The whole process of obtaining citizenship or naturalization can be conditionally divided into four stages: collection of documents, fingerprinting, interviews and then, finally, the oath. When the first two have already been passed and you have an invitation to come to the migration office on a specific date, you can start preparing for the citizenship test. ForumDaily figured out in detail what the exam consists of and how it goes, and also collected advice from Ukrainians and Russians who have already passed it.
“I prepared for the test for two evenings”
Lyudmila Grishchenko received citizenship in February 2016. Photo: personal archive
Lyudmila Grishchenko became a US citizen quite recently - she took the oath in February, and the interview took place a month earlier. The girl came from Kyiv after the third year of the institute under the Work and Travel program. In the states she met her future husband, an American Ukrainian origin, and after three years marriage has the right to apply for citizenship. She says she did everything herself.
“A lawyer is absolutely not needed for this procedure. I just went to the website of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, read all the instructions carefully and started collecting documents, ”she says. When the documents were accepted and she handed over her fingerprints, she was given a date for the interview, handing over a free book with questions for the test. Lyudmila had a whole month ahead of her to prepare for it.
The citizenship test consists of two parts: English, as well as knowledge of the history and political structure of the United States. During the first (English test), the applicant's ability to read, write, speak and understand English is tested.
“The officer determines your level of language by how you speak in the interview in general. I said that I am from Ukraine, and we first discussed our country. It turned out that the officer lived for some time in Lvov. He also asked me to write a sentence in English on a piece of paper, ”recalls Lyudmila.
Even with the initial level of the language, it is possible to cope with tasks, especially approximate topics, the necessary vocabulary and exercisesAvailable from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
Online study guides, brochures, CDs, and even a phone app - there are a lot of free ways to prepare for the test.
Second part - this is a test of knowledge of US history (Civics test). There are 100 questions in total, only 10 of them are in the test.“You need to answer correctly to six. I gave six correct answers in a row, and they didn’t ask me further, ”says Lyudmila. She says that the questions are easy and she taught them two evenings before the interview.
“For example, what do the stars and stripes on the flag mean, how many judges are there in the Supreme Court? As for me, it's easy. Americans I knew said that they would not have answered half of the questions, but it was enough for me just to re-read them. I also installed an application on my phone so that I could train, ”continues Lyudmila.
Day "X" for the Russian woman Alena Kostenko and her parents is April 12. It was on this day, at 7.30 that they had an interview. The girl, originally from the Stavropol Territory, came to America under the family reunification program and has been living in Washington State for more than 10 years. “We are running out of green cards, and we decided that we can’t wait any longer with citizenship.” They all prepare for the test together:
“I have already begun to prepare - but the questions there are very easy, especially if you have already lived in this country. They may ask who is now the president or vice president, for example. I just read the questions after work and try to remember, and then my parents and I give each other an exam, ”says Alena.
The Kostenko family lives in the small town of Vala-Vala, they will go to the next one for an interview - three hours away. The road is the only thing that worries Alena. She says she is not worried about the test itself. Friends and relatives who have already received citizenship reassured her: everything will go smoothly, and the officers are usually very friendly.
91% of applicants passed the test in 2015 - USCIS
Victoria Clayzor postponed the date of the oath, and this did not affect the receipt of a certificate of citizenship. Photo: from personal archive
Ukrainian Victoria Clayzor from Virginia fully agrees with the previous speaker - there is absolutely nothing to worry about. “If you survived the collection of documents, then nothing is scary anymore,” the girl is sure. She is from Lutsk, has been living in the states for 11 years - she studied here, got married, found a job in marketing. And only last year I decided to apply for citizenship.
“Well-known questions, just some needed to be clarified - for example, knowing who the senator or congressman of your state is. But in general, these questions will be answered not only by a graduate of an American school, but even a Ukrainian one, ”says Victoria.
The USCIS gave her a disk with all the questions and answers, she periodically listened to it in the car, that's all the preparation. You may also be given special learning cards with questions on one side and answers on the other. Such to prepare for the test received Samak from Ghana.
Samak with free cards to prepare for the citizenship test. Photo: Lesya Bakalets
He has been in the States for 8 years, married to an American and plans to get citizenship soon. That is why he visited one offree consultations conducted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Date, time and place Samak found on their website and did not regret that he came.
“It was a very useful meeting: they explained everything to me, told me how to fill out applications, collect documents. And so, they gave cards with questions that I have to learn.
There is also online training whole resource with tasks, exercises, a complete list of questions andpractice test. Important to remember, (for example, the president, senator or governor has changed), so their relevance should be checked on the websiteUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services .
