NEW Mexican Citizenship Exam 2018

[Joe Johnstun]

Thanks!

Wow, I'm surprised, that makes them one of the first sites to update their information to reflect the new rule set. That is exactly how it was explained to me at the SRE office, & I even saw a nice little old American lady go in the back room to sit for her written Spanish exam.

[Marcos Martini]

The exam is a pain in the arse. I 'm in my 30’s, and I have lived most of my life in México. The exam is not difficult, but it is designed to not be passed, not because of its difficulty but because of its close margin in probability. For the test you must answer at least 8 out of 10 questions. So far I have failed twice the Exam, and I have been 2 and 1 questions short respectively, so this has depressed me a little. A bit more than year ago I was struggling with the decision about going through this citizenship process. I however prepared, and downloaded the old 100 question Study guide. I was happy ‘cause it took me between 5 to 7 minutes to answer it, I only had doubts about two questions, and even then I had the right suspicion about the correct answer. This made me feel confident, but it took me a bit more than a year to finally come to terms with the decision. I however was too late. It’s 2018 now and they changed the exam. This new exam is not difficult, but chances are that there might be things you won’t remember; at least maybe not at the exact same moment you are answering the test. And without an actual study guide, you might actually waste time studying something that probably won’t even be asked. I am very disappointed, I think I will no longer pursue the Mexican citizenship, but it does make me angry. I agree with the fact that anyone who applies should know the history, but not everything that Is asked is mentioned in the bibliographical references. From the 12 or so Links with bibliographies given, I only found 2 to be useful, the first one which is like a 500 page History book and the one from UNAM’s CCH which is like a summary of Mexican History used to teach High school students. The rest of the links have no useful information, at least not for any of the 2 tests I did. I remember most of the questions of the tests I did, so I will post them in the hopes that more people who have done the test will collaborate and share their questions. This in order to help others in need:

 

Examen 1

1.       ¿Cómo está constituido el poder judicial? Por la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, el Tribunal Electoral, el Consejo de la Judicatura Federal, Juzgados de Distrito y los Tribunales Colegiados y Unitarios de Circuito.

2.       ¿Qué tipo de Árbol es el de la Noche Triste? Ahuehuete

3.       ¿Quién escribió La noche de Tlatelolco. Testimonios de historia oral? Elena Poniatowska (Fortunately I knew this one, but the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

4.       ¿Qué es la conspiración de Valladolid? Organizaron un movimiento clandestino que tenía como fin organizar una Junta Nacional Gubernativa que tomara el poder a nombre de Fernando VII luego de que éste entregara el poder a Napoleón

5.       ¿Quién es el único arquitecto mexicano ganador del Pritzker? Luis Barragán (Fortunately I knew this one, but the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

6.       ¿Cuándo se inauguró el Ángel de la Independencia? 16 de septiembre de 1910

7.       ¿Canción que se canta cuando alguien cumple años? La mañanitas (Everyone know this one, but obviously the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

8.       ¿Cuál es el nombre del ritual que consta de cuatro jóvenes  que trepan por un mástil de 18 a 40 metros de alto y un quinto hombre,  Sentado en la plataforma que remata el mástil, tocando una flauta y un tambor? Los Voladores de Papantla (Everyone know this one, but obviously the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

9.       ¿Qué ecosistema neutral se encuentra en el Golfo de México? El Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano (the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

10.     ¿En cuántos años se cursa la educación primaria en México? 6 años

Examen 2

1.       ¿A quién representa la Cámara de Senadores? A las entidades federativas (los estados)

2.       ¿Qué mexicano ganó el Premio Nobel de la Química? Mario Molina (Fortunately I knew this one, but the answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

3.       ¿Qué significa el Nombre Cuauhtémoc? El águila que descendió

4.       ¿Cuándo se inauguró el metro de la Ciudad de México? 4 de septiembre de 1969 (No average Mexican knows this, and knowing this doesn’t qualify you as a Mexican. This fact has to do only with people from Mexico City. My father knows this answer because when he was a young boy and visited Mexico City with my grandfather the Metro had just opened for the first time. The answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given))

