Life in the UK test topics: what to study
The Life in the UK test is based on the Guide for New Residents. In practice that means five chapters: values and principles, what the UK is, history, modern society, and government and the law. GOV.UK does not publish a question-by-question split. Study all five; start with values and government if time is short.
The five handbook chapters
Values and principles of the UK
Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and treating people equally. Short chapter, easy to skip, and a common source of “obvious until it isn’t” misses.
What is the UK?
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; Great Britain versus the United Kingdom; capitals, languages and how the state is put together.
A long and illustrious history
From Roman Britain to the post-war state: invasions, charters, unions, reform, two world wars. Dates and similar names are where people leak marks.
A modern, thriving society
Nations, patron saints, festivals, sport, culture and everyday places. Mix-ups are usually saints’ days, capitals, and Great Britain versus the UK.
The UK government, the law and your role
Parliament, elections, devolution, courts, police numbers, tax and the NHS. Lists stick better than long paragraphs: two Houses, 650 MPs, 999 and 101.
Any sense of “which chapter comes up more” on this page is our estimate from practice, not a published Home Office split.
Five chapters, in plain English
People search for “Life in the UK test topics” when they want a map, not a syllabus lecture. The handbook is the map. PassBritain’s notes sit beside it; they do not replace it. You are tested on the Guide for New Residents, as GOV.UK states.
A rough sense from our own practice bank — labelled as an estimate, not a published split — is that history and government produce a lot of items, society produces mix-ups on names and days, and values produces short stems that people skip. None of that is a reason to ignore a chapter.
What to study first if time is tight
If you have two weeks, do not start with the Wars of the Roses. Read values in one sitting. Then government: Parliament, elections, devolution, 999, 101, NHS 111, tax in outline. Then the four nations and saints. History needs spaced recitation; cramming it last makes 1707 and 1801 trade places.
If you have a month, give history a proper week with a one-page date list. Link from this page to the history map, the kings and queens table, and the dates timeline. Each of those is a way into the same chapter, not a new exam.
How topics appear in a mixed paper
A real sitting will not politely finish values before it starts history. A government item can sit next to a saint’s day. That is why a timed mixed mock is a different skill from a topic drill. Use topic pages to learn. Use a 24-question paper to find out whether the fact still appears when the previous question was about 1066.
When you miss an item, write a cousin fact beside it. Missed Edinburgh? Add Cardiff, Belfast and London. Missed 650 MPs? Add first past the post and the five-year maximum term. Cousins are how a four-chapter miss log stays small.
5 sample questions
Original PassBritain items from the public practice set — not Home Office questions. Choose an answer to reveal the explanation.
Sample 1 of 5
Which of these is a fundamental principle of public life in the UK?
Sample 2 of 5
Which four countries make up the United Kingdom?
Sample 3 of 5
Great Britain is the name of:
Sample 4 of 5
The two Houses of the UK Parliament are:
Sample 5 of 5
In which year did the Roman conquest of Britain begin under the Emperor Claudius?
Questions people ask
- How many chapters are in the handbook?
- The Guide for New Residents is organised in five main chapters covering values, the UK itself, history, modern society, and government and the law.
- Which topic has the most questions?
- The Home Office does not publish a weighting. Any split you see on a practice site, including ours, is an estimate from practice — not a published official split. Prepare all five chapters.
- What should I study first?
- Values (short, easy to underestimate) and government (lists: two Houses, 650 MPs, emergency numbers). Then society (saints and capitals). Leave history enough days that dates can stick.
Related guides
Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
PassBritain is independent practice and is not affiliated with the Home Office. Questions are original, not the real test. Check GOV.UK for booking, eligibility and exemptions. We do not give immigration advice.