US Citizenship

Describe what a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) is, what the Permanent Resident Card proves, and why maintaining permanent residence is the foundation of naturalization eligibility

Apply the core naturalization eligibility rules: age 18 or older at filing, 5 years as a permanent resident, or 3 years when married to and living with a US citizen

Analyze the continuous residence and physical presence requirements, including the 30-months-in-5-years presence rule, the 3-month state or USCIS district residency rule, and how trips over 6 months can break continuity

Explain the good moral character requirement, the statutory period it covers, and common problems such as unpaid taxes, false claims to citizenship, and failure to register for Selective Service

Complete Form N-400 correctly: paper versus online filing, the current filing fees (760 dollars paper, 710 dollars online), and the fee waiver and reduced-fee options on Form I-912

List the steps of the naturalization process in order: N-400 filing, receipt notice, biometrics appointment, interview notice, the interview and tests, the written decision, and the oath ceremony

Determine which civics test version applies to an applicant: the 2025 test of 128 questions for N-400s filed on or after October 20, 2025, and the 2008 test of 100 questions for earlier filings

Evaluate the age-based accommodations: the 50/20 and 55/15 rules exempting the English test and allowing the civics test in your native language with an interpreter, and the 65/20 reduced test of starred questions

Explain the medical disability exception on Form N-648, which can waive the English test, the civics test, or both when a licensed doctor certifies a qualifying physical or developmental condition

Identify the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, and describe what the Constitution does: sets up the government, defines the government, and protects the basic rights of Americans

Explain the idea of self-government in the first three words of the Constitution, We the People, and how popular sovereignty means the power of government comes from the people

Define an amendment as a change or addition to the Constitution, identify the first ten amendments as the Bill of Rights, and state that the Constitution has 27 amendments

List the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: speech, religion, assembly, press, and the right to petition the government

Describe the Declaration of Independence: it announced the independence of the United States from Great Britain and declared that all people have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Identify the rule of law: everyone must follow the law, leaders must obey the law, government must obey the law, and no one is above the law

Describe the economic system of the United States as a capitalist economy or market economy

Explain religious freedom and the separation of church and state: you can practice any religion, or not practice a religion, and the government cannot establish an official religion

The Legislative Branch

• Name the legislative branch, Congress, as the part of the federal government that makes federal laws, and identify its two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives
• State that the Senate has 100 members elected for 6-year terms, and that each state has two senators regardless of its population
• State that the House of Representatives has 435 voting members elected for 2-year terms, and explain why some states have more representatives than others: state population
• Explain that senators represent all people of their state and representatives serve their district, and know how to find and name your own current senators and representative, answers that change with elections

The Executive Branch

• Describe the executive branch: the President is in charge of it, is elected in November for a 4-year term, and serves as both head of government and Commander in Chief of the military
• Apply the presidential succession rules: the Vice President becomes President if the President can no longer serve, then the Speaker of the House, and know how to name the current President, Vice President, and Speaker
• Describe presidential powers and duties: signs bills from Congress into law, vetoes bills, and appoints federal judges, Cabinet secretaries, and ambassadors
• Identify the Cabinet as the group that advises the President, and name Cabinet-level positions such as Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, and the Vice President

The Judicial Branch

• Describe what the judicial branch does: reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes between parties, and decides if a law goes against the Constitution
• Identify the Supreme Court as the highest court in the United States, know that the number of justices, currently nine, is set by law, and know how to name the current Chief Justice
• Analyze how separation of powers and checks and balances stop one branch of government from becoming too powerful, using concrete examples such as the presidential veto, Senate confirmation, and judicial review

Federal and State Government

• Distinguish powers of the federal government, such as printing money, declaring war, creating an army, and making treaties, from state powers such as providing schooling, issuing driver's licenses, and zoning
• Identify your state's current Governor and your state capital, and name the political party of the current President, personalized answers you must keep up to date for test day

List rights that belong to everyone living in the United States: freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms

Identify rights reserved for United States citizens only: voting in a federal election and running for federal office

List the responsibilities reserved for United States citizens: serving on a jury and voting in a federal election

Describe the four amendments about who can vote: citizens 18 and older can vote, you do not have to pay a poll tax to vote, and any citizen can vote regardless of race or sex

Explain ways Americans can participate in their democracy: vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic or community group, call senators and representatives, run for office, and write to a newspaper

State two federal participation deadlines: the last day to send in federal income tax forms, April 15, and the requirement for men to register for Selective Service between ages 18 and 26

