Life in the UK test results

Results at a glance

• To pass, you need 75% or moreAt least 18 of the 24 questions
• No pass letter or certificateThe Home Office checks your URN

• You are told your result at the centre
• Your URN arrives by email within 10 minutes
• If you fail, you can book again as many times as you need, paying £50 each time

Getting your result

When you finish the test, staff ask you to wait in the waiting area. They then tell you your result and give you your unique reference number (URN). You also receive an email with your URN within 10 minutes, whether you passed or failed. If you have no email after 24 hours, contact the Life in the UK Test Helpline.

Your unique reference number (URN)

• Every test you take has its own URN
• You can also find your URN and your result in your Life in the UK account, in the results tab
• Quote your URN whenever you contact the Home Office about your test result
• Keep it safe: you need it for your application

No pass letter: how the Home Office checks your pass

Since 17 December 2019, PSI no longer sends pass letters. You enter your URN in your settlement or citizenship application, and the Home Office uses it to check that you passed. Caseworkers see your result and the photo taken at the test centre. If you took the test before 17 December 2019, you have a letter with a test reference ID instead. If you have lost that letter, send a letter with your application to explain.

Your pass for settlement and citizenship

You do not need to take the test again if you have passed it before. The official guidance gives no expiry date for a pass. If you passed it for your settlement (indefinite leave to remain) application, you do not take it again when you apply for British citizenship: you can use the same pass.

If you fail

• You can book the test again as many times as you need
• You pay the £50 fee each time
• GOV.UK and PSI do not mention a waiting time before you can book again. You book a new test in the usual way, at least 3 days ahead
• If a technical problem stops your test, tell a member of staff straight away. If PSI cannot recover the test, you can take it again for free on another day, subject to availability
• Use the time to study the official handbook again: all the questions are based on it

When you need a pass

You may need a pass in the Life in the UK test to apply for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) or for British citizenship. The guidance for your application tells you whether it applies to you. Some routes to settlement, for example for refugees, have no test requirement.

• You do not need to take it if you are under 18
• You do not need to take it if you are 65 or over
• You do not need to take it if you have passed it before
• You do not need to take it if a long-term physical or mental condition prevents you: send an exemption form or a letter from a doctor with your application
• If you were exempt for settlement because of a condition, you must ask for the exemption again when you apply for citizenship

More about the test

Our Life in the UK test guide covers who must take the test, the format and how to prepare. FreeExamPath is independent and not affiliated with the Home Office, PSI or TSO. We cannot see or confirm your result: only your Life in the UK account and the Home Office can.

Official links

• What happens at the test: results and resits (GOV.UK)
• Life in the UK Test: who needs to take it (GOV.UK)
• Knowledge of language and life in the UK: caseworker guidance (GOV.UK)
• Exemption form for a long-term physical or mental condition (GOV.UK)

Frequently asked questions