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Classroom mock-interview script

A paired classroom activity that mirrors the real 4-phase N-400 naturalization interview. Pair students up, one plays the officer with the prompts below, then rotate. About 10 to 15 minutes per pair. Free to print and copy, no signup required.

How to run it: Put students in pairs. One plays the officer, one plays the applicant. Work through all 4 phases below in order, then rotate roles and run it again. Budget about 10 to 15 minutes per pair per round.
  1. 01

    Small Talk

    The officer opens with a few warmup questions: how your trip in went, the weather, how long you have been waiting. It looks like small talk. It is really a disguised fluency check, listening to your grammar and pronunciation without correcting you out loud.

    Teacher note: The "officer" student should ask 2 to 3 warmup questions and just listen, no correcting mid-answer. Save feedback for the debrief at the end of the round.

    Sample officer prompts
    • How was your trip in today?
    • What is the weather like where you live?
    • How long have you been waiting?
  2. 02

    Tricky Questions

    Next come the N-400 background questions, yes or no, interleaved with the follow-ups officers actually ask in slightly different wording than the answer key. Definition Trap mode rehearses those rephrasings, like being asked to explain what a word in your own answer actually means, so the test surface area stops surprising you.

    Teacher note: Ask a yes/no background question, then follow up by asking the "applicant" to explain a word from their own answer in their own words.

    Sample officer prompts
    • Have you ever been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer?
    • You answered "no", what does "detained" mean to you?
    • Have you ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen (in writing or any other way)?
  3. 03

    Civics

    Then civics: real questions from the 128-question USCIS pool, 10 of them, asked aloud the way an officer actually asks them, not as multiple choice.

    Teacher note: Ask 5 to 10 civics questions aloud, no multiple choice, no reading off a list where the applicant can see it. Use the sample pool below or the full sheet at /for-teachers/civics-questions.

    Sample civics questions
    1. 11. The words "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are in what founding document? (Declaration of Independence)
    2. 12. What is the economic system of the United States? (Capitalism; Free market economy)
    3. 13. What is the rule of law? (Everyone must follow the law; Leaders must obey the law; Government must obey the law; No one is above the law)
    4. 14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one. (Declaration of Independence; Articles of Confederation; Federalist Papers; Anti-Federalist Papers; Virginia Declaration of Rights; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut; Mayflower Compact; Iroquois Great Law of Peace)
    5. 15. There are three branches of government. Why? (So no branch is too powerful; (Branches of government provide) separation of powers; (Branches of government provide a system of) checks and balances)
    6. 16. Name the three branches of government. (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial; Congress, President, and the Courts)

    Full 128-question sheet: /for-teachers/civics-questions

  4. 04

    Reading and Writing

    Finally reading and writing: one sentence to read aloud, and one sentence dictated for you to write down, the same format as the real interview.

    Teacher note: Write one short sentence using words from the reading and writing vocabulary list (/for-teachers/reading-writing-vocabulary) on a card. The applicant reads it aloud, then the officer dictates a second sentence for the applicant to write down.

    Sample officer prompts
    • Read aloud: "Citizens have the right to vote."
    • Write from dictation: "The President lives in the White House."