Which US civics test will I take, the 2008 or the 2025 version?
Checked against USCIS's own pages on September 9, 2026.
The short answer: it depends on the date USCIS received your Form N-400, not on your interview date.
- Filed before October 20, 2025 → the 2008 test.
- Filed on or after October 20, 2025 → the 2025 test.
Your filing date is on your N-400 receipt notice (Form I-797C), in the box marked Received Date.
This is the question people get wrong most often, and the mistake is expensive: months studying 100 questions when 128 different ones were coming, or the other way round. The two tests share many topics but they are not the same questions, and the rules for passing are different.
The two tests, side by side
| 2008 test | 2025 test | |
|---|---|---|
| Who takes it | N-400 filed before Oct 20, 2025 | N-400 filed on or after Oct 20, 2025 |
| Questions in the pool | 100 | 128 |
| Asked at your interview | Up to 10 | Up to 20 |
| Needed to pass | 6 correct | 12 correct |
| When the officer stops | At 6 right or 5 wrong | At 12 right or 9 wrong |
How many questions are on the 2008 civics test?
The officer asks up to 10 questions from a pool of 100. You pass with 6 correct. The officer stops as soon as you have 6 right or 5 wrong — so a strong start means a short test.
How many questions are on the 2025 civics test?
The officer asks up to 20 questions from a pool of 128. You pass with 12 correct. The officer stops as soon as you have 12 right or 9 wrong. The pass line is the same proportion as before (60%), but there are more questions to learn and less room for a lucky guess.
What is the 65/20 rule?
If you are 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more, you are asked 10 questions from a specially selected bank of 20, and you may take the test in your own language. Which bank you get, 2008 or 2025, still follows your N-400 filing date. Both banks are marked in our study material, so you can study only those 20.
What did not change
The English test — reading one sentence aloud and writing one sentence the officer dictates — is the same for both groups. So is the interview itself: the officer still goes through your N-400 with you and asks about your application. The civics questions are the only part where the two dates differ.
Where these facts come from
Everything on this page is taken from USCIS's pages Study for the Test and Check for Test Updates, which are the official word. If they change, they win; we re-check them before every release. The question pools themselves are the 128 questions (2025) and the 100 questions (2008).
Study the right one, free
Do I need to pay to study the official questions?
No. The questions are published by USCIS and are in the public domain. Both versions are free to study here, in the browser or in the iPhone app, with no account needed in the app. Pick your version once and everything follows — flashcards, topics, the answers for your state, and a practice test that uses the real number of questions and the real pass line for your version.
Study in the browser — free Get the iPhone app
Still not sure which date applies to you? Your receipt notice settles it, and if anything about your case is unusual, ask the authority handling it or an immigration lawyer. We teach the test; we do not advise on applications.