SAN ANTONIO – Beginning Monday, anyone applying for naturalized citizenship in the United States will need to study a new version of the naturalization civics test, more commonly referred to as the citizenship test.
The new test, with a bank of 128 questions, requires people to answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly in order to pass the test.
This is double the number of questions asked and required to be answered correctly under the previous test, which had a smaller bank of 100 questions.
However, officers no longer have to answer all questions — just enough to determine whether the test taker has passed or failed.
The test has an increased focus on history and government, while removing all questions related to geography.
KSAT asked people around San Antonio some of the questions. You can watch those responses in the video player above.
One person, Yao Yao, told KSAT she took a previous version of the exam, and the questions were much easier back then.
“I took it about 10 years ago for my citizenship,” Yao Yao said, “It wasn’t as hard, and now I only got two right out of, I don’t know, 10?”
The full list of questions is available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website, with a list of acceptable answers underneath each question.
It is important to note that questions are selected randomly when people attempt the exam, so USCIS encourages applicants to study all 128 questions that could be asked of them.
The changes are among the first in a multi-step overhaul of American citizenship standards, announced roughly a month ago.
“By ensuring only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand U.S. government and civics, are able to naturalize, the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness,” said Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Immigration Attorney Marlyn Moreno called the changes ‘discrimination’.
“It’s definitely designed to make less people eligible,” Moreno said, “like to reduce the pool of people that will actually be able to become U.S. citizens.”
She said some of the questions are important to know, but she is not in favor of what she says is the reasoning behind the change.
“The questions have some relevant aspects of the United States government that every person should be familiar with, for example, the rights of U.S. Citizens, division of power, checks and balances, the concept of the government,” Moreno said. “[It’s] just kind of sad that they’re doing it from a place of discriminating or limiting more people from becoming U.S. Citizens.”
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