USCIS asks you to bring a qualified interpreter.
- Up to 10 questions are asked. Six correct passes. The officer stops as soon as the result is decided.
- Which bank you get, 2008 or 2025, follows your N-400 received date. The 20 below are the 2025 bank. The 2008 test has its own marked 20.
The 20 questions
- What is the supreme law of the land? The Constitution.
- How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have? Twenty-seven.
- What is the economic system of the United States? Capitalism, or a free market economy.
- Name one power of the U.S. Congress. Writes laws; declares war; makes the federal budget.
- What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? The current Speaker. Check house.gov the week of your interview.
- The President of the United States is elected for how many years? Four.
- What is the name of the President of the United States now? The current President. Check whitehouse.gov.
- What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? The current Vice President. Check whitehouse.gov.
- Who vetoes bills? The President.
- What is the highest court in the United States? The Supreme Court.
- Who is the governor of your state now? Your state's governor. DC residents answer that DC does not have a governor.
- What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? The United States, or the flag.
- Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? American Indians, or Native Americans.
- Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson.
- George Washington is famous for many things. Name one. Father of Our Country; first president; general of the Continental Army.
- Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. Freed the slaves; saved the Union; led the country during the Civil War.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for many things. Name one. Fought for civil rights; worked for equality for all Americans.
- What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States? Terrorists attacked the United States.
- Why does the flag have 13 stripes? Because there were 13 original colonies.
- Name three national U.S. holidays. Any three: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
The four that change
Four of the twenty depend on the day and the place: the Speaker, the President, the Vice President and your governor. Do not learn these from a list printed months ago, including this one. Check them the week of the interview on house.gov, whitehouse.gov and the National Governors Association. In our study material they update from our server and are cross-checked against those sources before every release.
How to study twenty questions
Twenty questions is a small enough set to learn completely. Pick one answer for each, the one that is easiest to say in the language you will answer in, and practice saying it. Have someone ask the questions in a random order, out loud, ten at a time, and stop at six right. That is the interview.
The full age rules, including the 50/20 and 55/15 English exemptions, are in the age rules guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the 65/20 citizenship test?
The officer asks up to 10 questions from a marked bank of 20. You need 6 correct to pass.
Can the 65/20 civics test be taken in my own language?
Yes. Applicants who qualify for 65/20 are exempt from the English test and may take the civics test in the language of their choice with an interpreter.
Are the 65/20 questions the same on the 2008 and 2025 tests?
No. Each version has its own marked bank of 20. Which one you get follows your N-400 received date: before October 20, 2025 the 2008 bank, on or after the 2025 bank.
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.
Prepare for Citizenship teaches the test; it does not advise on applications. Anything about your own case belongs with your lawyer or USCIS. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.