Can you pass the US Naturalization Civics Test?

During an applicant’s naturalization interview, a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Officer asks administers an English and civics test unless the applicant qualifies for an exemption or waiver.

The English test has three components: reading, writing, and speaking. The civics test covers important U.S. history and government topics.

There are 100 civics questions on the naturalization test. During a naturalization interview, the candidate is asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 questions. He or she must answer correctly six of the ten questions to pass the civics test.

Applicants are given two opportunities to take the English and civics tests. If they fail any portion of the test during the first interview, they are retested on the portion of the test they failed between 60 and 90 days from the date of your initial interview.

The USCIS offers four practice civics exams online. The real exams are administered verbally and the questions are open ended like a “fill in the blank” test, but the practice exams online are multiple choice.

Practice USCIS Civics Exams

• Naturalization Self-Test 1
• Naturalization Self-Test 2
• Naturalization Self-Test 3
• Naturalization Self-Test 4

I had no problem getting 100% on these, and I suspect most students my age would have no trouble passing.

See Also

A nonpartisan group called the Civics Education Initiative (CEI) is sponsoring a proposal to make passing the civics portion of the USCIS Naturalization Test a requirement in all 50 states for getting a high school diploma or GED certification.  Check out Tim’s post: Requiring High School Students to pass the US citizenship test to graduate to learn more about this effort.

Vietnam Era Draft Lottery Begins

December 1: On this day in 1969 the Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War for men born from 1944 to 1950.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the country’s first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service System as an independent Federal agency.

From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means.

How the Lottery Worked in 1969

The days of the year (including February 29) were represented by the numbers 1 through 366 written on slips of paper. The slips were placed in separate capsules that were mixed in a shoebox and then dumped into a deep glass jar. With radio, film, and TV coverage, capsules were drawn from the jar one at a time.

The first number drawn was 258 (September 14), so all registrants with that birthday were assigned lottery number 1. The second number drawn corresponded to April 24, and so forth. All men of draft age (born 1944 to 1950) who shared a birthdate would be called to serve at once.