Your N-400 filing date decides the civics test version; age and residence on that date decide the English exemption. What N-648 and a retest change.
Reviewed by Ekaterina Fitenko, Esq. — Florida Bar #1064536. With 20+ years of experience in the legal field, she advises Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking clients on immigration filings and case strategy, in English and Russian.
Most N-400 applicants must show two things at the naturalization interview: an understanding of English and a knowledge of U.S. history and government. USCIS calls these the English requirement and the civics requirement, and both are tested by the officer who conducts the interview, not at a separate appointment.
The rules about which questions you get, how many you must answer and whether part of the test is waived depend on facts that are fixed on the day the N-400 is filed: your age, how long you have been a permanent resident and the filing date itself. So the test is planned with the application. General eligibility is covered in our N-400 guide; this article deals only with the test.
The English test has three parts — speaking, reading and writing — and the speaking part is the interview itself. Under the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2), the officer assesses speaking from how you understand and answer questions about your application.
For reading, you must read aloud one of three sentences correctly; once you read one correctly, the officer stops. For writing, the officer dictates up to three sentences and you must write one of three correctly. The Policy Manual adds that dictated words may not be abbreviated.
The filing date of your N-400 decides which civics test you take. As USCIS states on its Study for the Test page (checked October 2026), two versions are in use:
The test is oral. Study from the list that matches your filing date — an older list found online or inherited from a relative may not be the one the officer uses.
Three age-and-residence combinations excuse an applicant from the English test, and all three are measured at the time of filing. The N-400 instructions and the USCIS Policy Manual set them out as follows:
None of these removes the civics test. An applicant who qualifies for an English exemption still takes civics, but may take it in the language of their choice through an interpreter. The N-400 instructions say you must bring that interpreter to the interview, and that the interpreter must be fluent in both English and your language. Who may and may not serve as an interpreter is explained in our article on interpreter rules at USCIS interviews.
Under the 65/20 special consideration, the officer asks 10 questions from a smaller bank of 20 specially designated questions, marked with an asterisk on the official list, and you pass with 6 correct. According to the Policy Manual, applicants who filed before October 20, 2025 receive those questions from the 2008 test and those who filed on or after that date from the 2025 test.
Because age and residence are counted on the filing date, an applicant who turns 55 a few weeks after filing does not get the exemption for that application. Where the exemption is close, choose the filing date deliberately.
An applicant who cannot meet the English requirement, the civics requirement or both because of a physical or developmental disability or a mental impairment may request an exception on Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. The N-400 instructions require that the condition has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months or more.
The Policy Manual (Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 3) sets the main conditions:
Submitting an N-648 does not guarantee the exception — the N-400 instructions say so directly. The officer may find the form insufficient; the usual weak point is a form that names a diagnosis without explaining how it prevents the applicant from learning or demonstrating English or civics. The exception does not waive the Oath of Allegiance, which has its own rules.
An applicant who fails the English test, the civics test or both at the first interview gets a second opportunity while the same N-400 is pending. Under 8 CFR 312.5(a), the second attempt takes place within 90 days of the first examination; the Policy Manual places it no earlier than 60 and no later than 90 days after the initial interview.
Only the failed part is retested. If you passed civics but failed writing, you return for writing only. If you fail the same part a second time, the Policy Manual instructs the officer to deny the application for failure to meet the educational requirements. A denied applicant may request a hearing on Form N-336 — generally within 30 days of receiving the decision — or file a new N-400 later, with a new filing date and the test rules that apply on that date.
Under 8 CFR 312.5(b), missing the second appointment without good cause or advance notice counts as failing it.
The questions are asked at the interview, but the rules of the test are set at filing. Before filing, settle which civics version the filing date brings, whether an age-and-residence exemption is available now or soon, and whether a medical condition supports an N-648 that the doctor can certify within the 180-day window.
Our citizenship practice reviews these points with clients in English and Russian before filing. N-400 fees change, so they are not listed here; check the current amounts on the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) or with the USCIS fee calculator.
It depends on the filing date of your N-400. If it was filed on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 test: up to 20 questions from 128, with 12 correct needed. If it was filed earlier, you take the 2008 test: up to 10 questions from 100, with 6 correct needed.
You are exempt from English if, on the day you file, you are 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, 55 or older with 15 years, or 65 or older with 20 years. You still take the civics test, and may take it in your own language with an interpreter you bring.
They are exempt from English and take a shorter civics test: 10 questions from a bank of 20 specially designated questions, with 6 correct needed. The test may be taken in the applicant's language through an interpreter.
Only a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy or clinical psychologist. The certification must be made no more than 180 days before the N-400 is filed, and the form should be filed with the N-400. Filing it does not guarantee that USCIS will grant the exception.
You get a second attempt on the failed part only, within 90 days of the first interview, while the same N-400 is pending. Failing the same part again leads to denial of the application.
$200 for 30 minutes, in English or Russian. Call (305) 315-3425 or email fitenkolaw@gmail.com to schedule, or start with the intake form.
This article is informational only and is not legal advice. Immigration rules, fees and processing times change; confirm current requirements with the agency or with counsel before relying on anything here.
Fitenko Law PLLC, 11555 Heron Bay Blvd, Suite 277, Coral Springs, FL 33076 (main office); 600 Three Islands Blvd, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009 (by appointment only). Phone: (305) 315-3425. Email: fitenkolaw@gmail.com