Life in the UK - practice tests.

[matriarch]

Now that Min has passed this first step to her 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' status, thought you might all like to have a go.

This site was set up by an Asian couple to help people practice for their test. There are pages, and pages, and pages of tests, all different, but with the same things coming up over and over.

Take a look and see how you do. Dare you.

Life in the UK Test.

 

[English Lady]

I got 18 right...so I passed, by the skin of my teeth

 

[fieryjen]

13/24. I failed.

I got most of the number questions wrong. How many weeks of maternity leave may a woman take? How often should a driving license be renewed? After how many weeks should a baby be registered? Since I have no way of knowing these without spending some time in the UK, I think I did alright, all things considered.

"What percentage of the population in Wales"

I protest. This isn't even a question.

 

[matriarch]

13/24. I failed.

I got most of the number questions wrong. How many weeks of maternity leave may a woman take? How often should a driving license be renewed? After how many weeks should a baby be registered? Since I have no way of knowing these without spending some time in the UK, I think I did alright, all things considered.

"What percentage of the population in Wales"

I protest. This isn't even a question.

This is a site set up by non-professional people, and we assume they are taking questions directly from the book we had to buy to study, and we assume their English isn't that good. One has to fill in the gaps, therefore, 'what percentage of the population lives in Wales?'

What really surprised me, was the percentage of 'white' - 92%. And we constantly hear about how the 'non-whites' are taking over the country. Pshawwww. 8%? I don't think so.

 

[jomar]

So far they've kicked my out twice. Apparently, I should answer with my first impression.

 

[starrkers]

I got 18/24 on the first and 22/24 on the second. I'm proud and I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead!


eta And congrats to Min, I was asleep when she took the test.

 

[LoquaciousLady]

I'm very disturbed. I got 22/24, 19/24, and 23/24 and I've never even visited the UK. For pity's sake, I just learned what Burns Night is yesterday but I'm apparently qualified to stay indefinitely?

 

[matriarch]

I'm very disturbed. I got 22/24, 19/24, and 23/24 and I've never even visited the UK. For pity's sake, I just learned what Burns Night is yesterday but I'm apparently qualified to stay indefinitely?

No, you're not qualified to stop indefinitely, that's just the first step in your application. You have to pass this test, before your time to apply for your visa. That involves an application form, and a mountain of documentation, proof of all sorts of things, as well as £750 ($1500). But if you don't have this pass certificate when you send off your application, they will reject you out of hand, and refuse your application.

That next step comes around in September/October. The powers that be could still decide that Min is not a valuable enough asset to UK to let her stay, even with the pass, and decree that she has to return to USA.

This test is no guarantee of anything.

 

[LoquaciousLady]

Oh the joys of bureaucracy. Good luck on her being approved.

 

[kendo1]

I'm scared to take it.

 

[matriarch]

I'm scared to take it.

Chicken!!!!!!

Go on......pick a page, any page......and then go for it.

From what Min told me, what she could remember, every person who took the test with her yesterday had a different test. I think the questions are generated randomly, so there is no guarantee you'll get a question on population, or the democratic process, or the school system, or the patron saints, or public holidays, or religious breakdown, or ethnic breakdown..........you just don't know. After the test, in the waiting room, while they were working out who had passed and who hadn't, those with better English (and the whole point of the process is to check on your ability to read, speak and understand English, as well as the culture you've chosen to live within), were asking each other about this question and that, and no-one could remember any identical questions.

I've been through 36 pages of the test site, and I passed on most, between 18 and my highgest 23...but I failed at least a handful. It's just the luck of the draw which questions you get.

 

[Just-Legal]

23! I messed up the drivers over 70 thing

 

[snowy ciara]

20/24, and I haven't lived in the UK since I was teeny. I think we moved to Canada when I was 2 or 3.

 

[NoJo]

I'm scared to take it.

Would you have got the one about Scotland being part of England correct?

(21/24)

 

[fifty5]

I'm very disturbed. I got 22/24, 19/24, and 23/24 and I've never even visited the UK. For pity's sake, I just learned what Burns Night is yesterday but I'm apparently qualified to stay indefinitely?

Come and stay with me, LL! And yes, you can definitely stay indefinitely.

I got 18/24, but one of the questions was wrong - the voltage these days isn't 240 any more, but 230, same as most of Europe (230 wasn't offered as an option, so I chose what it used to be and got marked right).

As far as the rest goes...

My wife's past the menopause and I had the snip decades ago; why should I care about maternity leave?

What percentage of Britons live in Wales?
Who cares about the numbers? The area around Swansea is fairly densely populated and the north coast is moderately so. The heart is almost empty. For Scotland, the Glasgow, Edinburgh belt has a lot of folk - especially in those cities, but north of that there's more sheep than people - and no, I don't know the numbers for either.

What is the minimum age to drive a car or motorcycle?
When I qualified, there was a year difference between the two - bike licenses were younger than those for cars. I fact I didn't take a bike test until much later than I got the car license (a decade? I forget. I've slept since then.) I do know that my HGV license is still current.

A new born baby should be registered with Registrar of Birth within ______
See above, that doesn't concern me any more. My own were registered in time, but that happened 34 and 36 years ago. Again, I've slept since then.

An adult person should receiving unemployment benefit join New Deal programme if unemployed for...
During the earlier part of my marriage, I was the breadwinner. More recently my wife has taken that role. Who gives a toss about New Deal - I don't claim benefit now any more than she did then. On the other hand, both my wife and I spent the majority of our working lives expecting to draw our pensions at 60. As it turns out, neither of us can do so until 65. And there's no way we can combine our contributions, so adding the 2 pensions together is much less than if we hadn't split the earning responsibility.

A driving licence owned by a driver over 70 should be renewed ______
I'll tackle that when I get there, if I get there. Given what I said above, it seems policy to drink and smoke myself to death before then. Adding the widows pension from my scheme to her own, she may be OK.


Me? British? Bitter? Well apparently it's borderline.

 

[SensualCealy]

Tell me, why do you need to know the percentage of skin colour that lives in Wales? Do they have a quota? lol

I can see most of the other questions being somewhat important, but come on, did Min say there were any other rediculous questions?

-Cant wait for the newly approved Brit to throw a party to celebrate her Brit-ness! lol

C

 

[siddey1]

i passed this test for real...wasnt too bad but living here in Englad for as long as i have im pretty certain half the population would fail this test...

 

[McKenna]

WTF? I got 18/24. I passed! (The first one, anyway!)

 

[Xelebes]

Canadian here can't get more than 66% right.

 

[matriarch]

Tell me, why do you need to know the percentage of skin colour that lives in Wales? Do they have a quota? lol

I can see most of the other questions being somewhat important, but come on, did Min say there were any other rediculous questions?

-Cant wait for the newly approved Brit to throw a party to celebrate her Brit-ness! lol

C

No, no, no......she's not a newly approve Brit......this is just the first step on the pathway to 'Indefinite Leave to Remain without Immigration Control'......there's a whole lot more we have to do before she gets that.....and a whole lot more money to be paid out as well.