What if You Fail the English or Civics Naturalization Tests?

As someone who wishes to move to North Carolina or another part of the United States and become a U.S. citizen through the process of naturalization, you first must work your way through a multistep naturalization process. During this time, you have to take two tests: an English test and a Civics test.

Per U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the English test assesses your skills and abilities when it comes to reading, writing and verbally communicating using basic English. The Civics test seeks to determine your degree of knowledge of the U.S. government and history.

Prepping for the English and Civics tests

USCIS maintains a reading test vocabulary list that may help you study and prepare for the English section of the naturalization test. Expect to have to read a sentence pertaining to civics or history during this section of the test. You may also be able to access old versions of the tests online to help you prepare for them and anticipate what might appear on the current test.

Failing the English and Civics tests

Most people navigating the naturalization process pass the English and Civics tests with relative ease. However, if you do wind up failing one or more sections of the test, you have an option of retaking them another time. If you do so, you have to retake the test between 60 and 9- days from the date you had your original interview.

You have two attempts to pass the English and Civics sections of the naturalization test. It may make you feel better to know that 91% of applicants who took the tests in 2021 wound up passing them.