Civics test pass rules and scoring
The civics test is an oral test. The officer asks questions and counts the correct answers. The pass rule depends on the test version and on the 65/20 exemption.
Pass rules
| Test | Questions asked | Correct answers to pass | Officer stops at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 test (128 questions) | 20 | 12 | 12 correct or 9 wrong |
| 2008 test (100 questions) | 10 | 6 | 6 correct or 5 wrong |
| 65/20 list (20 questions) | 10 | 6 | 6 correct or 5 wrong |
Source: USCIS question and answer documents. See the data and sources page for every file.
How the officer counts
- The officer asks a question. You answer out loud. Any answer from the official list is correct.
- The officer stops when you reach the pass count, or when a pass is no longer possible.
- For the 2025 test, 9 wrong answers end the test before question 20.
- For the 2008 test and the 65/20 list, 5 wrong answers end the test before question 10.
Examples
| Test | Correct | Wrong | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | Pass the officer stops at 12 correct |
| 2025 | 11 | 9 | Fail 9 wrong ends the test and 11 is below 12 |
| 2008 | 6 | 1 | Pass the officer stops early |
| 65/20 | 6 | 0 | Pass from the 20-question list |
How the practice simulation scores
- Test simulation uses the rule for the chosen test. The session stops early exactly like the real test.
- Quick practice asks 10 or 20 questions and shows the score. There is no pass or fail.
- Full bank asks every question in the set and shows the final count.
- Missed questions repeats the questions you answered wrong.
65/20 exemption
At the time of filing, an applicant age 65 or older with 20 years as a lawful permanent resident may study 20 marked questions. The officer asks 10 of the 20 and 6 correct answers pass. The applicant may take the civics test in the language of their choice.
One more thing about answers
USCIS says an applicant should answer with the answers in the official list, but officers may accept other correct answers. This site accepts the official answers only. Learn the official answers first.
The 2025 document and the 2008 document show every official rule in the first paragraph.