Can you pass the official UK citizenship test? You need 18 out of 24 to pass

Can you pass the official UK citizenship test? You need 18 to pass — and it's not as easy as you think! In fact, it's been warned that the test is too hard! These questions are taken from the only official Life in the UK test questions and answers app, approved by the Home Office, which sets the test.

These questions are taken from the mock test. There are 24 of them, just like the real test, which people get 45 minutes to answer when they take it for real. You need 18 to pass. The Life in the UK test is generally required where an adult applies for indefinite leave to remain in the UK, or naturalisation as a British citizen. Some people are exempt from the test, for example, those under 18.

The test was introduced for citizenship applications in 2005 and for settlement applications in 2007. It costs £50 and people can take the test at one of 30 centres in the UK. The questions are drawn from the official Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents handbook, which people would be expected to buy and study before taking the test.

The questions cover a wide range of topics, from politics to the English Civil War and from food to popular sports. If you are a British citizen, of course, you don't have to take the test — but that doesn't mean you will find the questions easy and there are some very tricky ones in this test. So... can you get 18 out of 24 correct and pass the official UK citizenship test?

Take the quiz below but if you can't see it below, click here.

Many countries around the world make passing a citizenship test a requirement of staying in the country, but the British one has attracted some criticism. According to University of Essex research in 2021, two-thirds of British nationals would not pass the UK citizenship test.

"Criticisms on the content include factual errors, the inclusion of trivia questions, such as who started the first curry house in Britain, the absence of practical information, such as how to access vital services, and the amount of work needed to pass the test, which has a 160-page study guide for those preparing to take it," said the university.

Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg, from the university and who led the study, said: “This is a potentially life-changing test which sets those who pass it on the path to acquiring rights equal to those who hold citizenship already. While on the surface our findings may seem pessimistic, after all, our results suggest that the Life in the UK Test may be flawed in its purpose and cause unnecessary distress among applicants, we believe there is in fact reason for optimism.

“People agree the test is too hard, an attitude we found across the political spectrum. Thus, policy makers can likely advocate and pursue improvement of this test without being too concerned about negative public opinion.”