2025 Civics Test (128 Questions): Who Takes It, Who Takes the 2008
USCIS switched to the 2025 civics test (128 questions, pass 12 of 20) for N-400 applications filed on or after October 20, 2025. Version boundaries, rules and what changes — free practice for both.
Quick answer: the version you take depends on when you filed Form N-400. Filed on or after October 20, 2025 → you take the 2025 civics test: 20 questions from the official 128, pass at 12. Filed before October 20, 2025 → you take the 2008 test: 10 questions from the official 100, pass at 6. Both versions are practiced free on this site — the 2025 bank is the one almost every new applicant needs. Official source
The version boundary, in one table
| 2025 test | 2008 test | |
|---|---|---|
| Who takes it | N-400 filed on/after Oct 20, 2025 | N-400 filed before Oct 20, 2025 |
| Question pool | 128 official questions | 100 official questions |
| Asked / pass | 20 asked · 12 correct | 10 asked · 6 correct |
| Format | Oral, no clock (same as always) | Oral, no clock |
| 65/20 rule | Yes — 20 starred questions | Yes — 20 starred questions |
| Official Spanish | Not yet published (English PDF only, as of Nov 2026) | Published (English + Spanish) |
The boundary is the filing date, not the interview date: if you filed in September 2025 and your interview is in 2026, you still take the 2008 test. If you filed in November 2025, the 2025 test is yours. Official source
What is actually different in the 2025 test
Three things changed — and one thing did not. Changed: the pool grew from 100 to 128 questions, roughly a third are new or heavily reworded (the three branches and their powers, the Electoral College, why justices serve for life, the Oath's promises); the pass line moved to 12 of 20; and the questions regrouped into six sections (15 principles / 47 system of government / 10 rights and responsibilities / 46 colonial period and history / 6 symbols / 4 holidays). Not changed: the format — questions are still asked orally with no list of options, there is still no clock, and the 65/20 exemption still lets qualifying applicants study only the 20 starred questions.
The 12-of-20 pass line, in practice
The 2025 pass line sounds steeper — 12 of 20 instead of 6 of 10 — but the ratio is nearly identical (60% in both versions), and the officer still stops asking once you clear it. What the bigger pool actually changes is coverage: with 128 possible questions spread across six sections, lucky guessing matters less and even coverage matters more. That is exactly what the section drills on this site are for — work all six until your misses stop repeating, then sit the 20-question mock and hold the same standard on two different days.
Where to practice each version here
The 2008 bank is complete today: all 100 questions with explanations, the 10-question mock, and the only officially published Spanish version of either test. The 2025 bank is live: the full 128 questions with explanations, a 20-question mock at the official 12-of-20 line, and drills for all six sections — English now, with Spanish practice marked as a community translation until USCIS publishes an official version. If you are unsure which side you are on, check your N-400 receipt notice: the filing date printed there decides the version.
One honest caveat about Spanish
USCIS has published the 2025 test in English only so far (the Spanish PDF covers the 2008 test). The 2025 bank on this site is now available in Spanish as a community translation — every question, option and explanation switches with the EN/ES header switch, and the community status is labeled until an official version exists. If you qualify for the Spanish-language exemption (55/15 or 65/20), tell the officer at the interview and verify wording against the officer's interpreter.
2025 civics test — FAQ
2025 civics test — FAQ
I filed my N-400 in 2024 but my interview is in 2026. Which test do I take?
The 2008 test. The boundary is the filing date (before vs. on or after October 20, 2025), not the interview date.
Is the 2025 test harder?
The pool is bigger (128 vs 100) and the pass line is higher in count (12 of 20 vs 6 of 10) — but the ratio is nearly identical (60%), the format is unchanged, and about half the knowledge overlaps with the 2008 test. Applicants who drill the full 128-question bank score the same way 2008-version applicants always have.
Why does the official 2025 test have no Spanish version?
USCIS has published English only (as of November 2026). Applicants with an approved English exemption take the test in their native language with an interpreter; this site's 2025 Spanish practice is community-translated and marked as such until an official version appears.
Do the two tests share questions?
About half: 42 of the 128 are near-identical to 2008 questions, and many more test the same facts in reworded form. Studying either bank builds overlapping knowledge — but pass lines, pool size and section structure differ, so practice the bank for your filing date.