| | | | | |
| British Citizenship - Life In The UK Test | | | | Who is Exempt? |
| | | | | |
| | | | | · If you are under 18 years old or over |
| Preparing to gain British citizenship can be a lengthy | | | | 65 years of age you will be exempt. |
| process. There are several ways of going about it. | | | | · Those suffering from physical or |
| Those who are applying for UK naturalization is the | | | | mental health conditions that would affect the ability to |
| most common way to gain British citizenship. It | | | | take the test. Visual or hearing impairments are not |
| applies to those who were not born in the UK or have | | | | exempt, but make sure you mention any impairments |
| any ancestral background. The first step is to make | | | | or health conditions when booking the test. |
| sure you meet the residency requirements. Secondly, | | | | |
| you must pass a ‘Life in the UK test'. Then you | | | | |
| need to apply for citizenship. | | | | Make sure you take identification such as a passport; |
| | | | | full or provisional UK photocard driving license; |
| People who are applying for British citizenship or | | | | immigration status document endorsed with a UK |
| obtaining an indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with an | | | | Residence Permit, bearing a photograph of the holder; |
| ESOL 3 level should take the Life in the UK test. If | | | | any of these Home office documents: Certificate of |
| your English is less than ESOL 3 then you can take | | | | Identity Document, Stateless Person Document, or |
| combined English for Speakers of Other Languages | | | | Convention Travel Document. Make a note of any |
| (ESOL) and citizenship classes instead of taking the | | | | reference numbers if you have taken test before. |
| test. | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | Step-by-step guide to Life in the UK Test Preparation |
| Preparation | | | | |
| | | | | 1. Visit the UK border agency |
| If you are not up to speed on the culture of the UK, | | | | webpage for details on the exam and additional |
| then it is advisable to read “Life in the United | | | | requirements (lifeintheuk.gov.uk). Make sure you meet |
| Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship”, 2nd Edition. | | | | the criteria for British citizenship |
| There are a lot of facts and figures which you will | | | | |
| need to learn in order to pass the exam. There are | | | | 2. Book your test as it can take |
| many who have lived in the UK all their lives would find | | | | about two weeks. Take the test before you apply for |
| this test extremely challenging. It is estimated that 1 in | | | | naturalisation |
| 3 people fail the test, about 30%. A re-test costs | | | | |
| around £34, so failing can be very expensive. It is | | | | 3. Read the official book - Life in |
| advised that you join a practice test site to make sure | | | | the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship (2007), |
| you are fully prepared. | | | | 2nd Edition. Free ebook when you subscribe with |
| | | | | citizenshiptests.co.uk |
| | | | | |
| The Test | | | | 4. Undertake unlimited online |
| | | | | practice test questions in exam conditions at |
| The questions can be anything from UK society, | | | | |
| culture, law, history, government, democracy, | | | | 5. Review your test feedback and |
| employment issues and Europe. The computer based | | | | analysis as a guide for further revision and practice. |
| test lasts for 45 minutes and consists of 24 multiple | | | | |
| choice questions, which are based on chapters 2, 3, 4, | | | | 6. If you are getting at least 75% |
| 5 and 6 of ‘Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey | | | | of answers (18 out of 24) correct most of the time, |
| to Citizenship' book. The pass rate is 75%. The main | | | | then you are ready for the official test, otherwise |
| language for the test is English. However, audio is | | | | re-arrange your test date and undertake further study. |
| allowed. If you fail, you will have the opportunity to | | | | |
| apply for another test, but you will have to pay the fee. | | | | 7. |
| | | | | |