STANDARDIZED CITIZENSHIP EXAM ON U.S. HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

An applicant must understand the fundamentals of U.S. history and the principles of and form of government of the United States. The INS has published a list of 100 questions from which the history and government questions usually will be asked. These questions are available online for download at

Standard Citizenship Qs in English 100 questions

The requirement for U.S. government and history may be fulfilled in several ways: 

1. Most applicants will take an oral examination on the day of the interview.  Applicants may be asked between 10-15 questions from the list of 100 questions and must answer more than half of those questions correctly. 

2. Applicants may have taken and passed a standardized written exam administered by a outside private agency. Successful test results taken before August 31, 1998 will be honored by the BCIS at the interview provided that the applicant applied for citizenship within one year of taking the exam.  The BCIS is expected to start another standardized testing program linked to the fingerprint stage of processing, however, these plans are not yet complete. 

3. There is a waiver of the history and civics requirement for some applicants with physical and mental impairments due to a disability.  The applicant must submit a form N-648 completed by a doctor or licensed psychologist demonstrating the exact connection between the disability and the inability to learn U.S. history and civics. 

4. Applicants 65 years of age or older who have been lawful permanent residents for at least 20 years may take an easier test for the history and government requirement. They will be asked 10 questions from a list of 25 questions and must answer at least 6 correct on the day of the interview. A list of the 25 "special consideration" questions is available for download online at< Link unavailable >