Life in the UK test
One test stands between you and settlement.
The Life in the UK test is required for almost every ILR and citizenship application. Here's what it involves, and free practice questions you can start right now.
24 questions, 75% to pass
Multiple choice, drawn from the official handbook. You need at least 18 correct.
45 minutes, £50 per attempt
Booked at an official test centre. Fail and you can rebook, but each attempt costs.
Needed for ILR and citizenship
Almost everyone applying for settlement or naturalisation must pass it once. It never expires.
Free practice
Practise the real questions, free.
Real questions from the official handbook, untimed, with the answer explained as you go. No sign-up, no limit.
Free practice questions
Real questions from the official handbook, untimed, with the answer explained the moment you choose. No sign-up, no limit, practise until it sticks.
Plus
Ready to sit it for real?
Sit it like the real thing, with Plus
Free practice teaches you the material. Plus is how you pass the exam:
- All the mock exams, under real conditions: 24 questions, 45 minutes, 75% to pass.
- Score history that feeds straight into your settlement timeline.
- Weak-area analytics so you practise what you keep getting wrong.
Where the test fits on the road to ILR
The Life in the UK test is one of the fixed requirements of a settlement application, alongside your qualifying years, the English requirement and the £3,226 ILR fee. Unlike the others, it has no timing constraint: a pass never expires and counts again for citizenship later. That makes it the one requirement you can simply clear early and forget. See your full ILR picture →
How to prepare without wasting £50
Every retake costs the full fee, so the economics favour over-preparing: study the official handbook, then drill practice questions until you're consistently above the 75% pass mark under timed conditions. The free practice above uses real handbook-derived questions with answers explained; timed mock exams that mirror the real 24-question format are part of SettleWell Plus.
Questions people ask
Who needs to take the Life in the UK test?
Almost everyone applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain or British citizenship who is aged 18 to 64. You only ever need to pass it once — a pass never expires, and it counts for both your settlement and a later citizenship application.
How hard is the Life in the UK test?
It's a 45-minute test of 24 multiple-choice questions on British history, traditions and law, drawn from the official handbook. You need 75% — at least 18 correct — to pass. Most people pass first time with a couple of weeks of focused practice.
How much does the test cost, and what if I fail?
£50 per attempt, booked at an official test centre. There's no limit on retakes, but each attempt costs the full fee — which is why practising until you're consistently passing mocks is the cheapest strategy.
Is the Life in the UK test the same as the English test?
No — they're separate requirements. The Life in the UK test covers knowledge of British life and is taken in English; the English language requirement (typically B1 speaking and listening for ILR) is proven separately, by an approved test or an exemption such as a degree taught in English.
When should I take it?
Any time before you apply — many people sit it months early to get it off the list. Since a pass never expires, taking it well before your ILR window opens removes one variable from application season.