The Trump administration announced plans to overhaul the U.S. citizenship test, declaring the current version is “too easy” and can be passed through rote memorization without true understanding of U.S. history and government principles—a claim made by USCIS Director Joseph Edlow in a recent interview as UNILAD reported today. Edlow emphasized that although applicants study 100 civic questions, the oral portion requiring just six correct answers out of ten is insufficient to assess genuine citizenship readiness.
The administration intends to reinstate the harder version of the test introduced during Trump’s first term, which involved answering 12 of 20 randomly selected questions from a 128-question pool. The older format is seen as more rigorous and aligns better with the spirit of the law, according to Edlow, who said the current standard “doesn’t comport with the spirit of the law” as detailed by Times of India.
“The test as it’s laid out right now, it’s not very difficult… very easy to kind of memorize the answers.”
According to Edlow, the citizenship test overhaul is part of a broader immigration tightening agenda that also includes reforms to the H-1B visa program—prioritizing higher-paid foreign workers and moving away from the lottery system as the Indian Express explained. These changes reflect a return to Trump-era policies aimed at reinforcing national interest and economic standards over easy access.
Critics warn the tougher test could disproportionately affect immigrants with limited English literacy or older applicants. An earlier version of the policy included exceptions for applicants over 65, but many advocates argue a return to a harder version could create unnecessary obstacles for refugees and vulnerable communities as PBS noted. They point out that the 2020 test revision was reversed in 2021 by the Biden administration, restoring the previous 2008 model to remove barriers to naturalization.
“’US citizenship test too easy,’ USCIS director says Trump administration will change this because…”
According to the Times of India, Edlow reiterated in a direct statement that under the current format, “the test is very easy to memorize,” which he believes undercuts meaningful civic engagement. The administration sees the test makeover as a step toward reinforcing a citizenship process grounded in deep knowledge rather than surface-level recall as reported extensively.
Observers note that the Trump-era model, though more stringent, faced criticism for introducing ideological bias and errors within its questions—prompting immigration rights groups to argue it was politicized and poorly vetted as Politico documented at the time. Rights advocates worry that reimplementing a version of the 2020 test could reignite debates over fairness and accuracy.
USCIS will likely face procedural hurdles before implementing the revised test. According to Newsweek, the agency must receive approval from other federal bodies—or even Congress—to change test standards, meaning the proposed overhaul could take months to become official as Newsweek highlighted.
Legal analysts warn this citizenship test shift is just one element in a sweeping immigration strategy, which also includes efforts to limit birthright citizenship under Trump’s Executive Order 14160. That order has been blocked by multiple federal courts, raising questions about whether the broader overhaul will face constitutional scrutiny as lawsuits continue.
Proponents argue tougher civic examination standards will reinforce the significance of citizenship and require deeper civic understanding—especially as appeals court decisions are expected soon over birthright citizenship policy. Critics worry the changes could delay naturalization and exacerbate inequality, turning the test into another bureaucratic barrier rather than a gateway to civic inclusion.
The reaction among immigrant communities and legal experts is mixed. Some see the test redesign as a necessary step toward preserving national integrity; others perceive it as symbolic of a restrictive stance on immigration. As the plan moves forward, it will also test how future administrations balance access with rigor in the path to citizenship.
