The US Citizenship and Immigration Service introduced an updated test for obtaining American citizenship. It is worth adding that the work on it began in 2018. And as part of the pilot program, he was submitted for testing in July 2020. Thus, Deputy Director of the Immigration Service Joseph Edlow said:
“USCIS has diligently worked on revising the naturalization test since 2018, relying on input from experts in the field of adult education to ensure that this process is fair and transparent.”
What is the difference of the updated test for naturalization?
At the moment, the test for obtaining US citizenship will have the old and the new options.
Applicants with a filing date before December 1, 2020 have to pass the 2008 Civic Test. Accordingly, those who submit an application to December 1, 2020 or later will have the revised version.
The 2020 version of the naturalization test consists of 20 questions out of 128 possible. In order to pass it, a candidate for obtaining citizenship needs to give 12 correct answers, which is 60%. For comparison, the old version offered a list of 100 questions, of which only 10 were submitted for the exam. Besides, it is important to mention that it takes place orally.
Moreover, the naturalization test is divided into three thematic blocks. The categories “American Government”, “American History” remained unchanged. However, in the updated version you can see more questions about women’s rights, and the requirements for answers have become somewhat expanded. For example, now it is needed to name three branches of American government, instead of one. From the third block “Symbols and Holidays”, it was decided to remove geography questions.
Age benefits in passing the test
Based on the rules, applicants above 65 who has legally resided in the United States for 20 years, has only 10 questions to answer. And what’s interesting is that they have the opportunity to take the exam in their native language.
What to do in case of failing the test?
First of all, there is no need to be upset if you do not pass the naturalization test. After all, the candidate has the right to a second chance. So, according to this, everyone can retake the test 60-90 days after the first attempt.
Re-testing is carried out only in those areas in which the result was not successful. For example, if a candidate passed all aspects except speaking, they need to retake only this part of the exam.
If the candidate does not pass the naturalization test for the second time, then the application for citizenship will be rejected.
How to get the test result?
All officials conducting naturalization tests are required to record all candidate results in the appropriate document – A-file. And after going through all the stages of testing, the applicant receives the results.
Needless to say that although the naturalization test is one of the important stages for obtaining citizenship, there are other requirements. So the applicant has to pass an English exam and a background check and pay all necessary fees.
