The Life in the UK test: 24 questions, 18 to pass, and £50 every time
The Life in the UK test is the knowledge test you may need for British citizenship or settlement. It is not an English test, though it is taken in English. You get 24 questions in 45 minutes, you need 75%, which is 18 correct, and it costs £50 every time you sit it.
Everything below was read on GOV.UK's booking and test pages on 5 October 2026. Whether you need the test at all depends on your application, and GOV.UK sends you to the guidance and form for that application to check. Where a comparison with other countries' tests is ours, it says so.
What the test is
24 questions, 45 minutes, about British traditions and customs. The pass mark is 75%.
You are tested only on information from the official handbook, the Guide for New Residents. GOV.UK publishes no list of questions. The handbook is available as a book, an eBook or audio, and there is an official e-learning subscription and practice app; all of them are sold through the official Life in the UK Test shop.
If you pass you get a unique reference number, which you enter on your citizenship or settlement application so the Home Office can check the result. Tests taken before 17 December 2019 gave a letter with a test reference ID instead.
The finding: you pay for every attempt, and for the study guide
This comparison is ours, from each test body's own pages, all read on 5 October 2026.
The pass mark is as strict as Norway's and stricter than Spain's or Germany's. The UK and Norway both ask 75%. Spain's CCSE asks 60% and Germany's Einbürgerungstest about 52%.
Every retake costs the full fee. GOV.UK says you can rebook as many times as you need and you'll have to pay each time. Spain's €85 registration covers a second attempt if you fail the first.
And the study material is sold rather than given away. Spain and Germany publish every possible question and answer for free, and Norway publishes its syllabus site and an example test for free. The UK's only source for the test is a handbook you buy.
Booking: online, three days ahead, with the right ID
You book online, at least three days in advance, through GOV.UK's service, which says it is the only official one. There are more than 30 test centres in the UK and you choose one when you book.
To book you need an email address, a debit or credit card and accepted ID. If you have an eVisa, book with a share code from your UKVI account. Otherwise GOV.UK accepts a valid passport, a valid ID card from the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, a valid travel document with a photo (not an emergency travel document), or a biometric residence permit or card. With a BRP or BRC, the test must be no later than 24 months after the card's printed expiry date or before 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.
The name on the booking must match your ID exactly. You can make requests for a disability when you book.
On the day, and what forfeits the fee
Bring the same ID you booked with, as an original, not a copy or a screenshot. Your photo is taken at the centre to confirm your identity. You cannot bring children or other family members.
These cost you the £50: bringing the wrong ID, refusing the photo, being ill, being late, or not bringing the right documents. None of them gets a refund.
Cancelling: you get a refund if you cancel at least 72 hours before the test, through your Life in the UK account. Cancel or rearrange inside 72 hours and the fee is gone. If the test centre cancels, you can ask the test provider, PSI, for a refund within three months of the test date.
The English requirement is separate
Passing this test does not prove your English. The English language requirement for citizenship is a separate condition. For how the UK's level compares with what other countries ask, see citizenship language requirements by country.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Studying from free question lists online.
Studying the official handbook.
GOV.UK says you are tested only on information from the official Guide for New Residents, and it publishes no question list.
Booking with a different ID from the one you will bring.
Bringing the original of the exact ID you booked with.
Wrong ID means no test and no refund, and the booking name must match the ID exactly.
Rearranging two days before the test.
Cancelling at least 72 hours ahead.
Only a cancellation at least three days before the test is refunded. Inside that window the £50 is lost.
Treating a fail as a free second try.
Budgeting £50 for each attempt.
You can rebook as many times as you need, but you pay each time.
Assuming the test covers your English requirement.
Meeting the English requirement separately.
The Life in the UK test is a knowledge test. The English language requirement is a different condition.
Questions
How many questions are in the Life in the UK test, and what is the pass mark?
24 questions in 45 minutes. You must score 75% or more, which is 18 correct answers.
How much does the Life in the UK test cost?
£50, paid by card when you book online at least three days in advance. If you fail, you can rebook as many times as you need, but you pay £50 each time.
Can I get a refund?
Only if you cancel at least 72 hours before the test, or if the test centre cancels it. There is no refund for wrong ID, illness, lateness, missing documents or refusing the photo.
What do I study for the Life in the UK test?
The official handbook, the Guide for New Residents. GOV.UK says you are tested only on information from it. It is sold as a book, eBook or audio, with an official e-learning subscription and practice app, through the official Life in the UK Test shop.
What ID do I need for the Life in the UK test?
If you have an eVisa, book with a share code. Otherwise a valid passport, an EU, Swiss, Icelandic, Liechtenstein or Norwegian ID card, a valid travel document with a photo, or a BRP or BRC (test no later than 24 months after the card's expiry or before 31 December 2026, whichever is first). Bring the original of the same ID on the day.
What happens after I pass?
You get a unique reference number to put on your citizenship or settlement application, which the Home Office uses to check that you passed.
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