If it’s difficult for you to prepare for the test in both history and English on your own, there is also a way out. Can be likespecial preparatory courses in the study of the language and history of the United States There are both paid and free ones.
How is the interview
There are many materials for preparing for an interview, and all of them are free. Photo: Lesya Bakalets
Lyudmila came to the interview with her husband Anatoly. I went with him for an interview. She says, since she receives citizenship through him, the presence of her husband is quite justified and logical. “They just put my wife behind me so that we couldn’t look at each other,” she says.
First, he makes an officer, clarifies the data that you indicated in the questionnaire. “At first there were questions about the documents - for example, do we live with my husband. Then special questions about offenses and arrest, ”continues Lyudmila. You may be asked verbally to say again your name, address, age, how many years you live in America. And also check your attentiveness by asking, for example, about what was not in the questionnaire. This was the situation with Victoria. The girl says that the officer, as if in passing, clarified with her the fact from personal life, which was not true and was not specified in the documents.
“I stopped her and said that this was false information. And she casually agreed with that. At first glance, it seems that she was simply mistaken, but then I told my friends about this situation, and they told me that she could well check me in this way. The veracity of the information, whether I filled out the documents on my own, whether I was attentive”.
The next part of the dialogue is an English test. For example, Lyudmila was asked the question “When is Columbus Day celebrated?” and asked to write it on a piece of paper. “I wrote, showed it to the officer, he looked - and into the folder. They save all your answers. Then he gave me a form with 10 questions about the history and political structure of America.”
The interview, on average, lasts half an hour. The applicant has two attempts to answer questions and demonstrate knowledge in English. At the end, the officer announces the result: if it is positive (Granted), he issues an invitation to the oath ceremony. If negative (Denied) - appoints a new date for the interview, from 60 to 90 days from the date of the first one.
Exceptions: who may not take the test
Be exempt from the test can be for medical reasons or have certain exceptions due to age. For example, if an applicant for citizenship is 50 years old and has been living in the states as a resident for more than 20 years, he may not take the English test. The same applies to the category of people aged 55 and older who have lived in America for 15 years. But they will still be asked questions about US history. Moreover, if the applicant wants to pass the interview onnative language, you will have to take care of an interpreter.
oath ceremony
Only after the oath of citizenship comes into force. Photo: uscitizenship.info
Usually the oath is taken on the same day. It is important that until you have gone through this ceremony, you do not have the right to call yourself an American citizen. “I was asked if the successful completion of the interview means that I am already a US citizen. And I answered: no, until I take the oath and receive a certificate of citizenship, I am still a resident, ”says Lyudmila. She and her husband, as a military family, were invited to a solemn swearing-in ceremony a month after the interview.
And Victoria was not able to swear allegiance on the day of passing the test for citizenship, because she wanted to change her last name - this option exists when obtaining citizenship.
“During filling out the questionnaire, there is a question about changing the surname, for this you need to fill out an additional form. Then, during the interview, they ask you again about changing your last name, and you need to sign a special paper in the presence of an officer, but only a judge can issue citizenship certificates with changed personal data - that’s why I had a different date of the oath.”
Moreover, Victoria also dared to postpone this date. She says that on the day of the oath, she had already bought tickets to Europe, and she did not want to change plans. “I wrote a letter explaining the circumstances. Many of my acquaintances were worried that now they could throw me at the very back of the line, and I could wait a year or two in order to be assigned a new date. But I was very surprised by the speed - I waited only a month or two.
Victoria, most likely, was lucky, says Lyudmila. She exactly followed all the instructions of the Immigration Service and says: it's not worth the risk.
“The date cannot be moved. In no case. If you set the fingerprinting or interview for a specific date, then you need to cancel all plans and go. The Immigration Service immediately warns: if you reschedule the date, the time for consideration of your application may increase.”
On average, as ForumDaily said in the press service of the Citizenship and Immigration Services, the naturalization process takes about five months. Most people successfully pass the test - in 2015, 91% of applicants showed a positive result. The annual number of new American citizens over the past five years has ranged from 690,000 to 777. Most of the migrants are from Mexico City, Cuba, the Philippines, China and India.
An exam is always stressful for a student. And it doesn't matter if you learned or didn't learn all the material. The written exam, and in particular testing, especially spoils the nerves. We will look at how to keep your nerves and pass the test successfully.
1. First of all, you need to prepare in advance, everyone understands perfectly well that if there is no knowledge in the head, then you don’t have to think about passing the test successfully, at least be nervous, at least don’t be nervous, you don’t have to rely on luck in this case. Therefore, we take all the power into a fist and learn the subject. You need to learn it in advance, and not the night before the test. It is strictly forbidden to study all night before testing, you will not only not have time to learn the material, but you will also feel extremely unsatisfactory, which will prevent you from getting ready and taking the test. At the same time, psychologists advise not even repeating the material you have learned the night before the test, you will not gain new knowledge, but you will still be nervous.