5.       ¿Cuál fue la primera constitución del México Independiente? La Constitución de Apatzingán de 1814 (Funny thing about this tricky question, is that The first constitution Mexico had as an actual country was the one of 1824, which was written about three years after Mexico became fully independent in 1821. That is why I picked this option, which was marked wrong by the examiner. The reason given was that apparently the historians considered the 1814 one as the first official one for an independent Mexico… this question is not well drafted because Mexico started its fight for independence from Spain in 1810, a process that lasted 11 years. This means that when the Apatzingan Constitution was written when Mexico was not actually independent yet. Many sources on the internet actually consider the 1824 the actual first constitution, and 1814 one is just seen as a precursor but not the first official constitution.)

6.       ¿Qué callejón localizado en Guanajuato es popular entre los mitos y leyendas de México? El Callejón del Beso.

7.       ¿Autor mexicano que escribió Temporada de zopilotes: una historia narrativa sobre la Decena Trágica, sobre los generales porfirista que juraban fidelidad al presidente Madero conspiraban por las noches para dar un golpe de Estado? Paco Ignacio Taibo (Another question that no average citizen knows… I was between him and another author, but picked the other one instead, so I got it wrong) (The answer is not in any of the bibliographical references given)

8.       ¿En qué año entro en vigor el Tratado de Libre Comercio? 1994 (I rembered this one because I moved to Mexico when I was a kid just before this happened. The average citizen doesn’t even know this… I know it because I have asked around)

9.       ¿Cuál es el nombre del Primer Virrey de la Nueva España?  Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco (Probably at some point of my elementary school life I learned this fact, but I obviously forgot about it because I never got to use this fact in real life, and I never came across it again until this exam. I have asked around and the average citizen doesn’t even know or remember it)

10.   1.       ¿Cuál es la Cultura Madre de Mesoamérica? Olmeca

[thevalerieleigh]

Still really hoping to apply and become a Citizen but like an :(), waited too long and am now facing what sounds like an almost impossible Exam.  Were the 10 questions given orally, are they written and are they multiple choice?  I see you took the test twice.  How much time did you wait between Exams and is there a time limit?

Many thanks for your informative post.  

Valerie  

[bmh]

just wait and things will change..

 

[Rich S]

Does anyone know if SRE Guadalajara is following the posted rules of testing, specifically the section which says that minors and those over 60 do NOT have to take the cultural exam?

https://sre.gob.mx/naturalizacion-costos-y-tiempos  

3. En el caso del extranjero al que la Secretaría de Gobernación considere refugiado, así como cuando se trate de menores de edad y personas mayores de sesenta años, será suficiente que acrediten saber hablar español, a través del examen de idioma.

In the case of the foreigner whom the Ministry of the Interior considers a refugee, as well as when dealing with minors and people over sixty years, it will be sufficient that they prove they know how to speak Spanish, through the language test.

[solajijic]

WE are interested in doing the citizenship this next year also and will be looking for a faciliatator.  Know of anyone?

[More Liana]

19 hours ago, Rich S said:

Does anyone know if SRE Guadalajara is following the posted rules of testing, specifically the section which says that minors and those over 60 do NOT have to take the cultural exam?

https://sre.gob.mx/naturalizacion-costos-y-tiempos  

3. En el caso del extranjero al que la Secretaría de Gobernación considere refugiado, así como cuando se trate de menores de edad y personas mayores de sesenta años, será suficiente que acrediten saber hablar español, a través del examen de idioma.

In the case of the foreigner whom the Ministry of the Interior considers a refugee, as well as when dealing with minors and people over sixty years, it will be sufficient that they prove they know how to speak Spanish, through the language test.

This section of the SRE regulations applies to refugees.  I doubt that anyone on this board is a refugee, but who knows.

[jrod]

I took the test in July and, being over 60, only had to take the language exam. 

[nothernewbie]

21 hours ago, More Liana said:

This section of the SRE regulations applies to refugees.  I doubt that anyone on this board is a refugee, but who knows.

