Life in the UK Test: £50, 24 questions and a 75% pass mark

The Life in the UK Test is not about history for its own sake. It is a document: without it there is no settlement and no British citizenship. It costs £50, runs for 45 minutes and has 24 questions. Failing it is cheaper than people fear. Losing the fee on a technicality is easier than they expect.

Who actually has to take the Life in the UK Test?

Anyone applying for indefinite leave to remain or for naturalisation as a British citizen. It is one half of what the Home Office calls the KoLL requirement — knowledge of language and life in the UK.

The other half is language: speaking and listening at B1 on the CEFR scale or above. That can be met with a SELT at B1 or above, or with an academic degree comparable to a UK bachelor's or higher that was taught in English. One detail matters: nationals of majority English-speaking countries are considered to meet the language part automatically, but they still sit the Life in the UK Test.

Who is exempt?

On the GOV.UK page: anyone under 18 or 65 and over, anyone who has already passed the test, and people with a long-term physical or mental condition, who need either an exemption form or a letter from a doctor.

The Home Office caseworker guidance adds a distinction the public page does not. For settlement the age rule is firm: people "aged under 18 years, or 65 years or older on the date of their application". For naturalisation there is discretion — applicants aged 65 or over must be waived, those aged 60 to 64 are normally waived if they would turn 65 before they could meet the requirement, and people under 60 are not normally waived on age alone.

What is the pass mark?

75% or more. Twenty-four questions, 45 minutes, and everything asked comes from the official handbook, Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents. Nothing outside it can appear.

Fail, and you can rebook as many times as you need. But each attempt is paid for again, at £50 a time.

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How do you book, and what must you bring?

Booking is online and must be done at least 3 days ahead. There are more than 30 test centres across the UK and you pick yours when booking. You need an email address, a debit or credit card and an accepted form of ID.

The name on the booking must match the ID exactly. Accepted: a share code from your UKVI account if you have an eVisa; a valid passport; a valid EU, Swiss, Icelandic, Liechtenstein or Norwegian ID card; a valid travel document with a photo — emergency travel documents are not accepted; a BRP or BRC.

There is a separate deadline for BRP and BRC holders: the test must take place no later than 24 months after the card's expiry date, or before 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.

What gets people turned away at the centre?

ID and the photograph. You must bring the original document you booked with — not a copy, not a screenshot. Your photo is taken on the day to confirm your identity. No original, or a refusal to be photographed, and the test does not happen and there is no refund.

One more rule people rarely hear in advance: you cannot bring children or other family members into the test centre.

What do you walk away with?

A unique reference number. That is what goes on the citizenship or settlement application, and it is how the Home Office checks the test was passed. Anyone who sat the test before 17 December 2019 was given a letter with a test reference ID instead; if that letter is lost, send a letter explaining this with the application.

The test helpline is 0800 015 4245, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.