British citizenship

[Gossiperina]

At the beginning of next year, I can apply for British citizenship as it's gonna be over 6 years since living here and one year after getting my indefinite leave to remain.

I don't need to take the English test as I got my BA and my MA in this country so all I have to pass is the Life in the UK test which is bullshit as I made all my English friends take a practice one and they could answer 2 questions max (and I would consider them quite intelligent). The only good thing after it is that I will be amazing at pub quizzes!!

I was wondering if anyone has any advice, has been through it or maybe will go through it as well?

 

[indescribe]

I personally haven’t done the test, I’m a British national born and bred but I am a first generation British citizen. None of my parents did the test but some relatives did and said that it wasn’t too bad and the official test book really aided in helping them.

I’ve done the practice tests online and tbh I find the test unfair as those born in the UK wouldn’t necessarily know about these things first hand, we learn about our history but it does not go beyond primary school - so grade school and middle. If you choose History at a higher level then perhaps you learn more but it’s a push.

Most people I know haven’t needed to retake, they’ve revised and practised and assumed it’s like an educational exam to help them prepare better.

Official store link https://www.officiallifeintheuk.co.uk/shop

Practice tests

Can you pass the Citizenship Test?

This life in the UK test contains 24 questions, just like the real citizenship test. Answer 18 or more correctly to pass.

lifeintheuktests.co.uk

Good luck by the way!

 

[embee1106]

I just passed this test last week! Totally agree that it’s a ridiculous amount of information to learn. I actually found this website where a lot of people were saying that all of the questions on the actual test are covered on their practice tests (exams 1-15) and can confirm that this is true. Lifesaver!
The questions on the actual test weren’t that hard once I had practiced these through a few times, and I think there was only one question that required me to know a date. https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/test-1/

 

[Gossiperina]

I just passed this test last week! Totally agree that it’s a ridiculous amount of information to learn. I actually found this website where a lot of people were saying that all of the questions on the actual test are covered on their practice tests (exams 1-15) and can confirm that this is true. Lifesaver!
The questions on the actual test weren’t that hard once I had practiced these through a few times, and I think there was only one question that required me to know a date. https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/test-1/

Thank you!!! Happy to hear that for you, congratulations!

I believe that once you get your results, you then get scheduled for the ceremony? I heard something about pledging the oath of allegiance and then everyone sings the national anthem and that's it? I am assuming that because of coronavirus everything it's a bit delayed or going slower?

 

[embee1106]

No problem! Happy to help

I did the test in order to apply for indefinite leave to remain, but there is a backlog of applications waiting to do biometrics and submit supporting documentation so I’m now waiting to be contacted for that. They said they are currently clearing through the backlog from June so I’m assuming it’s still going to be a little while before anything happens.
If I get ILR approved then I can apply for citizenship, which I think is when they get you to do the ceremony etc

 

[SoulRebel]

I personally haven’t done the test, I’m a British national born and bred but I am a first generation British citizen. None of my parents did the test but some relatives did and said that it wasn’t too bad and the official test book really aided in helping them.

I’ve done the practice tests online and tbh I find the test unfair as those born in the UK wouldn’t necessarily know about these things first hand, we learn about our history but it does not go beyond primary school - so grade school and middle. If you choose History at a higher level then perhaps you learn more but it’s a push.

Most people I know haven’t needed to retake, they’ve revised and practised and assumed it’s like an educational exam to help them prepare better.

Official store link https://www.officiallifeintheuk.co.uk/shop

Practice tests

Can you pass the Citizenship Test?

This life in the UK test contains 24 questions, just like the real citizenship test. Answer 18 or more correctly to pass.

lifeintheuktests.co.uk

Good luck by the way!

What kind of crazy is this test? Knowing Oscar winners proves your Britishness!
Sorry to be flippant and good luck to the OP x

 

[babbling brook]

Do you need to do the test again for citizenship if you did it when applying for ILR?

 

[Raininvain]

Just done the test and got 19/24, I think a lot of the things its just general knowledge, you either do or dont know. If someone who was born here is getting 2/25 thats shocking.Unless they have learning difficulties etc. A lot of those questions are covered in Primary School.

 

[Gossiperina]

Just done the test and got 19/24, I think a lot of the things its just general knowledge, you either do or dont know. If someone who was born here is getting 2/25 thats shocking.Unless they have learning difficulties etc. A lot of those questions are covered in Primary School.

