The Biden administration announced on Feb. 22 it will be reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, determined that the updates to the test under the previous administration put in place barriers to naturalization. The current administration’s stated goal is to increase access to naturalization.

If an applicant:

• filed their naturalization application before Dec.1, 2020, they will take the 2008 civics test.
• filed their naturalization application on or after Dec. 1, 2020, but before March 1, 2021, with an initial interview before April 19, 2021, they will have the choice to either take the 2008 civics test or the 2020 civics test.
• filed their naturalization application on or after Dec. 1, 2020, but before March 1, 2021, with an initial interview scheduled on or after April 19, 2021, they will take the 2008 civic test.
• filed their applications on or after March 1, 2021, will take the 2008 civics test.

While changes have been made to the civics portion of the naturalization test, there are no changes to the English proficiency part of the test. USCIS Officers will continue to determine an applicant’s ability to speak and understand English throughout the interview. In addition, the applicant will have to correctly read out loud one out of three sentences they are given and write one out of three sentences that will be read to them correctly.

Explore resources on the naturalization exam and study materials:

• CLINIC’s Citizenship Toolkit
• USCIS’ Study for the Test (2020 version)
• USCIS’ Study for the Test (2008 version)