The changes, announced on Sept. 17, largely restore the Naturalization Civics Test to a longer, tougher format implemented in late 2020, near the end of President Donald Trump's first term. That version was discarded in 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office.

Under the revised test, applicants will need to answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly, rather than six out of 10, according to a notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The pool of potential questions has also been expanded from 100 to 128, with fewer that have simple, sometimes one-word answers. Officials say that about 75 percent of the questions remain the same or similar, and the other 25 percent covers new material.

The new questions include ones on the 10th Amendment, the significance of the Federalist Papers, the achievements of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the nature of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the meaning of the national motto "E pluribus unum," and examples of American innovation, such as the light bulb and the moon landing.

Some existing questions have altered acceptable answers. For instance, the current model answer to "Who does a U.S. Senator represent?" is "all people of the state." On the revised test, the correct answer is limited to "citizens" of the state.

As before, the test will be given orally during an applicant's citizenship interview. A key difference, however, is that immigration officers will be required to ask only as many questions as needed to determine whether an applicant has passed or failed.

The current rule requires them to ask all 20 questions, even if the outcome might already be clear.

The new test will apply to applicants who file on or after Oct. 20.

"American citizenship is the most sacred citizenship in the world and should only be reserved for aliens who will fully embrace our values and principles as a nation," USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in the Sept. 17 statement announcing the changes.

He added that the revisions are necessary so that "the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America's greatness."

"These critical changes are the first of many," Tragesser said.