I recently took the British Citizenship test and was shocked by its difficulty and relevance
Bolton: So, I decided to take the British Citizenship test, and wow, what a ride! The test has 24 questions, and you need to get 18 right to pass. It costs £50, which feels a bit steep for what it is.
Most of the questions dive into some pretty obscure historical facts. Honestly, if you were on a quiz show like Pointless, you’d probably score low with these questions.
I took a free mock test online to prepare. I thought, “How hard can it be?” I mean, I’ve been through school and university, right? I figured I’d ace it.
My first question was about Henry VII, and I got it right! I was feeling pretty good, but then I hit a snag. I messed up on when the English Civil War started. I said 1641, but nope, it was 1642.
Things went downhill from there. I got a few right, but then I faced some tough ones. Like, when were the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established? I guessed AD 410, but it was actually AD 600. Oops!
And then there was a question about workplace discrimination. I said it was a crime, but that was wrong too! The questions just kept coming, and I was missing more than I was hitting.
In the end, I scored 16 out of 24. So close, yet so far! It made me wonder, why do we even have this test? Knowing who invented the radar doesn’t seem super useful for living in the UK today.
It feels like we’re making people jump through hoops just to become citizens. Honestly, I think most Brits would struggle with this quiz too. It seems more like a pointless exercise than a real measure of someone’s ability to be a good citizen.