2. Sleep. Before the test, you need to get a good night's sleep in order to get up in the morning with a fresh head and start the task. If the nerves interfere with sleep, the psychologist is advised to drink warm milk at night or, in extreme cases, valerian tablets, which will calm the nerves and help you fall asleep. No need to go to bed late, sleep should be eight, and at best nine hours. The brain will work better, there will be a surge of strength.
3. Calm. As silly as it may sound, calmness will help. Why be nervous in vain, if the subject is learned, then you should not be nervous, and if the subject was left without attention, then it makes no sense to be nervous. Therefore, as the famous character from the beloved Soviet cartoon said: "Calm, only calm."
4. Relax. Yes, just get distracted, testing is not the end of the world, so the day before testing you need to lighten up your loved one, go to the movies, meet friends, take a walk, but it’s worth remembering that you need to lie down on this day in advance.
5. An important rule is the meal before an important day. Do not eat anything fatty, so that there is no discomfort. Light snacks are suitable that will not create heaviness.
6. Clothes. Prepare in advance the clothes in which you will go to the test. It is important to remember that it should be comfortable, not restrict your movements. Watch the weather so that you feel comfortable in the audience, not hot and not cold, otherwise your thoughts will not be about the test.
How to act the day before, we considered. Let's look at what you need to do on the day of the test itself.
1. In the morning, you shouldn’t even take the repetition of the material, it’s pointless. Information will not be assimilated, but it is quite possible to forget or confuse something.
2. Have a light breakfast, drink coffee to cheer up.
3. If the place where you will be tested is far away, you need to take care of how you get there in advance, it is better if you do it in advance so as not to waste your nerves on being late.
4. In the audience where the whole action will take place, you need to sit comfortably so that nothing outsider distracts from your thoughts and does not interfere with the test. You need to take care in advance which pen you will put down the answers with, let it be a simple ballpoint pen, since gel pens have properties to smear the text.
5. Don't ask your "neighbor" for an answer. What for? No need to distract yourself with extraneous movements. You are hurting yourself and him. If you are unsure of your answer, it is better to answer as you think is correct, an extra opinion is an extra doubt.
All these tips will help you pass the test, of course no one can learn the material for you, but in any case, it is important to remember that testing is just a test of knowledge, you should not drive yourself into a corner. Just calm down and answer the questions, fortunately, there are always answers. Good luck!
For successful delivery testing requires, first of all, knowledge.
However, unlike the oral exam, where you can “pour water”, in the written test all questions have a clear wording and, as a result, no less clear answers.
When preparing for testing, try to remember the information as accurately as possible: numbers, dates, terms and symbols. As far as possible, connect some data with others, so it will be easier to remember. A few days before the test, repeat all the material covered.
Results directly depend on diligence and the applied efforts.
If, for example, someone else can do it for you, then during testing you will have to take the rap yourself.
The night before the test is very important
Try to prepare the necessary things in the evening and go to bed early. It is important to rest properly, to allow the body and brain to recuperate. You do not need to expose yourself to physical exertion the day before. Yes, there is a widespread belief that mental and physical activity should be alternated, but this is clearly not the case.
Leave the house early on the day of the test so you don't have to worry about transport. It is better to come to the designated audience early.
As soon as you have the test, do not rush headlong to get to work. Skim through the text with your eyes, calm yourself and make sure you see a lot of familiar information.
Start with the easiest
If any questions cause difficulty, leave them and move on to the next - you still have time to return. It is very important to properly organize the time of work, because it is limited.
As a rule, the first answer that comes to mind is the correct one. However, if you are in doubt about the chosen point, mark it in the draft - if you have time, you can think about it later. If you obviously do not know the answer, try to carefully look for it in other questions. Often they overlap.
Again, if in doubt, the rational elimination method will come to the rescue. One by one, reject the options that seem the most wrong. In the end, the most likely answer will remain.
Open-ended questions, where you have to write your own answer, are usually the hardest. They should be taken last, because they take the most time.
The degree of complexity of the questions developed in the framework of the comprehensive citizenship exam depends largely on the level of preparation of the examinee.
To a greater extent, tests for obtaining citizenship are built on school curriculum, and test samples contain questions about the most important dates in history Ancient Russia, Russia 18 - 19 centuries, USSR. There is also a block of questions in terms of legislation modern Russia and tasks to identify the level of Russian proficiency.
For an educated Russian-speaking person passing the exam for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation will not be particularly difficult. Sometimes preparation is not required at all.
