So the time has come for me to take the next step in my British experience. Thoughts of indefinite leave to remain (ILR) are pushing to the front of my mind, but there’s one thing standing in my way – the Life in the UK Test. You can take the test at any point. Once you’ve passed, it never expires. Yes… I’ve known this for years… no, I haven’t managed to get it done. Procrastination has won yet again!
As I go through the process, I’ll take a few notes and leave them in this post so that hopefully it can be of some help to some of you lovely people.
Regular quizzes available
The first and most important thing you need to know before taking the Life in the UK Test is that I regularly post short Life in the UK quizzes on Instagram Stories. Whether you’re preparing for the test or just curious if you know any of the answers, come on over and see how your UK knowledge compares! If you’re British born and bred, come see if you could pass the test they make all us foreigners pass. Oh and please do take the opportunity to send me a message with your thoughts!
When can I take it?
The next thing you need to know is when to take the Life in the UK Test. The short answer is, you can take it whenever you want. Even if you’re not sure you want to stay in the UK, you can take it at a convenient time so you’re not rushing to get it done for you ILR application (like me!).
Once you pass, you will receive some official proof in the form of a unique reference number or test reference ID. Once you’ve got it, no one can take it away from you. Taking it last year was my plan, but life has been so busy and I haven’t got around to booking it.
If you’re pushed for time like me, then be mindful that you have to book it three days in advance.
How many times can I take the Life in the UK Test?
The third thing to know is that there is no “three strikes and you’re out” policy.
With any test, it’s important to know if there is a restriction to the number of times you can attempt to pass. Thankfully, with the Life in the UK Test, you can try as many times as it takes. What a relief!
At the time of writing, it does cost £50, so consult your budget and try not take it more times than necessary.
You’ll have 24 questions to answer in 45 minutes and the pass mark is 75%. That means you can get up to 6 of them wrong. With thousands of questions in the bank, though, part of me thinks it’s just the luck of the draw. It’s a relief to know that I can keep going back until I pass. Some of the questions are a bit ridiculous, so I think it’s only fair.
You’ll have 24 questions to answer in 45 minutes and the pass mark is 75%. That means you need to get at least 18/24 correct.
How do I study for it?
The fourth consideration is how you can study for it. There are a few different ways to study. Some free and some costing £8-23.
What I’ve been using is this website with free access to test questions. I’m hoping combining that with many episodes of The Crown, Outlander, The Great British Bakeoff, and the annual Six Nations Rugby Tournament will do the trick.
But, if you prefer more structured studying, the Home Office sells official study materials on this website: books, guides, practice questions, and an eLearning package subscription that lasts from 3 months to 1 year.
I thought about buying them, then thought that the local library probably has some of the books, and now I’m thinking I’ll just test my luck and go for it.
How do I book the life in the UK test?
The last thing you need to know is how to book a test. Which I’ve just done today! When you’re ready you can book the test on this gov.uk website.
Be sure to have your passport and your debit/credit card.
I found the current (11/2022) booking system a bit confusing. I put in my postcode and it listed a range of testing centre options. This is a map showing the ones near me. There were fewer than I though, so it would be good to investigate this so you can plan to travel if you need to.
I chose my preferred testing centre, but then the test slots listed were located in London! That would have made for a really inconvenient trip, especially since I’m pushed for time and money most of the time these days.
After pressing back and reselecting the test centre I wanted, it still showed me London options. After considering the possibility of technical faults, I finally realized that if there were no testing slots available on that day in my preferred centre, then they would show slots from other centres. My advice would be to double, triple and quadruple check that the details are correct as you go through the booking process.
If you read this far, then please come find me on Instagram @anywayward.ig
I’d love to have you join in on the Life in the UK Quizzes!
See you there!
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