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How to pass the Life in the UK Test — even with zero English.

First, what the exam is. Then, three learning paths so you can pick the one that fits your time, your English level, and your goal.

About the exam

A 24-question, 45-minute test you take on a computer.

The Life in the UK Test is the citizenship and permanent-residence exam every applicant aged 18–64 has to pass before getting Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or British citizenship. The Home Office introduced it in November 2005 — the idea was to make sure new residents understand UK history, values, government and daily life before settling permanently. Around 160,000 people sit it each year, and the national first-time pass rate sits around 70%.

Every question comes from one source: the official Home Office handbook *Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents* (3rd edition, in use since 25 March 2013). Topics span British history from prehistory to today, values and principles, parliament and the legal system, holidays and traditions, sport, the arts, and geography. The exam is run by PSI Services for the Home Office at 30+ centres across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The whole test is in English — questions, answers, all options — and there is no translation in the exam room. Once you pass, the certificate is valid for life.

Get 6 wrong and you have failed — £50 gone, book again. Most failures are not because the material is hard, but because the wording is in English the test-taker does not fully read.

Format
24 multiple-choice questions, on a computer
Pass mark
18 / 24 (75%)
Time
45 minutes
Fee
£50 per attempt, non-refundable
Who
ILR & citizenship applicants, 18–64
Source material
Home Office handbook, 3rd edition
Who we built this for

Designed for people who do not read English well — and still useful if you do.

Tens of thousands of legitimate applicants — older parents, refugees, spouses, people on the disability route — have to pass this test without strong English. Most prep sites assume you can read a Home Office paragraph and just need practice. We do not.

Explanations in your own language

Every question is explained in 12 languages. Read it in Chinese / Urdu / Arabic / Polish… understand it first, then memorise the English.

Brute Mode for zero-English

Our keyword-pairing method matches a cue in the question to a cue in the correct answer — by shape and colour. You do not need to read the English sentence to pick the right option.

Still works if your English is fine

Strong English speakers can just use the practice + mock exams + cheat sheet and skip Brute Mode. Same question bank, same explanations — you choose how deep to go.

Pick your learning path

Three ways to prep — pick the one that fits your time.

Each path uses the features we already built. Click any step to jump straight into it.

The night before

One last pass — the cheat sheet.

120 cards. Every fact the test repeats. Read them once on the train to the test centre. Most students tell us they recognise half the questions just from this.

Open the cheat sheet

Pick a starting point — both are free.

Brute Mode if English scares you. Mock exam if you want to know where you stand.