In the case of the foreigner whom the Ministry of the Interior considers a refugee, as well as when dealing with minors and people over sixty years, it will be sufficient that they prove they know how to speak Spanish, through the language test.

[solajijic]

Thank you for mentioning Andrea however I will pass on using her services thanks.

[henrylaxen]

Last Thursday (Nov 1st) I went to Guadalajara for my citizenship
exam.  It was the end of a long process, that involved a trip to Mexico
city, numerous rewrites of my entrances and exits because the trips
logged by INS did not match my passport, and the final stumbling block
was that I had lost my permanente card back in 2014, so even though
I've been a permanente since they first came out, the date on the back
of my card was Feb. 2014, and unless the chief let me slide, I hadn't
been here for the requisite five years.  Fortunately he did let me
slide after I produced a photocopy of my 2012 FM2.  Now on the the
exam.

Since I'm over sixty (though I look 45) (hah)  I did not have to take
the dreaded history exam.  I could have never passed it either.  I had
to take the language exam, which consists of reading about 4
paragraphs of Spanish text, answering 5 questions about it, and then
writing 3 sentences about a picture chosen at random from as set of
about fifty pictures.  The total time for this test is ten minutes,
and you must get 5 out of 6 answers correct.  Question 6 is the 3
sentences.

Now I can communicate pretty well in Spanish, as long as you don't
care about the gender of the noun, the tense of the verb, or whether
the adjectives agree with the noun in terms of gender and quantity.
Pretty much typical gringo Spanish, I'd say.

They made me read the "story" out loud, which was bad for me because
when I'm reading aloud I concentrate on pronouncing the words (more or
less) correctly and not on the meaning of what I am reading.  After
reading it out loud, I quickly reread the story to myself.  There were
a lot of words I didn't know.  It was about some area in Mexico that
has a river with a dam and a bunch of endangered animals, and was
turned into a nature preserve.  After reading it again, I still
couldn't answer the questions, so I matched the words in the question
with the text in the story.  I understood what the question was
asking, but had to refer to the text to figure out the right answer.
This was somewhat non-trivial, and there were always several dependent
clauses referring to the gist of the question, so you had to
understand the question in order to pick the right clause.  I really
took my time on this part, so that by the time I got to the picture I
only had about a minute and thirty seconds left.

The picture turned out to be the easy part, thanks to the magic of
three and four word sentences.  I came up with:

1. Hay muchas luces.
2. La gente juegan futbol.
3. La mujer toma vino.

They weren't happy with sentence one, so I added arriba to the end and
then they were satisfied.

Everyone at the office was kind, encouraging, and helpful, but the
exam was a lot harder than I expected it to be.

So my advice is, read it out load as fast as possible.  Don't try to
understand it but try to remember where in the text the "main ideas"
occur.  Then go immediately to the questions, and look for the
corresponding text in the story.  Now figure out what the question is
asking, and search the text for the answer to that question.  One of
the 4 multiple choices answers will match pretty closely the answer
provided by the story.  Don't worry about the picture.  If you can use
Hay and conjugate ser in the present tense, you can always come up
with something.

After passing the test, I was told that in only three to six months I
can expect to receive my citizenship papers, provided they don't
change the rules between now and then.

Viva Mexico!

Henry Laxen

[CHILLIN]

Good for you Henry! Soon, I will be able to greet you "Good Morning Citizen, should we put on our best togas and hear Caesar at the Forum?

[More Liana]

12 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

Good for you Henry! Soon, I will be able to greet you "Good Morning Citizen, should we put on our best togas and hear Caesar at the Forum?

Yeah but you have to say it all in Spanish!  Jajajajaja!

Seriously, congratulations, Henry--well done!

[henrylaxen]

Buenos días, paisano , deberíamos ponernos nuestras mejores togas y escuchar a Cesar en el Foro?

[Travis]

CONGRATULATIONS Henry! And thank you for your very precise and descriptive post. I'm much less intimidated now.

[Kiko]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 10:12 PM, henrylaxen said:

Last Thursday (Nov 1st) I went to Guadalajara for my citizenship
exam.  It was the end of a long process, that involved a trip to Mexico

Viva Mexico!

