What Happens If You Fail the Citizenship Test?
You get two chances to pass the English and civics tests. If you fail a part, you're retested only on that part, 60 to 90 days later. Here's what that means and how to prepare.
Updated
You get a second chance
- You get two chances to pass the English and civics tests.
- If you fail a part, you are retested only on that part, 60 to 90 days later.
So if you pass the English test but not the civics test, your second try covers only civics. At the end of the interview, you get a decision on Form N-652: granted, continued, or denied.
Using the time before your retest
- Find your weak questions: take a few mock tests and note which questions you miss.
- Go through those questions with flashcards and listen mode until you can answer them out loud.
- Practice answering a real officer’s voice in the mock interview.
- If English was the hard part, practice the reading and writing sentences and the N-400 vocabulary.
Details are on the USCIS page The Naturalization Interview and Test.
Official sources
This guide is based on the official USCIS materials below. Always check them, and your appointment notice, for your own case.
- The Naturalization Interview and Test (uscis.gov)
Practice out loud with Officer Michael in the app
A Virtual Officer asks every civics question out loud, listens to your answer and grades it like a real interview. All 128 questions, answers for your state, and progress that tells you when you're ready.
Related guides
- Citizenship Test Passing Score: How Many Do You Need Right?How many correct answers you need, and when the officer stops asking.
- How to Study for the Citizenship Test in 2 WeeksA daily plan for the last two weeks before your interview.
- What Happens at the Naturalization InterviewThe interview step by step, and 27 N-400 questions with sample answers you can hear.