Citizenship Test
The citizenship test is changing! A new version of the test will begin to go into effect on Oct. 1, 2008. Therefore, it is critical that citizenship educators know which version of the test students are preparing for.

If an applicant:

• applies BEFORE Oct. 1, 2008 and is scheduled for his or her naturalization interview BEFORE October 1, 2008, he or she will take the old test.
• applies BEFORE October 1, 2008 and is scheduled for his or her naturalization interview AFTER October 1, 2008, he or she can choose to take the old test or the new test.
• applies AFTER October 1, 2008, he or she will take the new test.
• is scheduled for his or her naturalization interview AFTER October 1, 2009, regardless of when he or she applied, he or she will take the new test.

For more information about which version of the test to take, see www.uscis.gov/citizenshiptest.

      Materials and resources on the Old Citizenship Test
      Materials and resources on the New Citizenship Test

Old Citizenship Test Materials and Resources

USCIS Materials:
Study materials including a list of the 96 history/government questions, flashcards, and Quick Civics Lessons for the Old Citizenship Test are posted here.

ALRC Materials for the Old Test:

Citizenship Educator Orientation Packet
This packet, developed by the Adult Learning Resource Center through a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Bureau of Refugee & Immigration Services, contains information for teachers as well as classroom techniques.
    Citizenship Educator Orientation Packet – Old Test

Student Practice Quizzes
These computer quizzes are designed to let students practice the history/government content on the citizenship test. Each quiz comes in two versions: PowerPoint and Microsoft Word. Teachers can download these quizzes to a computer or laptop. Please download the instructions, too.

     Instructions for Quizzes
     The 3 Branches PowerPoint Quiz – Old Test
     The 3 Branches Word Quiz – Old Test
     Constitution PowerPoint Quiz – Old Test
     Constitution Word Quiz – Old Test

Transition Packet for Citizenship Teachers
This packet is a tool for citizenship teachers who have both students who will take the old citizenship test and the new citizenship test. The Transition Packet includes the history/government questions from the old and new citizenship tests and divides them into 13 categories. Each category has three pages:

• Teacher Resource Page: contains all the questions and answers from both tests
• Old Test Student Study Page: contains all the questions from the old test with space for students to write the answers
• New Test Student Study Page: contains all the questions from the new test with space for students to write the answers

Using this packet, citizenship teachers can teach a lesson on a given subject, such as the Declaration of Independence, and then divide the class into groups to practice the questions that might appear on the version of the test they are taking using the Student Study Pages.

     Transition Packet Sample
     Teacher Resource Pages
     Old Test Student Study Pages
     New Test Student Study Pages

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New Citizenship Test Materials and Resources

USCIS Materials:
Study materials including a list of the new 100 Civics Questions, reading and writing vocabulary lists, and FAQs are posted at www.uscis.gov/newtest

ALRC Materials for the New Test:

Citizenship Educator Orientation Packet
This packet, developed by the Adult Learning Resource Center through a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services: Bureau of Refugee & Immigration Services, contains information for teachers as well as classroom techniques.

     Citizenship Educator Orientation Packet - New Test

Dictation Techniques for the New Test
This packet contains six teaching techniques to help students prepare to pass the dictation at their citizenship interview. It contains techniques to help students learn to listen for the sentence the officer dictates and write it correctly.

     Teaching Dictation for the USCIS Citizenship Test

Online Student Practice Quizzes
These computer quizzes are designed to let students practice the history/government content on the citizenship test. Each quiz comes in two versions: PowerPoint and Microsoft Word. Teachers can download these quizzes to a computer or laptop. Please download the instructions, too.

     Instructions for Quizzes
     The 3 Branches PowerPoint Quiz - New Test
     The 3 Branches Word Quiz - New Test
     Constitution PowerPoint Quiz - New Test
     Constitution Word Quiz - New Test

Transition Packet for Citizenship Teachers
This packet is a tool for citizenship teachers who have both students who will take the old citizenship test and the new citizenship test. The Transition Packet includes the history/government questions from the old and new citizenship tests and divides them into 13 categories. Each category has three pages:

• Teacher Resource Page: contains all the questions and answers from both tests
• Old Test Student Study Page: contains all the questions from the old test with space for students to write the answers
• New Test Student Study Page: contains all the questions from the new test with space for students to write the answers

Using this packet, citizenship teachers can teach a lesson on a given subject, such as the Declaration of Independence, and then divide the class into groups to practice the questions that might appear on the version of the test they are taking using the Student Study Pages.

     Transition Packet Sample
     Teacher Resource Pages
     Old Test Student Study Pages
     New Test Student Study Pages

Have any questions or need assistance...?
Contact: Karen Hilgeman, khilgeman@cntrmail.org
Note: Illinois educators who wish to get citizenship update e-mails from the ALRCcan e-mail Karen to be added to the citizenship e-mail list.