• Passing a naturalization test is required before becoming an American citizen.American Flag image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
  
  There are a series of steps that a permanent resident of the United States must take before becoming a citizen. One of these is the naturalization test, which is designed to show whether a potential citizen has a basic understanding of the English language along with a grasp of the history and laws of the United States.
  
  

Requirements for Taking the Test

• Anyone taking the naturalization test should be at least 18 years of age and have held a U.S. green card for five years before applying to take the test. They also must have lived within the state where they are applying for naturalization for at least three months and resided continuously in the United States for at least 30 months within the previous five years. In addition, applicants must have "good moral character" including not having been convicted of certain crimes.
  
  

Application Process

• An Application for Naturalization form must be completed before taking the test. This gives the government basic information about an applicant and allows for a criminal background check. As of July 2010, the fee for filing an Application for Naturalization is $595. There is also an additional $80 fee for fingerprinting as part of the background check.
  
  

English Language Skills

• During the naturalization test, a person is asked to show their basic competency in speaking, reading and writing in English. A testing officer from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will first ask a person a series of questions, which must be answered in a satisfactory manner to show verbal comprehension. A test on reading comprehension requires that a person read one of three sentences without significant pauses, omitting or changing key words or mispronunciations that interfere with a word's meaning. In the written test, a person writes one of three sentences in a basic and legible manner as dictated by the testing officer.
  
  

Civics Knowledge

• The second portion of the naturalization test quizzes individuals on their knowledge of American civics. An applicant is given 10 verbal questions on the history and government of the United States. They must correctly answer six of the 10 questions to pass the test. There are 100 possible questions in the civics portion of the naturalization test. The questions are listed on the USCIS website.
  
  

Passing and Failing

• A person must pass both the English language and civics portion of the test to pass the naturalization test. If a person fails one of the two sections, he can retake that section later.