Beginning October 1, 2008, immigrants who wish to become U.S. citizens will be taking the Redesigned Naturalization Test and this will be conducted by the US Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

The components of the Redesigned Naturalization Test cover questions on civics, focusing on the U.S. government and history with emphasis on the citizen’s rights and privileges.

In addition to being a fundamental tool in the naturalization process, the Redesigned Citizenship Test also serve as an instrument to promote patriotism in an approach that is more useful to those about to become new U.S. citizens.

The New US Citizenship Test was redesigned in 2000 by the federal government after in-depth studies showed several concerns about the contents of the test, how it was administered and how it was scored. The USCIS took over the redesigning in April 2005 with a panel of adult education experts who came up with selected test questions aimed to assess if the applicants have a meaningful understanding of the American values. The panel, represented by 150 organizations in the stakeholder groups worked with USCIS in overhauling the English reading and writing section, and the new history and government questions of the test.

The New U.S. Citizenship Test also takes into consideration residents who are 65 years old and older who have been legal permanent residents of the United States for 20 or more years. They only need to study selected questions from the whole test.

The Redesigned Naturalization Test consists of 100 questions and applicants are required to get a 60% score to pass. The test costs $675.00 and an applicant can take the exam twice. If he or she fails to pass both chances, the entire application process must be repeated, including paying the full fees.

Applicants who applied for naturalization before October 1, 2008, and are scheduled for naturalization interview before October 1, 2008 will take the current test. Those who will apply before October 1, 2008 and are scheduled for naturalization interview after October 1, 2008 can choose to take the current test or the redesigned version. Those who will apply after October 1, 2008 and those scheduled for naturalization interview after October 1, 2009, regardless of when he or she applied will take the Redesigned Naturalization Test.

Study materials for the new Redesigned Naturalization Test will be available early next year. This will include updated versions of the Civics Flash Cards, the Learn About the United States: Quick Civic Lessons, and additional study materials. Adult education classes will also be offered in many local school districts, community colleges, libraries and other community-based organizations. Applicants can open www.WelcometoUSA.gov or visit the mentioned institutions for opportunities to review for the Redesigned Naturalization Test. Presently, the sample civics questions are in English but it will be translated to other languages in the near future.

The US Citizenship Civics exam is a required step in the naturalization process, and all applicants must pass the test before taking the Oath of Allegiance and officially becoming citizens of the United States.