We're the "country of Shakespeare, Churchill, The Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter, David Beckham’s right foot, David Beckham’s left foot, come to that" but how well do you really know the UK?

Those born here may feel pretty confident that they know everything there is to know about being British.

But the UK’s citizenship test is famously trickier than you might expect. 

The "Life in the UK" test is a set of 24 questions which costs £50 to take and is compiled from 3,000 facts about Britain.

The Comet: Do you think you can pass the British Citizenship test? Prove it. ( PA)Do you think you can pass the British Citizenship test? Prove it. ( PA)

Applicants need to complete the test within 45 minutes and correctly answer 75% of the questions to pass.

You need to score 18/24 in order to pass the test.

The test is reportedly taken around 150,000 times each year – with those who fail, able to re-take but they need to pay a £50 fee each time.

Anyone born abroad who wants to live in the UK permanently, or who wishes to become a British citizen, has to pass an exam as part of their application.

Foreign nationals will need to answer a range of multiple questions testing them on their knowledge of British laws, history and traditions.

As well as being able to answer these tough questions you must also have spent a certain period of time in the country, passed an English language test, and not have any criminal convictions.


Life in the UK test practice 2021

What do you think? Are you smart enough to ace the test? Try it out for yourself below.

The questions are compiled from a series of example questions.


If you managed to pass, then congratulations!

Research from Essex University in 2021 found two-thirds of Brits would fail the test.

They put more than 270 people, nearly all of whom were UK citizens, to the test and found 66.4% fell short of the required score, answering on average 15.6 questions correctly.


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According to their findings, many participants reported that they thought that the test should be made harder before taking it.

However, the study also shared that having sat the test most people, regardless of their political leanings, changed their mind and felt it should be made easier.

How did you get on? Let us know how you found the test in the comments.