Life in the UK Test: Study Guide 2012: The Essential Study Guide for the British Citizenship Test [Paperback]

I have used both the official Home Office handbook and the Life in the UK Test Study Guide 2012 with students hoping to take the Life in the UK Test, and the Study Guide is far better than the official handbook. I found that the Study Guide gave all the necessary information in a logical format and a good number of practice tests which were very close to the actual ones. For these reasons, it is probably contains all the information needed to pass the test at a reasonable price.

My only real objection is that it is not particularly well written. This was not too great a problem in a class where it could be explained in simpler terms, but may make it less suitable for self-study by people without reasonably good English. This is because it reproduces material from the badly-written Home Office, although the Study Guide adds side notes and diagrams which make it more accessible.

For all those who have to take the Life in the UK Test, this is probably your best resource.

The Life in the UK Test Study Guide 2012 Edition is not an officially approved guide, but it contains word for word the relevant chapters (2-6) from the official handbook. In addition, there are numerous side and footnotes drawing attention to key phrases and correcting incorrect information from the official guide. While people studying for the test must learn the often outdated facts from the official guide (published in 2007), it can be useful to have the current facts or at least know what is outdated. Also, the book contains other information for people taking the Life in the UK test and 18 practice tests, with answers to help you study.

Chapters 2-6 from the official handbook are reproduced word for word; only the format and diagrams are different. I found this rather disappointing because the official handbook is one of the worst written books I have ever read. Nothing has been done to improve the disjointed, convoluted and often grammatically incorrect sentences. However, there are differences to the official handbook. There are numerous sidenotes drawing attention to key phrases and correcting incorrect information from the official guide. In most cases this is due to the fact that the official handbook was published in 2007 and many of the facts and figures are out of date. This ranges from the trivial (there are 650 parliamentary constituencies not 646) to the rather important (the Northern Ireland Assembly was reinstated in 2007). After each correction it warns that you must learn the old figures for your test. I appreciated knowing what information has changed.

This book contains a number of colour diagrams and figures. Sometimes these reiterate information presented in the text. Other time, they contain information which does not appear elsewhere. The book is particularly fond of pie charts. As much as I appreciate the colourful pictures brightening up the book, sometimes I think this format deemphasizes information you must learn. It is often much clearer that you need to learn the figures in the official handbook than it is in this study guide. You must learn every fact and figure, including those only contained in a chart.

Scattered throughout the book, there were four QR codes which you could scan with your mobile phone and it will take you to a youtube video that explains some of the more confusing parts of the text. Or, if you are like me and don't have a smart phone, it gives you the web address. I found the one on the EU to be the most useful. After reading the section on the EU multiple times I still didn't understand the differences between the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. The little youtube video helped me sort out the role of each one. I didn't find the other videos nearly as useful, but they were worth having a look at.

There are then 18 Practice Tests. Like the real thing, each test contains 24 multiple choice questions. You need to get 75% (18 of the 24 questions correct) to pass. I found these questions to be very similar to my actual test questions. In fact, on my actual test I believe 22 out of the 24 questions were basically the same as ones from these practice tests (slight differences in wording, etc). However, it is important to realize each person gets 24 randomly selected questions from a database of thousands of questions. That means everyone will get slightly different tests. It is important to read and study the text and not just memorize the practice questions.

If you register your book online you gain 24 hours access to more questions. You can register your book as many times as you want (thus gaining access for as many days as necessary). To register your book you had to enter basic information like your name, email and when you planned to take your test. Then you were sent a link which you used to verify your email. Only then could you sign in and access the questions. You could have 24 random questions or selections of questions taken from a single chapter. I found the registration process a bit long for only 24 hours access. I feel like something like 7 days access would be more practical. In the end, I only signed in once and preferred to use the practice questions printed in the book.

These questions helped me prepare for the test and feel confident that I had learned the information from the text well. When I missed a question I always went back and re-read the relevant section from the book. I took all 18 of the practice tests and passed every one. As such, I was extremely confident I would pass my Life in the UK test on the first try, which I did.

Should you buy this book? Yes. If you have to take the Life in the UK test, this is a good resource. I bought both this book and the official study guide, but I would go so far as to say you do not need the official guide if you have this book since the relevant chapters are reproduced word for word. Just be aware that you must learn all the information included in the figures in addition to the text. However, I cannot give this book more than 3 stars because still contains the disjointed, convoluted and often grammatically incorrect sentences as well as the bias viewpoints found in the official handbook.

Note: this is a condensed version of a review I posted on ciao.co.uk under the name j9j8j7.

I bought it a week before the test. The tests (in the book and on the website) are sufficient to get a 100% score. As per another reviews, it is exatcly the same as the official book, but with a lot of tests and comments on up to date information.