The Hardest Questions on the US Citizenship Test

It is said that immigration is the foundation of the United States. It is, after all, a nation that was partly founded by immigration and has the largest population of immigrants of any country in the world. According to the Pew Research Center, immigrants today account for 13.8% of the U.S. population, with a record 46.1 million U.S. foreign-born population as of 2022. The U.S. has always had a long history of welcoming foreigners and welcomes record numbers of new citizens each year, despite the current political climate. See if you could become a citizen by reviewing the hardest questions on the U.S. citizenship test.

To become a U.S. citizen, you must pass the citizenship test (also known as the naturalization test), an exam that has three components – written, reading, and speaking – as well as 100 civics questions. Interviewers will then ask 10 questions from this list, of which six answers give you a passing grade. In the 2023 fiscal year, there were 878,500 people welcomed as new Americans, during naturalization ceremonies held across the United States and around the world, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS).

To compile a list of the hardest questions on the U.S. citizenship test, 24/7 Tempo reviewed several sources, including a 2011 study by Paula Winke, a professor at Michigan State University who studies language and language testing, a 2018 national survey conducted by Lincoln Park Strategies, and two online guides for the U.S. citizenship test. The questions on this list are in no particular order, but all of them were considered the most difficult by these sources. (It might be easier than knowing all 56 people who signed the Declaration of Independence.)

About two-thirds of Americans either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were among the original 13. There are several tips to memorize at least three. Perhaps the easiest one is to remember the three states whose names start with "New." These are New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. All 13 are Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

You might think the answer is "a scientist and an inventor," and while this is not technically wrong, this answer is not acceptable. Your options are: U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General of the United States, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac," and started the first free libraries. A quarter of Americans answered with one of these four options. About 37% said he invented the lightbulb, according to the 2018 survey.

This is often thought of as a trick question because most people might give a response that focuses on independence, and this is not wrong but it wasn't a direct cause of the war. About 24% of Americans knew the correct answer, according to the 2018 poll. The three possible correct answers are because of high taxes (taxation without representation); because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering); and because the colonists didn't have self-government.

The correct answer is World War II — and you'll just have to memorize it if history is not your strong suit. What may help is if you remember he was a general who led the Western Allies' invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe that began on D-Day. In the 2018 national survey, 12% of Americans incorrectly thought Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War, and 6% said he was a Vietnam War general.

If you remember that the U.S. has a separation of powers and three branches of government, you'll most likely get this one correct. The judicial branch consists of courts — the Supreme Court, federal, state, and local. The four possible answers are: review laws; explain laws; resolve disputes (disagreements); and decide if a law goes against the Constitution.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the three rights the Declaration of Independence states are inalienable and can't be taken away or given up. You only need to remember two.

There is only one correct answer — Woodrow Wilson. There are no tricks to help you remember. You either know it or you don't.

The Federalist Papers are also known as The Federalist, a series of 85 articles and essays published in newspapers arguing for the signing of the new Constitution. There were three authors, who wrote them under the pseudonym "Publius." So the four possible answers are James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, or Publius.

With so much of the news focusing on President Donald Trump, it's easy to forget who the Speaker of the House is. Currently, it's Mike Johnson. You can breathe a sigh of relief that you don't have to know what political party he belongs to (Republican Party).

If the question was just about World War II, the answer might have been tricky. The addition of the Great Depression period is a hint. The correct answer is Franklin Roosevelt.

There are 435 possible answers, but only one correct answer per person living in a certain area. You just have to look up who represents your district in the House of Representatives. For example, if you live in New York City's third congressional district, your representative is Tom Suozzi (who replaced expelled Republican George Santos).

This might be among the most difficult questions because people automatically think 1776, which was the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The correct answer is 1787.

The Supreme Court isn't typically in the news often, but with the spate of issues currently ongoing in several states, they've made the news significantly more than in the past. Certain justices have also been singled out for their behavior. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is John G. Roberts, Jr. (The only other name that may have been easier to remember is John Smith.)

There are 100 possible answers as there are 100 senators in Congress. Each state has two, and you just have to know one of them. For example, if you live in New York, you can answer either Kirsten Gillibrand or Chuck Schumer.

This is not a trick question – it's a simple number you must know – the correct answer is 27.

The House is much larger than the Senate and you just need to memorize another number – the House has 435 voting members.

This is another question where the answer is just a single number you need to remember – nine. Be thankful you don't have to know all justices currently serving on the court, but if you'd like to know they are John G. Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

There are four ways you can answer that are considered correct: Everyone must follow the law; leaders must obey the law; government must obey the law; no one is above the law.

One of them is perhaps the most famous river in the country — the Mississippi River. The other one is the Missouri River. These two rivers are named after states and both start with the letter M which should make it a bit easier to remember.

Another question with a simple, numerical answer — six years. It's not difficult to see why some people may find it confusing. The various elected officials all have different periods for their election terms – presidents are elected for four years, members of the House of Representatives for two, governors for four (except those of Vermont and New Hampshire), and senators for six.

There are four possible answers: to print money; to declare war; to create an army; and to make treaties.