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Question 5 of 128 American Government

How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?

Answers USCIS accepts

  • Amendments
  • The amendment process

Give any one of these answers at your interview.

Changes are made to the Constitution through amendments, using the amendment process.

What it means

An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution. The process is hard on purpose so the Constitution is not changed too easily.

Usually, two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate must approve an amendment, and then three-fourths of the states (38 of 50) must ratify it.

At your interview, simply saying "amendments" is a complete answer.

First page of the U.S. Constitution beginning with the words We the People, signed in 1787
The U.S. Constitution, page 1 (1787). National Archives. Public domain (U.S. National Archives), via Wikimedia Commons.

Memory tip: To "amend" means to change or fix. Changes to the Constitution are amendments.

Quiz yourself

How are changes made to the U.S. Constitution?

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Official source: USCIS M-1778 (09/25), 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version). Last checked: .