The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began implementing a new, more extensive and difficult citizenship test on Monday as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s goal to tighten up the naturalization process.
The new exam, focused on civic education, includes 28 new questions with respect to the previous one.
New citizenship test is more difficult
USCIS clarifies: You must bring interpreter if you take your citizenship or adjustment of status exam in Spanish or your interview may be postponed.#US #USA #UnitedStates #Immigration #Immigrants #USCIS #Citizenship #FYP pic.twitter.com/hVh6rEOJXs
– Alma Rosa Nieto (@almarosanieto) October 17, 2025
Citizenship applicants must answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly, which is the same percentage as before (60%), when 6 out of 10 questions had to be answered correctly. The number of possible questions increased from 100 to 128.
The new test had been designed in the first Trump administration (2017-2021).
But the administration of Democrat Joe Biden (2021-2025) overturned the test and reinstated the one used since 2008.
In a statement, Matthew Tragesser, USCIS spokesman, called these changes “crucial” and “the first of many.”
Trump’s version places greater emphasis on aspects of U.S. history and the U.S. political system.
The spokesman stressed that the White House seeks to ensure that only those foreign nationals who meet “all the requirements” for eligibility, including the ability to read, write and speak English, and understand U.S. government and civics, can naturalize.
This, they say, will ensure that the new citizens “will be fully integrated and contribute” to the country’s development.
USCIS has already announced several changes to the naturalization process, including the reinstatement of rigorous background checks for applicants and stricter reviews of disability exceptions for filing exams and interviews.
In addition, the Trump Administration has instructed that aliens applying for citizenship must demonstrate that they “have been and continue to be persons of good moral character.”
Positive attributes may include active community involvement, educational attainment, family ties, a stable and legal work history, and responsible financial behavior, such as tax compliance, among others.
Under the new policy, officers may also expand the definition of disqualifying factors, if deemed appropriate by the officer, such as repeated traffic violations.
The agency is also resuming interviews of neighbors and co-workers of U.S. citizenship applicants as part of the vetting process.
With information from EFE
