English test: speaking, reading and writing
What the officer checks in each part of the English test and how to practice for the exact format.
Speaking: it is the whole interview
There is no separate speaking exam. The officer judges your speaking and understanding from how you answer the questions about your N-400. The officer may repeat or rephrase a question. You fail speaking only if you cannot understand enough English to answer eligibility questions or take the oath.
- Practice answering the N-400 questions out loud in full sentences.
- Learn the key words: “claimed,” “arrested,” “cited,” “detained,” “overdue taxes,” “Communist Party,” “bear arms,” “oath.”
- It is fine to say “Could you repeat that, please?” or “What does that word mean?”
Reading: read 1 of up to 3 sentences
The officer shows you a sentence (often on a tablet) and asks you to read it aloud. If you read the first one correctly, you pass that part. If not, you get a second and then a third sentence.
You can fail a sentence by skipping or replacing a content word, pausing for a long time, or mispronouncing words so the meaning is lost. Accent is not a problem if the meaning is clear.
The sentences use words from the official USCIS Reading Vocabulary list: question words (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How), civics words (President, Congress, Senators, citizen, Bill of Rights, White House), people (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln) and holidays. Example: “Who was the first President?”
Writing: write 1 of up to 3 dictated sentences
The officer reads a sentence and you write it. If the first is correct, you pass. You may not abbreviate words. Spelling, capitalization and punctuation mistakes do not fail you unless they stop the officer from understanding the sentence. You fail if you write a different sentence, leave out important words, or the sentence cannot be understood.
The sentences use the official USCIS Writing Vocabulary list, which includes months (February, May, June, July, September, October, November), states and places (Alaska, California, Delaware, New York City, Canada, Mexico), and numbers. Example: “Washington was the first President.”
A 10-minute daily routine
- 3 minutes: read 5 vocabulary sentences aloud, slowly and clearly.
- 4 minutes: have someone dictate 3 sentences (or use an app) and write them by hand.
- 3 minutes: check spelling of the difficult words: “Thanksgiving,” “February,” “Independence,” “Senators,” “citizens,” “Washington.”
Write by hand, not on a phone: the test is usually written with a stylus or pen.