Immigration Tries New Citizenship Test Questions
Criticized for its lack of "standardization and meaningfulness," the current set of questions used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to test applicants for U.S. citizenship will be changing in 2008."A meaningful test will encourage civic learning and patriotism among prospective citizens," states the USCIS in a press release. "A revised test, with an emphasis on the fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, will help to encourage citizenship applicants to learn and identify with the basic values that we all share as Americans."
Perhaps feeling the old questions were too easy, USCIS has devised new questions they say will "focus on civics and history topics, rather than the general range of topics on the current test."
Tryout period starts in February: As part of the test redesign, USCIS will conduct a pilot program (.pdf) in ten cities beginning in February 2007 to ensure the agency has all the information necessary before the new test is fully implemented nationwide in 2008. During this pilot, USCIS will analyze the new test questions to make certain that the questions are fair and work as they were intended.
The ten pilot sites are: Albany, NY, Boston, MA; Charleston, S.C.; Denver; El Paso, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; Miami; San Antonio, Texas; Tucson, Ariz.; and Yakima, Wash.
When the new test becomes operational in 2008, applicants for citizenship will be required to correctly answer six of 10 questions chosen randomly form a master list of 100 civics questions and answers.
As it does now, the new citizenship test will require the applicants to read and write a sentence correctly in English. In the writing section of the test, the testing officer will dictate a sentence and ask the applicant to write everything the officer reads. During the reading portion of the test, the test officer will ask the applicant to read each word out loud in that sentence.
Photo courtesy of National Parks Service
Also See:
Nearly 1-in-5 Speak Foreign Language at Home
Coming to America: Strategies for Immigrating Into the United States (Immigration)
Americans Know Their Simpsons, but Not Their Rights
Comments
Well, the new test is coming out October, and I get to choose which test to take.. I think I will stick with the old one.. I still do not know which is easier.. I found one article that seems to agree the new citizenship questions are more difficult… What is general opinion?
Thanks, Jose
Hi,
Please let me know that I am sponsered by my daughter who is american national and living in united states. Guide me that what type of questions I prepare for the interview for the american ambassay in Pakistan Islamabad. Tell that from which website I can search these questions. Thanks.