Prospective U.S. citizens may soon have to adjust their preparation for the naturalization exam.  According to Reuters, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to implement a more nuanced test that more accurately measures an applicant’s understanding of the English language as well as the significant political philosophies and historical movements that have shaped this country.  Moreover, the government intends to minimize the current wide variations in exams across the U.S. with a more consistent exam nationwide. 

Since 1950, in theory, the naturalization exam has required applicants to demonstrate their ability to speak, read, and write English and their knowledge of U.S. history and government.  In practice, most prospective citizens need only write one sentence in English and answer one or two civics questions.  The new English requirements, still being revised, seek to measure an applicant’s ability to use English in everyday life.  They test an applicant’s ability to converse, give simple directions, express needs and preferences, respond to warnings, read and understand basic material, and write about a person, object, place, or situation.  Further, they require an applicant to complete forms like a job application or a driver’s license form.  With respect to history and government, the new exam tests an applicant’s knowledge of momentous events such as the country’s birth, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement.

USCIS will launch a pilot program to administer the new exam in several cities next year, with nationwide implementation by 2006.  Applicants who fail the test will be able to take it again for no extra fee.  A third try will require a new fee and a wait of several months.