Life in the UK Test 2026: Everything You Need.

The Life in the UK test is a 24-question, 45-minute multiple-choice exam. You need 18 correct out of 24 (75%) to pass. It costs £50 per attempt and is sat in person at an approved UK test centre. All questions come from the official handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition). The test is required for British citizenship and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications. As of October 2026 the test is unchanged — same handbook, same fee, same pass mark — although the Home Office has said it is reviewing it.

Nothing in the test itself. The 3rd-edition handbook (published 2013) is still the only source material, the £50 fee is unchanged, and the 24-question / 45-minute format is identical. Two practical changes: GOV.UK now asks people with an eVisa to book with a share code from their UKVI account, and citizenship and ILR application fees rose on 8 April 2026 (£1,709 + £130 ceremony for naturalisation, £3,226 for ILR). gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test remains the only official booking source — don't book through any other site.

Yes, eventually — but not yet. The government's May 2025 white paper Restoring control over the immigration system promised "a refresh of the Life in the UK test and how it operates". In a written answer on 13 July 2026, the Home Office said:

"We are reviewing the test and will update it so that it better reflects the knowledge people need to live, work and take part in everyday life in the UK today… The current Life in the UK contract expires in 2027. We will announce any changes in due course, ensuring transitional arrangements are in place so that applicants have sufficient notice."

What this means for you:

• No new test, handbook or format has been announced. If you sit the test now, you sit the current version.
• Changes are tied to the contract ending in 2027, and the Home Office has promised notice and transitional arrangements.
• A pass is not time-limited, so passing the current test now is not undone by a future redesign.

We'll update this page as soon as the Home Office announces details.

The 24 questions are drawn at random from a hidden pool of around 3,000. Each one is multiple-choice — either a single-answer question (pick the correct one of four) or a "select two" question (pick the two correct ones of four). The questions cover all five handbook chapters: Values & Principles (~8%), What is the UK (~12%), A Long & Illustrious History (~35%), Modern Society (~20%), and Government & Law (~25%). History dominates — focus your study time there first.

The handbook is 180 pages but only ~120 of those contain testable material. A realistic 7-day plan: read the handbook once end-to-end (Day 1), take two practice tests cold to find your weak topics (Day 2), drill history and government for two days (Days 3–4), drill the remaining three chapters and run training mode (Day 5), do three full mock tests under exam conditions (Day 6), rest and lightly review (Day 7). See our full study guide for the detailed plan.

Book directly on gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test. You'll need accepted ID (an eVisa share code, or a passport or other accepted document), an email address, and a debit/credit card for the £50 fee. The system asks for a postcode and offers nearby test centres with available slots. You must book at least 3 days ahead — a week ahead gets you a more convenient slot. See our step-by-step booking guide.

Take Test 01 and Test 02 right now — they're free, no sign-up needed. If you score 18+ on both, you're probably ready. If not, our training mode targets your weak topics until they aren't weak. Six printable cheat sheets compress the most-tested facts (dates, monarchs, saints, festivals) onto single pages.