How many questions are in the Life in the UK Test?
There are 24 questions in the Life in the UK Test, and you have 45 minutes to answer them. The test is a closed-book, computer-based exam taken at one of the approved test centres around the UK. You answer on screen, you can flag a question to come back to, and you can review your answers before final submission.
The 24-question format is set by the Home Office and is the same for every candidate. It does not vary by visa type, by location, or by how long you have lived in the UK. Whether you are sitting the test for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or for British citizenship, you get the same 24 questions and the same 45-minute timer.
How many questions from each chapter?
The 24 questions are not split evenly across the handbook. Chapter 3 (history) carries the heaviest weight because it covers the most pages of source material. Chapter 1 (the values and principles of the UK) is the lightest. Our mock tests use the same weighting as the real exam, so you get a realistic mix every time.
Typical chapter split in a real test
| Chapter | Topic | Questions per 24 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Values and Principles of the UK | 2 |
| 2 | What is the UK? | 3 |
| 3 | A Long and Illustrious History | 11 |
| 4 | A Modern, Thriving Society | 5 |
| 5 | The UK Government, the Law and Your Role | 3 |
These numbers are approximate — the Home Office does not publish a fixed split, but pattern analysis across thousands of candidate reports lines up with the table above. The practical takeaway is straightforward: history and government questions account for more than half of every test, so those two chapters deserve more of your study time.
For a chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of the topics, see our free study guide.
What kind of questions to expect
Every one of the 24 questions is a multiple-choice question with four answer options. Most questions ask you to pick a single correct answer (A, B, C or D), but a few ask you to:
- Pick the two correct answers from four options.
- Decide whether a statement is true or false.
- Pick the correct ending to a sentence (the question is a partial sentence and the four options are different ways to complete it).
The phrasing is plain English. The handbook is the only source of facts, so questions are testing whether you know the contents of the handbook — they are not trick questions and they are not testing your opinions. Many questions are factual recall (dates, names, percentages); a smaller share test understanding of UK institutions and customs.
How many do you need right to pass?
You need to get 18 out of 24 questions correct — exactly 75%. That means you can get at most 6 questions wrong and still pass. There is no partial credit and no negative marking, so it always pays to make your best guess on a question you don't know rather than leave it blank.
See our full pass mark guide for how the scoring works, what happens if you tie at exactly 18, and how retakes work if you fall short.
How long do you have to answer all 24 questions?
You have 45 minutes total. That works out to roughly 113 seconds per question if you spread the time evenly — but most people don't need that long. In practice candidates finish a typical test in 15-25 minutes, leaving plenty of time to go back and re-check flagged questions.
The timer is shown on screen throughout the test and the system warns you when you have a few minutes left. If the timer runs out before you submit, the test ends and any unanswered questions are marked wrong.
How many questions are in the question pool?
The Home Office does not publish the size of its master question pool, and the real questions are kept confidential. What is public is the source: every question is written from Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents, the 180-page official handbook. If a fact is not in the handbook, it will not be on the test.
For practice, you want a bank big enough that you stop seeing repeats before you've stopped learning. Our practice bank has 375+ questions across all five chapters, written to match the official format (4-option multiple choice), difficulty level, and chapter weighting. You can drill chapter by chapter, take a full 24-question mock under exam conditions, or use mistake review mode to drill the questions you keep getting wrong.
Tips for managing 24 questions in 45 minutes
45 minutes for 24 questions sounds tight on paper, but in practice the timer is the easy part — most candidates who fail run out of knowledge, not time. That said, a few habits help:
- First pass: answer everything. Go through all 24 questions once. Answer the easy ones immediately. For anything you're not sure of, pick your best guess and flag it. You should finish the first pass in around 15 minutes.
- Second pass: revisit your flags. Now you have 30+ minutes for the handful of questions you flagged. With less time pressure, the right answer often becomes obvious.
- Never leave a question blank. A guess has a 25% chance of being right. A blank has a 0% chance. Always pick something.
- Watch out for negatively-worded questions. A few questions ask which option is not true. Read every question slowly enough to spot the word "not".
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the Life in the UK Test in 2026?
24 questions, with a 45-minute time limit and a 18/24 (75%) pass mark. These numbers have been stable for years and are unchanged in 2026.
Are there 408 questions in the Life in the UK Test?
No. You answer 24 questions on the day of the test. The "408" number you may have seen online refers to the total practice questions in some third-party question banks — it is not the size of the real test and it is not an official Home Office figure. Each individual sitting is 24 questions.
How many questions can I get wrong?
Up to 6. Get 7 or more wrong and you fail. Most people who fail miss the pass mark by 1-3 questions, which is why targeted practice on weak chapters makes such a difference. See our pass mark page.
Is the test multiple choice with 4 options?
Yes. Every question has 4 answer options labelled A, B, C and D. You select one (or, occasionally, two) by clicking on it. There are no essay or short-answer questions on the test.
Are the same 24 questions given to everyone?
No. Questions are pulled at random from the Home Office's pool, so each candidate's test is different. The format (24 questions, 45 minutes, four options), the difficulty range, and the rough chapter weighting are the same for everyone.
What if I run out of time before finishing all 24 questions?
When the 45-minute timer hits zero the test ends automatically. Any questions you haven't answered are marked as incorrect. In practice this rarely happens — most candidates finish in well under 45 minutes.
How many practice questions should I do before the real test?
Most candidates need 200-300 practice questions across chapter drilling and full mocks before they consistently score above the pass mark without looking things up. If you can score 22 or higher on three full mocks in a row, you're very likely ready. Start with our practice questions.