Civics question 7 of 128 65/20 set
How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
Official answer
- Twenty-seven (27)
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Twenty-seven amendments have been added to the Constitution since it took effect in 1789. The first ten arrived together in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights, which is why the count is often misremembered as ten. The rest came in bursts tied to the country's hardest arguments: three after the Civil War ended slavery and extended citizenship and voting rights, one giving women the vote in 1920, and one lowering the voting age to eighteen in 1971. Amendments are rare because the bar is high. Two thirds of both houses of Congress must propose one, and three quarters of the states must ratify it. Thousands have been introduced over two centuries and twenty-seven have survived. The most recent, on congressional pay, was proposed in 1789 and not ratified until 1992.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of Principles of American Government, inside the American Government section of the test. It is also one of the 20 questions in the 65/20 set, so it is worth knowing well.
Related questions
- 9. What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
- 10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
- 11. The words "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are in what founding document?
- 12. What is the economic system of the United States?
- 13. What is the rule of law?
- 14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.