Explain the promises made in the Oath of Allegiance: give up loyalty to other countries, defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States, obey the law, serve the nation if needed, and be loyal to the United States

Compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens with those of permanent residents, and evaluate how voting, jury service, and the oath define full membership in American democracy

Explain why colonists came to America: freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, and escape from persecution

Identify who lived in America before the Europeans arrived, American Indians, and describe who was taken to America and sold as slaves: people from Africa

Explain why the colonists fought the British: high taxes without representation, the British army staying in their houses, and the lack of self-government

Identify Thomas Jefferson as the writer of the Declaration of Independence and July 4, 1776 as the date it was adopted, which is why Independence Day is celebrated on July 4

Name states among the original 13 from the 13 colonies, such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia

Describe the Constitutional Convention: the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787 in Philadelphia

Explain how the Federalist Papers supported the passage of the Constitution, and name their writers: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, publishing under the name Publius

Describe the famous founders: Benjamin Franklin, the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General, and US diplomat, and George Washington, the Father of Our Country and first President

Identify the territory the United States bought from France in 1803, the Louisiana Territory, which doubled the size of the nation westward from the Mississippi River

Name the wars fought by the United States in the 1800s: the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War

Explain the problems that led to the Civil War between the North and the South, 1861 to 1865: slavery, economic reasons, and states' rights

Describe what Abraham Lincoln did: led the United States during the Civil War, freed the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation, and saved or preserved the Union

Explain what the Emancipation Proclamation did: freed the slaves in the Confederacy, the Confederate states that were at war with the Union

Describe what Susan B. Anthony did: fought for women's rights and civil rights, including the fight for women's suffrage that led to the Nineteenth Amendment

Trace the westward expansion of the United States across the 1800s from the Atlantic to the Pacific, including new states, new territories, and the movement of settlers west

Name the wars fought by the United States in the 1900s: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War, and identify Woodrow Wilson as President during World War I

Identify Franklin Roosevelt as President during the Great Depression and World War II, and name the countries the United States fought in World War II: Japan, Germany, and Italy

Explain the main concern of the United States during the Cold War: communism and its spread, and identify Dwight Eisenhower as the World War II general who later became President

Explain why the United States entered the Korean War and the Vietnam War: to stop the spread of communism

Explain what the civil rights movement tried to do, end racial discrimination, and describe Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans

State what major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States: terrorists attacked the United States

Name American Indian tribes in the United States, such as the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, and Pueblo

Name the two longest rivers in the United States: the Missouri River and the Mississippi River

Identify the ocean on the West Coast of the United States, the Pacific Ocean, and the ocean on the East Coast, the Atlantic Ocean

Name one state that borders Canada, such as Maine, New York, Michigan, or Washington, and one state that borders Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas

Identify the capital of the United States as Washington, D.C., and where the Statue of Liberty is located: New York Harbor, on Liberty Island

Explain the American flag: the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies and the 50 stars represent the 50 states

Identify the name of the national anthem of the United States: The Star-Spangled Banner

Name US national holidays, including Independence Day on July 4, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Labor Day, Presidents' Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Name US territories: Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam

Describe how the English speaking test works: the USCIS officer evaluates your spoken English during the naturalization interview through questions about your N-400 application and your background

Apply the reading test rules, read one of three sentences correctly, and practice the USCIS reading vocabulary of civics words such as citizen, Congress, President, flag, and vote

Apply the writing test rules, write one of three dictated sentences correctly, and practice the USCIS writing vocabulary, which includes state names, holidays, and civics terms

Analyze how the official reading and writing vocabulary lists overlap civics content, such as holidays, officials, and places, and build practice sentences from those word lists

Explain the retest rules: if you fail any test portion, USCIS re-tests only the failed portion 60 to 90 days later, and a second failure results in denial of the N-400

Prepare for interview day: bring your appointment notice, Permanent Resident Card, state ID, and all passports and travel documents, arrive early, and know that you answer questions under oath

Anticipate the N-400 review: the officer verifies your answers about trips, addresses, employment, taxes, and arrests, and evaluates truthfulness, because inconsistencies matter more than small mistakes

Explain the possible outcomes after the interview on Form N-652: granted, continued for more evidence or a retest, or denied, and what each outcome means for your next steps

Explain what happens at the Oath of Allegiance ceremony: you take the oath, turn in your Permanent Resident Card, become a US citizen, and receive your Certificate of Naturalization, which you should check before leaving

Plan your first steps as a new citizen: apply for a US passport, register to vote, update your Social Security record, and, if you choose, petition for family members to immigrate