The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to present our version of the citizenship exam for use in the K–12 classroom. Students will be able to assess their own civics knowledge while considering why these questions form the basis of an informed citizenry.
Image Source: “Welcome to the Land of Freedom,” in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (July 2, 1887)
Pilot Program
Immigrants seeking US citizenship must answer ten questions related to US government, civics, and history. They must answer six questions correctly in order to pass. The US citizenship exam draws from 100 potential questions. It contains basic queries like: What does the Constitution do? How many US senators are there? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Who did the US fight in World War II?
During the 2023–2024 academic year, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is conducting a pilot program with more than 250 teachers from across the US and from four international schools. We look forward to a public launch of this resource later in 2024.
Please contact citizenship@gilderlehrman.org if you have any questions.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has converted the oral exam to a written multiple-choice online exam. In addition, we have provided extended answers for each of the questions to place the correct responses in context. Teachers may assign the full 95-question exam (we have removed the five location-based questions) or a short, ten-question version. Students who are logged in will receive a certificate of completion for scores of 60% and higher.
