Citizenship Test Passing Score: How Many Do You Need Right?
To pass the 2025 civics test you need 12 correct answers out of up to 20 questions. On the 2008 test and under 65/20 you need 6 out of 10. The officer stops as soon as you pass.
Updated
- 2025 test: 12 correct answers out of up to 20 questions.
- 2008 test: 6 correct answers out of up to 10 questions.
- 65/20: 6 correct answers out of 10 questions.
When the officer stops
The test ends as soon as you reach the passing score. It also ends when you can no longer reach it: after 9 wrong answers on the 2025 test, or after 5 on the 2008 test and under 65/20.
| 2025 test | 2008 test | 65/20 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions to study | 128 | 100 | 20 marked questions |
| Asked at most | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| Correct to pass | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| Test ends after this many wrong | 9 | 5 | 5 |
What counts as a correct answer
- Your answer needs to match one of the accepted answers on the official list.
- Some questions ask for more than one thing, like “Name two…” (7 questions on the 2025 test and 6 on the 2008 test). Give as many as the question asks for.
- For questions about people in office, give the name of the person in office on the day of your interview. For your senators, representative, governor and capital, the answer depends on where you live.
The English test
The English reading and writing tests have their own rules: read 1 of up to 3 sentences correctly, and write 1 of up to 3 sentences correctly. Practice the sentences.
Try it yourself: the free mock test uses the same rules and stops the same way.
Official sources
This guide is based on the official USCIS materials below. Always check them, and your appointment notice, for your own case.
- Check for test updates (uscis.gov)
- The Naturalization Interview and Test (uscis.gov)
Practice out loud with Officer Michael in the app
A Virtual Officer asks every civics question out loud, listens to your answer and grades it like a real interview. All 128 questions, answers for your state, and progress that tells you when you're ready.
Related guides
- How Many Questions Are on the Citizenship Test?How many questions you study, and how many the officer asks.
- What Happens If You Fail the Citizenship Test?Your second chance, and what you're retested on.
- 2025 vs 2008 Civics Test: Which One Do You Take?Which test you take, and how the 128-question and 100-question tests differ.