I know haha! I asked at least 10 of my British friends at work to take one of the practice test and they all scored 2 points...2 of them didn't even score one question right. Not even joking. All of them have a degree and I consider them quite intelligent and I did the same test and I got 12 questions right which I think it's quite good.. I stumbled at the very specific history ones but I think it's quite normal as I did not study that as I grew up in another country.

I am not scared of it, if I do loads of tests until them I know I will ace it, I am a fast learner as well so it should all be fine.

Also, whenever I tell people how expensive it is, they can't believe it haha!!!

Can I ask if anyone knows if the fee is paid in full at once or how does it work? I can't find anything on the website, just how much it is but not if it's paid in stages or as a one time fee.

No problem! Happy to help

I did the test in order to apply for indefinite leave to remain, but there is a backlog of applications waiting to do biometrics and submit supporting documentation so I’m now waiting to be contacted for that. They said they are currently clearing through the backlog from June so I’m assuming it’s still going to be a little while before anything happens.
If I get ILR approved then I can apply for citizenship, which I think is when they get you to do the ceremony etc

Yes, I believe so! I got ILR without the test because of the time I have been here I believe and getting my degrees here and so on but I know that after you get your ILR letter, you have to wait a year until you apply for citizenship.

 

[Blahblahahaaa77]

There’s no way someone who was born here would only get 2 ... How could they not know who the queens husband was? That we eat roast beef in England and that snowdonia is in wales.. crazy!

 

[Gossiperina]

There’s no way someone who was born here would only get 2 ... How could they not know who the queens husband was? That we eat roast beef in England and that snowdonia is in wales.. crazy!

Well it wasn't that exact test and the one we did do had quite a few more historical questions but still I managed to answer more of them and as I didn't grow up here my knowledge of English history is definitely more limited.. even if I have been trying to educate myself more since I moved to the country.

Some of the questions are very easy, but some of them seem very specific!! The test can clearly be passed quite easily if you do these practice one and there's a book as well... it's just a multiple choice test.. like I said, I will be very good at pub quizzes after this test haha!

 

[Mamacita]

Just done the test and got 19/24, I think a lot of the things its just general knowledge, you either do or dont know. If someone who was born here is getting 2/25 thats shocking.Unless they have learning difficulties etc. A lot of those questions are covered in Primary School.

I think it depends on what questions you get. I'm not really good at history for example and don't remember dates. I definitely don't really remember that many things from primary school so not sure how that's an argument for passing the test. But I do agree you can get a lot of common sense questions too.

 

[Hello Kitty]

Sorry no help at all but I also got 19/24. Rather random test if you ask me I guessed the History ones and got them right

 

[creme.egg92]

I’ve done the practice tests online and tbh I find the test unfair as those born in the UK wouldn’t necessarily know about these things first hand, we learn about our history but it does not go beyond primary school - so grade school and middle. If you choose History at a higher level then perhaps you learn more but it’s a push.

Sorry off topic but did you really only have to do history until primary school? I had to do history all through junior school (year 3-6 for me) and then it was compulsory up until year 9 in my high school. We were also really really pushed towards taking it for GCSE, it was basically mandatory so if you didn't want to do it your parents had to write a letter explaining why. That seems crazy to me that in other schools history stops at primary!

 

[indescribe]

Sorry off topic but did you really only have to do history until primary school? I had to do history all through junior school (year 3-6 for me) and then it was compulsory up until year 9 in my high school. We were also really really pushed towards taking it for GCSE, it was basically mandatory so if you didn't want to do it your parents had to write a letter explaining why. That seems crazy to me that in other schools history stops at primary!

Sorry, thought it was clear, when I mean history, specifically British history that is found on the test, I found it doesn’t go beyond primary school, eg Battle of Hastings and then after that you tend to learn history in other countries. It’s not the same for every school but where I was educated, I didn’t take history for GCSE not A Level. The point I was trying to make was that British people tend to have done history at school but when they get older, they will not remember as much and a lot of the material found on the test isn’t even covered at school.

 

[creme.egg92]

Sorry, thought it was clear, when I mean history, specifically British history that is found on the test, I found it doesn’t go beyond primary school, eg Battle of Hastings and then after that you tend to learn history in other countries. It’s not the same for every school but where I was educated, I didn’t take history for GCSE not A Level. The point I was trying to make was that British people tend to have done history at school but when they get older, they will not remember as much and a lot of the material found on the test isn’t even covered at school.

Fair enough! I see your point, I was just interested if different schools had different requirements

 

[lira]

My husband took the test just before applying for his ILR and got 24/24 I remember we took the test for a laugh in sixth form and pretty much all of us failed as British citizens! I found the books interesting to read, but I wouldn't say they define Britishness.