How to Ace the New US Citizenship Exams

US citizenship applicants will spend at least $3,000 from the time they enter the US soil up until the approval date of their US citizenship application. Their expenses increase proportionately when they decide to hire an Immigration law firm to assist them in their case. If children are included in the application, the fees paid to the government will be much higher. Becoming a US citizen is financially cumbersome for many applicants yet it is a great revenue generating opportunity for the US government. It also involves a tedious paper trail and a strict US government agency that penalizes errors in immigration applications. All immigrants find relief when they are on the last stage of the process. Thus, US citizenship applicants must ensure success in the last phase of its immigration ordeal: the US Naturalization Test.

Though many US citizenship applicants have passed the test with minimal knowledge of US History and government, there is also a large portion of US permanent residents who continually fail the exams. If you are unable to speak, read and write in basic English, the chances for failing the US citizenship exams are high. Fortunately, there are numerous study materials available at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS website. You will be given only 10 questions out of the 100 study questionaire. You must answer 6 of the 10 questions. It is worthwhile to begin your studies by watching the "Becoming a US Citizen" video.

READING PORTION

The USCIS Officer wants to test your ability to read in English. You accent will not affect your test scores. However, extended pauses, omitting short words, making lots of pronunciation and intonation errors may signal the USCIS Officer to doubt you. Study the list of vocabulary words in the USCIS website.

WRITING PORTION

In the writing test, the USCIS Officer will slowly dictate a sentence to you. You fail the test if you write only a few words, handwriting is unreadable, or there is no coherence in the words you have written.

SPEAKING PORTION

In the speaking test, the USCIS officer will go over your application form line by line. The USCIS officer will ask specific questions about your eligibility and expects you to answer these questions appropriately.

It will take the USCIS officer approximately 20 minutes to test you. It may take longer if your application submittals are disorganized.

How long do you need to study prior to the US Naturalization Test?

If you are not fluent in English, you may need at least one month prior to the US Naturalization Test to start going over the study materials. If you are very fluent in English, one week is not very stressful. If you are pressed for time, 3 days might work. If you have photographic memory, 8 hours will be enough.

What are the contents of the US Naturalization Test?

The US Naturalization Test will cover 3 major parts.

First Part Coverage:

The first part is American Government. It will contain the Principles of American Democracy, System of Government, Rights and Responsibilities.

Second Part Coverage:

The second part is American History. It will cover major historical highlights from Colonial Period and Independence, 1800s, and recent American history and other historical information.

Third Part Coverage:

The third part is Integrated Civics. It will cover Geography, Symbols and Holidays.

You need to memorize what democracy and the US constitution are all about. You also need to understand the freedoms and the rights in the Declaration of Independence.

You also are required to commit to memory the US government structure, actual names of President, Vice President, US House of Speaker, US Supreme Court justices, State's Senator, District's Congressman, State's governor. You also need to be acquainted with the actual number of US Senators and members of the House of Representatives and the rationale for these numbers. You must at least identify the US departments and get an understanding of the objectives of federal laws.

You also need to learn by rote some US historical facts like the Declaration of Independence dates and founding fathers, US Constitution and when it was written, historical dates, key historical figures, civil rights movement, wars in major historical periods, and names of American Indian tribes.

You also need to memorize geographical state and water boundaries in the north, south, east and west of the US. You need to understand the US flag and the symbols.

It is advisable to use Reading Vocabulary flash cards and the Writing Vocabulary flash cards to remember the words that may be dictated to you by the USCIS officer. If you are an auditory learner, you can use USCIS Naturalization Test: Civics Questions audio recordings in mp3 format which can be found in the USCIS website. The American Civics study materials are also available in Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish versions. Detailed narratives and explanations about the Civics questions are also available called "Learn About the United States: Quick Civic Lessons for the Naturalization Test."

If you are over 65 and have your green card for 20 years, you will be given a special consideration. You will only study 20 out of the 100 questions. You can find the reviewer for this at the USCIS website entitled "Civics (History and Government) Questions for the 65/20 Exemption."

Conclusion:

For what you have paid for in the entire ordeal of immigration and naturalization, it is not time to be slothful during the final stage of the process. The prospect of the US Naturalization Interview is already unnerving. Do not come to this appointment without studying for the US Naturalization Test or it will be such a humongous waste of resources and effort. To be a US citizen is not about the US Naturalization Test. It is a personal decision to be part of the US and be loyal to her laws for the remaining days of your life. To ace the US Naturalization Test with 100% accuracy is to prove that this country deserves your high-caliber presence.

Sources:

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Office website, USCIS.gov