I've lived out of the UK for a number of years now and I'm married to a non-Brit. Having my permanent home in The Netherlands nowadays (well, when my time in Korea is done) and with all the potential uncertainty associated with Brexit I've been looking into different ways of trying to unify the nationalities in my family.

I found my way on to the UK government pages on applying for British citizenship and discovered that foreigners must take and pass a "Life in the UK Test" in order to qualify to become British.

See this website for some practice tests: http://www.lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk

Some of the questions are, frankly speaking, absurd as a measure of how fit you are to be British and I am absolutely certain many Brits would fail spectacularly if they had to take this test.

The test is timed and you have 24 questions, of which you need to achieve a 75% correct score overall in order to pass the test. I got exactly 75% (so still a Brit, just).

How many points can you score?

Edit: forgot to mention, the site has 24 mock tests, so if you crash and burn on one you can always try another.

Without going into whether or not I can pass a test, I have a very important piece of paper which states where I was born and this does indeed mean that I pass the British Test.

66.67%

Does this mean I can go and live in Spain?

Ashingtonclaret46 - spoilsport!

87.5%

I knew that history degree would have some use someday!

Ashingtonclaret46 wrote:Without going into whether or not I can pass a test, I have a very important piece of paper which states where I was born and this does indeed mean that I pass the British Test.

Think you've missed the OP's point

75%, I'm safe.

Some of those questions are a bit odd though.

Indeed, no idea how you cant be classed as British if you don't know how long ago we were separated from the continent.

Yeah, that was one I got wrong.

I don't think any brexitters would get that one wrong though!

HendricksHair wrote:Think you've missed the OP's point

Ashingtonclaret46 wrote:

I appreciate it was probably sarcasm but it does sound like something a Tommy Robinson-esque character would say upon realising they'd failed the test.

83.33%

In your face johnny foreigner.

21 for me, in spite of not knowing when we split from the Continent. But I didn't know how many Scottish MPs there are either, so my qualification as a Little Englander is restored.

Lancasterclaret wrote:Yeah, that was one I got wrong.

I don't think any brexitters would get that one wrong though!

I passed on that question because 2016 wasn't an option.

75%

Some of those questions are very odd to determine Britishness

Some of the questions are truly bizarre, and some are only there to make you aware of what this country is all about.

Still, 83.33% and safe!

HendricksHair wrote:I appreciate it was probably sarcasm but it does sound like something a Tommy Robinson-esque character would say upon realising they'd failed the test.

Didn't bother looking at the test, you tend not to do exams once you pass 70 -- although we may well have to do our driving test again if the petition is successful.

Oh heck, 62%.

I'll get me coat.

Some of those questions are just odd. 75%. I'm just about British!!

75% phew I'm just British

But Ashington/Eshington, do you still speak English after living many years in the UK's biggest pit village?

87.5%
It was the first 2 questions that put me under pressure for the rest of the test!
How on earth is knowing when Christmas Eve is a test of Britishness? or the inventor of the WORLDWIDE web? Truly bizarre.

I remember the www one because his name is a little like Burnley

100% but I guessed a couple.

Well i failed the test....so its back to the seychelles for me.

I think the 'freedom of speech' answer needs amending

I re sat my test and passed with flying colours.

66.67% fail when did pool become a traditional pub game?

79.17% in just over 6 mins. Five of my 9 or 10 guesses were wrong - I dropped history after 2nd year at school. Do we really need to know about traditional pub games? Do we need to know the price to visit Westminster?

And, I was offered a free university education - which is apparently now the only thing that is not offered to UK citizens today.

Things change. Can we still be British if the answers that are marked "correct" today are no longer correct in future?

KateR wrote:66.67% fail when did pool become a traditional pub game?

Hi KateR, I guess that "tradition" started in 1960s. What about skittles or shove halfpenny or bar billiards?

nil_desperandum wrote:87.5%
It was the first 2 questions that put me under pressure for the rest of the test!
How on earth is knowing when Christmas Eve is a test of Britishness? or the inventor of the WORLDWIDE web? Truly bizarre.

I was minded to say that we don't celebrate Christmas Eve... But, I guess the test is not asking about religious beliefs.

And, I'm pretty sure most European nations will know the date of Christmas Eve, and in some of those countries Christmas celebrations do start on Christmas Eve.

I wonder if the test questions were outsourced?

71%. I am almost there...just need another referendum and hopefully I'll get the right result this time!

Paul Waine wrote:Hi KateR, I guess that "tradition" started in 1960s. What about skittles or shove halfpenny or bar billiards?

been in a lot of pubs lately and not seen pool tables, who knew!! Well not me anyway, I thought it was a trick question lol

KateR wrote:been in a lot of pubs lately and not seen pool tables, who knew!! Well not me anyway, I thought it was a trick question lol

and I though every pub in Burnley and Accrington has a pool table. Or did I go in the wrong pubs?

Is Pool really a traditional pub game in UK? When I were a lad it was snooker & bar billiards, I can't remember pool tables in pubs until 1970s and considered an American game slowly gaining popularity (less space needed obviously). Maybe just my personal experience- or maybe 45 years history counts as traditional now

Failed with 62%. Shows the stupidly of the idea of such a test.

Failed.
From now on, anyone calling me Pom gets a kicking. Arthritis permitting.

Imagine being told at 11 years old your a failure...... what was that all about?

Why would I know that the percentage of the UK population living in England alone is 82%?

My other half would be lost on the question of where the Trossachs are. She would know it was Scotland but East or West ... not a hope.

A foreigner wishing to pass this test neefs to buy Life in the UK, from HMSO at about ten pounds. If they have a good inderstanding of written English and a good memory I think the answers are supposed to be in there. Don't see what relevence the trsy has as to if someone is suitable to live in the UK

I got bored after a question about the plague ! I think it was question 3, dumb as **** questions

tim_noone wrote:Imagine being told at 11 years old your a failure...... what was that all about?

Imagine being told today you're a failure.

62.5%. There were no music questions.

I worked with a Pole who was doing the test for citizenship and he knew more about Britain than I did. I think most Brits would fail.

I failed.

Damo wrote:I think the 'freedom of speech' answer needs amending

Shut up

Pure nonsense.
I've never felt British for one day of my life, why would I?

79.17%. That'll do.

How remiss of me to forget when the land bridge with Europe collapsed into the abyss.

I found almost every question to be completely irrelevant and gained a score not incompatible with that of a nomad surfacing from 50 years in the wilderness.

95.83% - 1 wrong

Thought it was a good advert for the Palace of Westminister - who'd have thought it was free ??