Free to read online
Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents
Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition) is the official study guide for the Life in the UK Test, and every real exam question is drawn from it. It runs to 5 chapters and about 890 testable facts. Every one of them is summarised here, free to read with no account and no download.
Reading front to back is the slowest way to prepare. Sit one mock first . It takes 45 minutes and tells you which chapters you can skim.
- Chapter 1
The values and principles of the UK
The five fundamental principles of British life, the responsibilities and freedoms that come with living here, and what the test itself involves.
4 sections · 28 key facts
- Chapter 2
What is the UK?
The four countries, what Great Britain does and does not include, the Crown dependencies and overseas territories, and the four capital cities.
2 sections · 15 key facts
- Chapter 349% of questions
A long and illustrious history
From the Stone Age and the Romans through 1066, Magna Carta, the Tudors, the Civil War and the Glorious Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, the Empire, the World Wars and Brexit.
36 sections · 432 key facts
- Chapter 4
A modern, thriving society
Population and diversity, religion and the patron saints, the festivals and bank holidays, sport, money and language, the arts, and the landmarks.
11 sections · 172 key facts
- Chapter 5
The UK government, the law and your role
The unwritten constitution, the monarchy, both Houses of Parliament, elections and voting, the devolved administrations, international institutions, the courts and police, tax and driving, and taking part in your community.
15 sections · 243 key facts
Common questions
- What book do you need for the Life in the UK Test?
- Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition) is the only official source. Every question in the real test is drawn from it, across 5 chapters and roughly 890 testable facts. You do not have to buy it to prepare: the facts themselves are not copyrightable and every one is summarised here, free.
- Do I have to read the whole guide?
- No, and reading it front to back is the slowest way to prepare. Sit one timed mock first. It takes 45 minutes and tells you which chapters you are already fine on, so you can spend your time on the two or three that are costing you marks.
- Is the Life in the UK Test study guide free to read online?
- The chapter summaries on this site are free and need no account. The official book itself is sold by its publisher and is not reproduced here, because it is under Crown copyright. What you get here is every testable fact in our own words, plus practice questions on each chapter.
- How many questions come from each chapter?
- Not evenly. Chapters differ in weight, and the chapter list below shows how many testable facts each one contains, largest first in practice. A chapter with four hundred facts will cost you far more marks than one with fifteen if you skip it.
Questions and study summaries are original works testing facts published in Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition), © Crown copyright 2013. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Home Office.