Federal Register Announcement on New Civics Test

Today’s Federal Register published a USCIS Notice entitled ” Proposed Revised Content for English, US History and Government Test for Naturalization Applications.”  This Notice is effective January 3, 2007. You can access it on the Government Printing Office website  at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be conducting a pilot of a redesigned naturalization test. Applicants for naturalization must, among other things, demonstrate an understanding of the English language, a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, and the principles and form of government in the United States. Currently the naturalization testing process and test content vary in each USCIS district office. USCIS plans to revise the naturalization testing process to ensure that the naturalization testing process is uniform. Thus, a newly redesigned English reading and writing test, as well as the U.S. history and government test, will be pilot tested in the following, randomly selected sites:
    Albany, New York sub-office; Boston, Massachusetts, District Office; Kansas City, Missouri, District Office; Charleston, South Carolina sub-office; El Paso, Texas District Office; San Antonio, Texas District Office; Miami, Florida District Office; Denver, Colorado District Office; Tucson, Arizona Sub-Office; and Yakima, Washington Sub-Office. Based on the evaluation of the pilot, the final test will be implemented nationally beginning in 2008.

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