Life in the UK test: format, booking and preparation

How the test works

• 24 multiple-choice questions
• 45 minutes to answer them
• To pass, you need at least 18 correct answers (75%)
• On a computer, at one of more than 30 test centres in the UK
• Fee: £50, paid when you book
• In English; at centres in Wales or Scotland you can ask to take it in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic

Who must take it

You may need to pass the test as part of an application for indefinite leave to remain or for British citizenship. The guidance for your application tells you whether it applies to you.

Who does not need to take it

• People under 18
• People aged 65 or over
• People with a long-term physical or mental condition, who send an exemption form or a letter from a doctor
• People who have already passed it, for example for their settlement application
• People on some routes to settlement that have no test requirement, for example refugees: check the rules for your route

Booking and ID

Book online through the service linked from GOV.UK, which is the only official booking service, at least 3 days before your test. You need an email address, a debit or credit card and an accepted form of ID, and the name on your booking must match your ID exactly.

• With an eVisa, book using a share code from your UK Visas and Immigration account
• Otherwise, use a valid passport, an identity card from the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, or a travel document with a photo (not an emergency travel document)
• An expired biometric residence permit or card (BRP or BRC) only counts if your test is within 24 months of its expiry date and before 31 December 2026
• Bring the same original ID on the day: copies and screenshots are not accepted, and your photo is taken at the centre
• If you have a disability, ask for special arrangements when you book

On the day and your result

You cannot bring phones, watches or notes into the test room. You are told your result at the centre and receive a unique reference number (URN) by email within 10 minutes. You do not get a pass letter: you enter the URN in your application, and the Home Office uses it to check that you passed.

If you fail or need to cancel

• You can book the test again as many times as you need, paying the fee each time
• You get a refund if you cancel at least 3 days before your test
• There is no refund if you bring the wrong ID, are late or ill, or refuse to have your photo taken

How to prepare

You are only tested on the official handbook, Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. The official publisher sells it as a book, an eBook and in audio formats, together with an official e-learning course and practice app. Use the official material: unofficial materials can contain mistakes.

• Check that your handbook is a recent printing: the publisher's latest list of amendments is dated 5 January 2026
• FreeExamPath is independent and not affiliated with the Home Office, the test provider PSI or the publisher TSO
• Our practice questions, when they are ready, will be our own, written from official sources; they are not real test questions

Planned changes

The government has said it will refresh the Life in the UK test. The Home Office has also started market engagement for a new test service that aims to be 'digital by default', but it says no final decisions have been made. No changes to the format have been announced, so the current rules apply until GOV.UK says otherwise.

Official links

• Life in the UK Test: booking, ID and results (GOV.UK)
• Exemption form for a long-term physical or mental condition (GOV.UK)
• Official handbook and study materials (TSO, the official publisher)
• Prove your knowledge of English (GOV.UK)
• Earned settlement consultation (GOV.UK)
• Immigration white paper, May 2025 (GOV.UK)
• New Life in the UK test service: market engagement notice (Find a Tender)
• Immigration Rules: Appendix Settlement Protection (GOV.UK)

Frequently asked questions