Citizenship Exam Prep
Practice the mock USCIS civics test with 30 real questions and answers, organized by topic: government, history, rights, symbols, and geography. Updated for 2026.
The USCIS civics test consists of 100 mock questions covering American government, history, and society. During your naturalization interview, the USCIS officer will ask you up to 10 of these questions. You need to answer 6 of 10 correctly to pass.
Below are 30 representative questions from the official pool, organized by the 5 topic areas that the app uses to structure your preparation. Each shows the four multiple-choice options as they appear in practice and marks the correct answer.
Note: In the actual USCIS interview, questions are asked orally and you answer verbally, there is no multiple-choice format. The choices below reflect the practice format used in CivicPass to help you identify and memorize the correct answers.
Question 1: What is the form of government of the United States?
Explanation: The United States is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, in which citizens elect representatives to make laws on their behalf.
Question 2: What is the supreme law of the land?
Explanation: The supreme law of the land is the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1788, which establishes the framework of the federal government and protects individual rights.
Question 3: Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.
Explanation: The U.S. Constitution forms the national government, defines the powers and parts of that government, and protects the rights of the people.
Question 4: The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?
Explanation: "We the People" expresses the idea of self-government and popular sovereignty: the government draws its power from the consent of the governed and the people govern themselves.
Question 5: How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?
Explanation: Changes to the Constitution are made through amendments, following the amendment process set out in Article V.
Question 6: How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
Explanation: The U.S. Constitution has twenty-seven (27) amendments; the first ten are known as the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791.
Question 7: Name the three branches of government.
Explanation: The three branches of government are the legislative (Congress), the executive (the President), and the judicial (the courts).
Question 8: The President of the United States is in charge of which branch of government?
Explanation: The President of the United States is in charge of the executive branch of government.
Question 9: What part of the federal government writes laws?
Explanation: Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government, writes the nation's laws.
Question 10: What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Explanation: The U.S. Congress has two parts, or chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Question 11: Name one power of the U.S. Congress.
Explanation: Powers of Congress include writing laws, declaring war, and making the federal budget.
Question 12: How many U.S. senators are there?
Explanation: There are one hundred (100) U.S. senators, two from each of the 50 states.
Question 13: What does the Bill of Rights protect?
Explanation: The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, protects the basic rights of Americans and of people living in the United States.
Question 14: There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Explanation: Four amendments address voting: the 15th (race), the 19th (women), the 24th (no poll tax), and the 26th (citizens 18 and older). Citizens 18 and older can vote.
Question 15: Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States?
Explanation: Only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury.
Question 16: What are three rights of everyone living in the United States?
Explanation: Everyone living in the United States enjoys rights such as freedom of expression, speech, assembly, religion, the right to petition the government, and the right to bear arms.
Question 17: Which of these is an accepted USCIS answer to: What does the Bill of Rights protect?
Explanation: The Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of people living in the United States, such as freedom of speech and religion.
Question 18: Which of these is an accepted USCIS answer to: There are four amendments to the U.S. Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
Explanation: The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, means you do not have to pay a poll tax in order to vote in federal elections.
Question 19: The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one.
Explanation: Colonists came to America seeking freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, and to escape persecution.
Question 20: Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
Explanation: American Indians, also called Native Americans, lived in America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
Question 21: What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?
Explanation: Africans were taken from their homelands and sold into slavery in the American colonies and later the United States.
Question 22: What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
Explanation: Americans won their independence from Britain in the American Revolution, also called the Revolutionary War or War for Independence (1775 to 1783).
Question 23: Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
Explanation: Americans declared independence over grievances such as high taxes and taxation without representation, British soldiers quartered in their homes, and the lack of self-government.
Question 24: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Explanation: Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Question 25: What is the economic system of the United States?
Explanation: The economic system of the United States is capitalism, also described as a free market economy, in which businesses and prices are largely driven by private competition rather than government control.
Question 26: What is the capital of the United States?
Explanation: The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C., which is home to the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court.
Question 27: Where is the Statue of Liberty?
Explanation: The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, near New York City and on the Hudson River. It was a gift from France and dedicated in 1886.
Question 28: Which of these is an accepted USCIS answer to: What is the economic system of the United States?
Explanation: The economic system of the United States is a free market economy, also called capitalism, in which supply, demand, and private competition set prices and guide production.
Question 29: What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Explanation: The Pacific Ocean lies along the West Coast of the United States.
Question 30: What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Explanation: The Atlantic Ocean lies along the East Coast of the United States.
Memorizing answers is only part of the preparation. The actual interview tests your recall under pressure and in conversation with a USCIS officer. The pattern that produces the best results: read all 100 questions once, then use active-recall practice daily for 2 to 3 weeks, reviewing by topic area, not random order. The topic areas above map directly to how CivicPass structures its practice sessions.
The questions above are drawn from the CivicPass question bank, which covers all 100 mock USCIS civics questions plus additional practice questions across five themes: Values, Institutions, Rights, History, and Society.
For a complete overview of eligibility, fees, and the naturalization timeline, read our guide on how to become a US citizen. To practice all 200 questions across 20 series, use the free online practice test or the full CivicPass app.