Henry Laxen

Bien hecho Henry. 

Quick question for you, did you use a facilitator or lawyer for this process?  If so, will you be kind to share the contact info?

[henrylaxen]

Yes, here is the contact info:

Eliberto Velazquez de Anda - Legal & Immigration Services
   phone (cellHim): +52 (331) 327-5506
    phone (cellHer): +52 (331) 444-1214
       phone (work): +52 (376) 766-4240
       phone (work): +52 (376) 766-4249
    phone (cellHim): +52 (331) 020-4848
     address (work): Constitucion 13-B
                     Ajijic, Jalisco 45920
                     Mexico
              mail: eli4162@yahoo.com.mx
             spouse: Susana Rodriguez

His wife Susana is the one who does most of the leg work.

[barrbower]

I am pretty sure that most Mexicans could not pass the history portion of the citizenship test.  I'm positive that most American citizens could not pass the citizenship test in the US!  I think the test for us "old folks," which seems to be a basic fluency test, seems fair.  I might give it a try.  There isn't really a lot of advantage in being a citizen over being permanente but since I'm never going back to the US, I'd feel more comfortable knowing I coudn't be forced out of Mexico if the animosity between the two countries ever gets to that point.  Not likely...but strange things seem to be happening every day.  Alan

[Fred Habacht]

As to some of the reasons to get Mexican citizenship. We travel to some countries that are not friendly to the USA with the Mexican Passport....Turkey is one that comes to mind where you will not be charged an excessive amount for a tourist visa. We receive ½ off all our taxes....property, water, raw and farmed land. We were not welcome to ask for and get Mexican credit cards and now we are...and there is always the right to vote and probably more things we haven't become aware of. 

My wife has been treated with exceptional warmth by people here in Jocotepec. When getting the voter card....they posed with her for a photo.

Fred Habacht

[slainte39]

Quote

 

No  1/2 off for all Mexican citizens in the Municiipio of Chapala as there is a cap on tercer edad descuentos.  In some cases the early payment discount is better and you can't have both.

 

 

[Fred Habacht]

BUT, I live in Jocotepec.....and ½ off is better than 30% and there is no cap on our meager property nor has our land value ever been questioned when being discounted.

Fred Habacht

[willhk]

Just wondering if someone has anyone in Mexico City who can help with the Antecedentes No Penales Federal. 

People who lives in Guadalajara who made the naturalization test, where did you get the ANTECEDENTES NO PENALES ESTATAL?

[ibarra]

https://tramites.jalisco.gob.mx/tramite/5097

This website shoudl help you with your question about Antecedentes No Penales Estatal. 

Federal Antecedentes.  -When my husband went through the process (4 years ago), he used the attorney under the blue umbrella at LCS.  We paid him a fee to obtain the documents from MX City.  We received the documents from him about a week later.  We did not go to MX City.  I understand that you are asking for help from someone in GDL.  I cannot help you with that, sorry.

 

[jrod]

17 hours ago, willhk said:

Just wondering if someone has anyone in Mexico City who can help with the Antecedentes No Penales Federal. 

People who lives in Guadalajara who made the naturalization test, where did you get the ANTECEDENTES NO PENALES ESTATAL?

I went (twice) with my attorney to get the required documents; it's my understanding that the admin flip-flops between allowing someone with your power of attorney to get that document for you and requiring your physical presence. A local "antecedentes no penales" was also required; I went to Chapala for that; the fee was minimal, something like $108mx, if I remember correctly from last summer.

[More Liana]

On 12/25/2018 at 8:05 PM, willhk said:

Just wondering if someone has anyone in Mexico City who can help with the Antecedentes No Penales Federal. 

People who lives in Guadalajara who made the naturalization test, where did you get the ANTECEDENTES NO PENALES ESTATAL?

Here you go:
http://www.unioncdmx.mx/articulo/2017/07/31/seguridad/carta-de-antecedentes-no-penales-en-cdmx-como-tramitarla