Free Life in the UK Test practice

Free Life in the UK practice tests in the real format: 24 questions, 45 minutes, and a pass mark of 75% (18 correct answers). 359 original questions across every chapter of the official handbook, with an explanation after each answer.

Independent site. We are not the Home Office or the official test provider. Book your real test only on GOV.UK, the official booking service.

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What the Life in the UK Test is

The Life in the UK Test is a test about British traditions, customs, history and government. Most people applying for settlement in the UK (indefinite leave to remain) or for British citizenship need to pass it. According to GOV.UK, you have 45 minutes to answer 24 questions, and you must score 75% or more to pass. The test costs £50, you book it online at least three days in advance, and there are more than 30 test centres around the UK.

The questions in the real test are based only on the official handbook, Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents. That is the book you should study. Our practice tests help you check what you have learned, find the topics you keep getting wrong, and get used to answering 24 questions against the clock.

How our free practice tests work

Every mock test on this site copies the shape of the real test, so the experience on the day feels familiar:

• 24 questions per test, drawn from all five chapters of the handbook in proportion to how much each chapter covers.
• A 45-minute countdown timer. When the time runs out, the test is marked automatically, just as it ends on the day.
• Instant marking against the real pass mark of 18 out of 24 (75%).
• An explanation for every question, so a wrong answer becomes something you learn rather than something you guess again next time.
• Progress saved on your device. Your recent scores and the questions you got wrong are kept in your browser, so you can come back and practise your mistakes. Nothing is sent to us.

There are 15 fixed practice tests, which always contain the same questions so you can measure your improvement, and an unlimited random mock test that builds a new set every time.

Practise by topic

If you are just starting, practising one chapter at a time is often easier than jumping into full mock tests. Topic practice gives you instant feedback after each answer. The five topics follow the chapters of the official handbook:

1. The values and principles of the UK: the rule of law, democracy, individual liberty, tolerance, and the responsibilities and freedoms shared by everyone living here.
2. What is the UK: the four nations, capitals, flags, patron saints, the Crown dependencies and Overseas Territories.
3. A long and illustrious history: from the Stone Age and the Romans through the Normans, Tudors, Stuarts, the Industrial Revolution, two world wars and modern Britain.
4. A modern, thriving society: religion, festivals, sport, the arts, literature, food, inventions and leisure.
5. The UK government, the law and your role: the monarchy, Parliament, elections, devolution, the courts, the police, taxes, and how to take part in your community.

History is the biggest chapter, and many candidates find its dates hard to remember. Our study guide has a simple plan for working through it.

Why practise before the real test?

The test costs £50 each time you take it. If you fail, you can rebook as many times as you need, but you pay again each time. A few hours of practice before you book makes it far more likely you will only pay once. Practice also helps with the format: the questions are short, but some ask you to choose between two very similar answers, or to say whether a statement is true or false. Getting used to reading each option carefully is half the battle.

Our advice is simple. Read the official handbook first. Then take a mock test to see where you stand. Study the chapters where you dropped marks, use topic practice to fix them, and only book your test once you are scoring well above 18 out of 24 on several different mock tests in a row.

Our questions are original

We write every question ourselves. They cover the topics in the official handbook, but they are not copied from the handbook, from the real test, or from any other website. Each question in our bank has a source note, so the facts can be checked against GOV.UK or the public record. Because they are not the real questions, think of them as a way to test your knowledge of the handbook, not as a list of answers to memorise.

Booking the real test

When you are ready, book through the official service on GOV.UK. You will 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. Read our guides on how to book, what to bring on the day and who needs to take the test before you pay.

Frequently asked questions