CitizenReady
Your path to U.S. citizenship. A native iOS app for naturalization test preparation that is 100% free, has no ads, no paywall, and requires no account. Built as a public good for the 818,500 people who become U.S. citizens every year. Designed with elderly immigrants in mind, featuring spaced repetition, mock interviews, reading and writing practice, and on-device translation in 60 languages at zero ongoing cost.
Calm, Not Stressful
Anxiety is the number one barrier to passing the naturalization test, not knowledge. CitizenReady is designed around three principles that put the learner first.
Calm, Not Stressful
No timers. No red marks on wrong answers. Errors say "Let's review this one." No leaderboards. No competition. Just quiet, steady progress.
Simple as Apple Notes
Three tabs. Content fills the screen. A 65-year-old picking up an iPhone for the first time taps "Start Studying" within 5 seconds.
Genuinely Free
No paywall, no ads, no premium tier, no sign-up required. No analytics or telemetry. No data leaves the device. This is a public good.
Key Features
Spaced Repetition (SM-2)
Tracks all 328 learnable items across civics, reading, and writing. Items surface at scientifically optimal intervals for 2x+ long-term retention.
Reading & Writing Practice
Teaches the ~100 USCIS reading vocabulary words with audio, phonetics, and highlighted sentences. Writing practice includes trace, copy, and dictation stages.
Mock Interview Simulation
Full 4-phase interview: greeting, N-400 review, English test, and civics questions. Mirrors the real experience so nothing surprises on test day.
5-Level Adaptive Scaffolding
Each question has its own independent difficulty level. Starts with bilingual support and multiple choice, progresses to free recall that mirrors actual test conditions.
Designed for Elderly Immigrants
34pt+ vocabulary display, audio-first experience, full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type at all 12 accessibility sizes, and 65/20 age exemption mode.
60 On-Device Languages
Translation in 60 languages using Apple's on-device Translation framework. Zero ongoing cost. No network required. Native script display, no country flags.
Both Test Versions
Supports the 2008 test (100 questions) and the 2025 test (128 questions). Dynamic answers for current President, VP, Governor, and Senators update automatically.
Quick Review
Daily 5-10 minute review sessions. Spaced repetition engine surfaces whatever is due today, mixed across civics, reading, and writing. The daily habit entry point.
Industry Firsts
CitizenReady introduces capabilities that no existing citizenship study app offers.
Spaced Repetition
First citizenship app with SM-2 spaced repetition for scientifically-proven long-term retention.
Reading + Writing
First to include both reading and writing practice, not just civics questions.
Mock Interview
First with full mock interview simulation from greeting through civics questions.
Adaptive Scaffolding
First with per-question 5-level adaptive difficulty that meets every learner where they are.
Elderly-First Design
First designed specifically for elderly immigrants with large text, audio-first, and simplified modes.
60 On-Device Languages
First with on-device translation in 60 languages at zero ongoing cost, no network required.
Project Stats
Five Study Modes
Three-tab layout with five study modes. The app is built around microlearning sessions of 5-15 minutes, designed for studying during commutes, lunch breaks, and household tasks.
Civics Questions
- 2008 test: 100 questions (answer 6 of 10)
- 2025 test: 128 questions (answer 12 of 20)
- Organized by topic: Government, History, Integrated Civics
- 5-level scaffolding from bilingual support to free recall
- Dynamic answers update on app launch
Reading Practice
- ~100 USCIS reading vocabulary words
- Large 34pt+ word display with IPA phonetics
- Tap-to-hear audio at adjustable speed
- Word-by-word text highlighting synced to audio
- Reading test simulation with speech recognition
Writing Practice
- ~100 USCIS writing vocabulary words
- 4-stage progression: Trace, Copy, Dictation, Sentence
- PencilKit canvas on iPad, keyboard on iPhone
- Fuzzy matching for minor spelling variations
- Writing test simulation mirrors the real exam
Mock Interview
- Phase 1: Greeting and small talk
- Phase 2: N-400 application review
- Phase 3: English reading and writing test
- Phase 4: Civics questions asked verbally
- Post-interview breakdown and improvement tracking
Technology
Built entirely with native Apple frameworks. No third-party dependencies. No server, no backend, no API. All data stays on the device. Estimated app size is approximately 62 MB.
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| UI Framework | SwiftUI (iOS 17+, Liquid Glass on iOS 26) |
| Persistence | SwiftData (fully local, no server) |
| Translation | Apple Translation framework (on-device, free) |
| Text-to-Speech | Apple AVSpeechSynthesizer (on-device, free) |
| Speech Recognition | Apple Speech framework (on-device) |
| Handwriting Input | PencilKit (iPad), text field fallback (iPhone) |
| Spaced Repetition | SM-2 algorithm, 328 tracked items |
| Progress Charts | Swift Charts |
| Dynamic Updates | Static JSON on GitHub Pages (~2KB) |
| Analytics | None. No tracking. No telemetry. |
| Accounts | None. No sign-up. No server. |
Supporting 60 languages with translation at scale without incurring ongoing API costs or requiring network connectivity.
One-time batch translation of all 328 study items bundled with the app, plus Apple's on-device Translation framework for runtime translation. Ongoing cost: $0/month.