In the event that we are talking about foreigners who arrived from some post-Soviet states, where sometimes the Russian language is taught no more than twice a week and is often at a very deplorable level, passing this exam can be a very serious test (you can learn about the features of obtaining Russian citizenship by foreigners). However, with a competent approach to preparation and qualitative study of the material, you can easily successfully pass all three modules.
In addition, very large help when passing is to establish a minimum threshold for answers in the following sizes:
- in Russian - 60%;
- on the history and foundations of the constitution - 50%.
Reference. You should be aware that basic language proficiency is required to obtain or. implies a deeper level of knowledge, which accordingly affects the degree of complexity of the examination questions.
What questions can be in tests?
A comprehensive exam for obtaining the status of a citizen is carried out in the form of testing, which is divided into 3 blocks, each of them has questions and answer options (we told in more detail about where and how the exam is taken).
Russian language
This module includes the following parts:
In this video you will learn how to get a certificate of knowledge of the Russian language for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation:
Russian history
Test questions on the History of Russia are presented here in several sections, as well as with answers to them. For example:
Fundamentals of legislation
For example:
- Are the names of the Russian Federation and Russia the same?
Answer: Russia and the Russian Federation are equivalent names.
- Identification document of a foreign citizen?
Answer: Passport.
- Are men and women equal in the Russian Federation in matters of labor and employment?
Answer: Men and women in the Russian Federation are equal in matters of labor and employment.
How to submit?
When passing a comprehensive exam for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- It is necessary to take the preparation process seriously.
- Read assignments carefully.
- If you have been given a badly printed list with tasks that are difficult to see, you should immediately contact the examiner.
- Maintain silence and order in the classroom where the exam is being taken.
Attention. In case of inappropriate behavior, the exam is canceled, which entails a loss of money, time and nerves.
- If you have any questions about the performance of a particular task, you must call the examiner, who will be able to clarify incomprehensible points.
You can also pre-pass training courses on a paid basis, which will allow you to prepare well for the future exam. Alternatively, you can use various training applications, as well as take a trial online testing, which is freely available on many Internet resources.
Thus, having in your hands approximate options for questions and answers to the comprehensive exam for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation, you can prepare well and pass everything without difficulty.
All students have to take tests, this is one of the ways to test knowledge in educational institutions. If we compare tests and oral exams, then each has its pros and cons. In principle, you can take tests without special knowledge of the subject, and in the case of an oral exam, any trap question can be the last and decisive one.
Tests in this case are a written way of testing knowledge, which implies the need to select one or more correct answers. Such tests are called objective tests.
There are certain psychological tricks for passing tests successfully:
1. You must go to the test with confidence in your knowledge. You don't have to doubt yourself!
2. Get rid of fear, but not with the help of sedative drugs, which, by the way, can work against you.
3. You can pray, there are certain prayers for those who study and prayers for the successful passing of the test / exam. This will help you spiritually tune in.
4. When you get a test, try to relax, close your eyes for a while, and then move on to getting to know it.
5. Enter the image of a knowledgeable and confident person.
Apart from psychological tricks there are also certain rules and techniques that are cognitive in nature.
Rules for passing objective tests:
Read the entire quiz to find out, perhaps the next questions will give you some clues about the previous answers.
Answer the easy answers first, leave the difficult answers for later, which will take you more time.
Pay attention in advance to exactly how much time is given for each question, and estimate your time correctly, do not spend too much time, but also take your time.
When you instinctively believe that the correct answer is the first answer, look at the subsequent answers as well, as the fourth option may indicate the correctness of options 1 and 4.
Do not be afraid when the answer is number A, that is, the first answer comes across often, according to statistics of 20% of the test results, it is the first answer that enters as the correct answer.
Do not guess the answer, and if you still do not know the correct answer, try to make associations, but do not choose at random the most difficult answer that you do not understand, it will most often turn out to be wrong.
In the case of short questions and short answers, do not look for a clue in the question itself, do not waste time on this. In the case of long questions, you can try this technique - it works (there is a part of the answer in long questions).
If it’s time to take the test, but you still couldn’t find the right answer logically, answer at least something, because in this way you have at least a chance to answer correctly. No answer is the wrong answer.
When you instinctively think that some answer is correct, you choose it almost immediately, but initially you will analyze its correctness. Perhaps you are still wrong. Although intuitively you can choose the correct answer, intuition can also fail.
Check the test carefully before you take it, leave yourself time to check in advance, since checking is of no small importance, if only because you need to make sure that you answered all the questions.
Good luck with your tests!
The note: graduate work order (http://www.zaochnik.com/) - one of the options is not to write a diploma.
