N 400 question on residence and employment history

[enjoylife]

N400 has questions for detailing where I lived in the last 5 years and where I worked in last 5 years. My question is do we need to give the start time exactly of 5 years or if I was working there longer than 5 yrs I should give my true start date?
Eg. It requires my employment history for last 5 yrs. so in 2005 I would go back to 2000. But I had worked in the same position from 1997 to 2001 so should I say my start date is 1997 or should I state 2000? If I state 1997 it would give my employment history for 8 yrs while they have asked for 5 yrs only.

Any thoughts would be very helpful thanks.

 

[mrz]

You can state it from 1997 as it's not going affect your application. Since you were with the same employer during that time, it is better to give that info. If I were you, I will put it from 1997.