Life in the UK Test: How Hard Is It?

Why There Is No Pass Rate Here

The Home Office did once publish this. A publication called Life in the UK test data gave the number of tests taken and the pass rate, broken down by region and by whether the test was taken for settlement or citizenship. It was published on 15 October 2013 and last updated on 1 April 2014.

It was then withdrawn on 30 May 2014, with the reason given on GOV.UK as: "Data in this document is no longer valid." Nothing has replaced it.

So a pass rate quoted today is not coming from a current official source. It is either an inference from the withdrawn 2014 figures, or a number from a commercial practice-test website describing its own users rather than the real test. This guide does not give one, because there is not one to give.

What follows is what GOV.UK does publish about the test, which is enough to answer most of what people want to know when they ask how hard it is.

What Is Published About the Test

• Format: 45 minutes to answer 24 questions.
• Pass mark: "You must score 75% or more to pass the test." That is 18 out of 24.
• Cost: £50 per sitting.
• Booking: online, at least 3 days in advance.
• Where: over 30 test centres in the UK, chosen when you book.
• Source material: "You'll only be tested on information from the official Guide for New Residents."
• Result: a pass gives you a "unique reference number", which you need to complete the citizenship or settlement application. The Home Office uses it to check that you passed.

The pass mark is the number that does the most work here. Six wrong answers out of 24 is a pass; seven is not.

Rebooking: There Is No Waiting Period

This is worth stating plainly because it is widely got wrong. GOV.UK says, in full: "You can rebook the test as many times as you need. You'll have to pay each time."

There is no limit on the number of attempts, and GOV.UK sets no minimum period between them. Claims that you must wait 7 days before resitting are not in the published guidance. The constraints that do apply are the £50 fee each time and the requirement to book at least 3 days in advance.

See our guide on what to do if you fail and the official booking service on GOV.UK, which GOV.UK describes as "the only official government service for booking the Life in the UK Test".

What the Test Covers

The scope is closed, and that is the most useful thing about it. GOV.UK says the test only covers information from the official Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. The guide is available as a book, an eBook and in audio formats, and GOV.UK also points to an official e-learning subscription and an official practice app, all sold through the official Life in the UK Test shop.

The guide is organised into five chapters:

1. The values and principles of the UK
2. What is the UK?
3. A long and illustrious history
4. A modern, thriving society
5. The UK government, the law and your role

GOV.UK describes the questions as being "about British traditions and customs". It does not publish a breakdown of how many questions come from each chapter, or which chapters people find hardest, so this guide does not rank them. Our test topics guide covers what each chapter contains.

What Is Not Published

It is worth being explicit about the gaps, because they are where confident-sounding claims tend to appear:

• The current pass rate, overall or by attempt. The only official publication was withdrawn in 2014.
• How many people pass on a second attempt. No official figure.
• Which questions or topics cause the most failures. GOV.UK publishes no analysis of this, and the result does not tell you which questions you got wrong.
• How long preparation takes. There is no official recommended study time.
• The size of the question bank. Not published.

A practice-test website reporting its own users' scores is describing its own users, not the real test, and its question bank is not the real question bank. That is the main reason those numbers differ so widely from one site to another.

Booking and the Day Itself

To book, GOV.UK says you need an email address, a debit or credit card, and an accepted form of identity document. The name you give when booking must be an exact match with the name on the identity document you use.

If you have an eVisa, GOV.UK says a share code is the way to book, obtained by signing in to your UK Visas and Immigration account. If you do not have an eVisa or cannot access it, the accepted documents are a valid passport, a valid identity card from the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, a valid travel document with a photo (not an emergency travel document), or a biometric residence permit or card — the last of these only where the test is no later than 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card, or before 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.

On the day, GOV.UK says:

• you must bring the same identity document you used to book, and it must be the original, not a copy or a screenshot;
• your photo will be taken to confirm your identity;
• you cannot bring children or other family members into the centre;
• you will not be able to take the test, and will not get a refund, if you do not bring the correct identity document or refuse to have your photo taken.

Special requests can be made when booking, for example if you have a disability and need extra equipment or help accessing the centre. See our guide to disability exemptions and adjustments. The Life in the UK Test Helpline is 0800 015 4245, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.

Where the Test Sits in an Application

The test is part of the knowledge of language and life requirement for settlement and British citizenship. The other half of that requirement is the English language requirement.

You do not need to take the test at all if you are under 18, are 65 or over, have passed it before, or have a long-term physical or mental condition — see our exemptions guide. A number of settlement routes, including settling as a refugee or with humanitarian protection, are outside the requirement altogether.

For preparation, see our study guide and booking guide. For the wider costs, see our visa fees guide, and for the other settlement conditions, the settlement pages on GOV.UK and our good character requirement guide.

Questions and answers