An update on the Naturalization Civics Test, commonly known as the citizenship test, went into effect on Oct. 20, 2025.
The goal of the test is to test the knowledge of those who want to become U.S. citizens based on topics of U.S. history, government and civics.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a change to the citizenship test questions on Sept. 18, 2025.
The last time the citizenship test was changed was in 2008, when the test consisted of answering 10 questions from a list of 100 questions, and answering six correctly was a requirement to pass. The recent update added 28 new questions to the questionnaire, and the test now consists of 20 questions with the need to answer at least 12 correctly.
These new additions make the test more difficult, especially for individuals that don’t speak English.
“Many of the people who want to become citizens are people who have jobs, children, and responsibilities, they’re people who don’t have the time to take a class, and adding these 28 questions makes it even more complicated,” said Ivy Cargile, associate professor of political science at Cal State Bakersfield.
Cargile said that passing the exam is difficult but worth it, given the current state of politics and the uncertainty with immigration.
“It’s becoming more complicated for people who aren’t citizens,” said Cargile. “That way, you’ll have more benefits and won’t have to fear being deported.”
The process of obtaining U.S. citizenship requires the completion of a detailed form and meeting several requirements, such as proving continuous residency, good moral character and English proficiency. Many applicants agree that gathering all the necessary information can be one of the most stressful steps in the process.
“One of the most complicated things is filling out the application,” said Yandi Dominguez, a CSUB alumnus. “I think there are many processes, especially because you have to remember and include all the trips you’ve taken in the last 5 years.”
The application requires individuals to mark all the trips they have taken in the last 5 years, not just by plane but trips on the road too.
“When I filled out the application, I didn’t know I also had to include the trips I took by road. I only included the plane trips, but the good thing is that Facebook saves everything, and thanks to that, I was able to remember better,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez shared that while she used an app to study, what helped her the most was watching videos on YouTube in both English and Spanish.
After months of studying, Dominguez finally passed her exam and became a U.S. citizen. She encourages others to start preparing early and to take advantage of the free resources available online.
