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Links and Tips for Citizenship

us flag and passport

Links and Tips for Citizenship

us flag and passport

     As anyone who has gone through the naturalization process will tell you, preparing for the citizenship exam can feel overwhelming. What do I need to study? How is the exam given? Where can I go for resources to help me prepare for the exam? What is the best way to prepare for the exam? Luckily, you can access some of the most useful citizenship preparation resources right from your desktop, laptop, or smart phone.

     One of the best online resources to prepare yourself for the citizenship exam is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services website itself: https://www.uscis.gov/ . Aside from providing updated information on the naturalization process and requirements, the site also offers valuable study materials for the exam. The site, for example, offers a list of relevant vocabulary words to study for the reading portion of the exam: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/reading_vocab.pdf The site also provides the relevant vocabulary list for the writing portion of the exam: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/writing_vocab.pdf. Uscis.gov also provides the full list of the civics questions and answers that may be asked, in English as well as in a number of other languages: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf  For a more comprehensive guide to the civics exam, uscis.gov also offers a booklet with brief overviews of the answers: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/flash-cards/M-638_red.pdf

     Once you have located the study materials and resources you need to prepare for the Citizenship exam, the next important question is: How do I prepare or study for the exam? There are several sites, including the uscis.gov website, that offers interactive practice tools. For practice answering the civics questions, uscis.gov has interactive tests you can access: https://my.uscis.gov/prep/test/civics  The civics questions and answers with audio are also available on the uscis.gov site: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources/study-for-the-test/100-civics-questions-and-answers-with-mp3-audio-english-version. This is a valuable tool to use because it allows you to not only practice answering the questions, but also gives you an opportunity to practice important listening skills. The site, uscitizenshipsupport.com, also provides a very useful interactive civics practice test: https://uscitizenshipsupport.com/us-citizenship-test-civics-test/. This site breaks up the test questions into the different sections of the civics exam and allows you to focus on the areas you need most practice with.

     The uscitizenshipsupport.com site also has an interactive link that allows you to practice for the writing and reading portion of the exam: https://uscitizenshipsupport.com/us-citizenship-test-writing-test/. The writing tests play audio that dictate sentences for you to write in text boxes that allow you to check your accuracy. Another good resource for writing practice is: https://www.citizenshipstudyguide.com/ . This site offers a link that allows you to listen and put the sentences in the right order: https://www.citizenshipstudyguide.com/member/citizenship-test-civics-writing-exercises.php . The writing tests on this site are broken up into different difficulty levels, which allow you to strengthen your proficiency.

     While the US Citizenship test can seem challenging, there are resources available you can use to prepare yourself and allow you take the exam with confidence!