Thursday, 13 December 2007

getting ever closer...

you may be interested to know that i passed my life in the u.k. test yesterday. the study guide was definitely key since all the questions and answers were taken directly from it. i spent about two weeks studying, quizzing myself with flash cards, and taking free online practice tests. overkill? yes, but i really wanted to pass the first time around.

being the nerd that i am, i actually read the whole book, although the test only covered chapters 2-6. it is still a mystery to me why chapter 7 is not included: knowing the law. you would think this would be the most important thing for immigrants to have ingrained in their memories!

after all that prep, and over half an hour of admin to get the test underway, i finished all 24 questions in 3 minutes. i made myself go back and review them, so that added another 3 minutes to my time. mercifully, the test centres do not make you wait for everyone else to finish. i got my pass certificate and left almost immediately.

they do not tell you your score, but i was confident about my answers to 23 out of 24 questions, and when i checked the last one in the book afterwards, i had answered that one correctly, too. hoorah!


next steps:

i have applied for a new u.s. passport in my married name - the last official document needing to be changed. i am waiting for it to come back.

in late march/early april, i can apply for indefinite leave to remain (permanent residency).

the final step is applying for british citizenship in 2009 (as long as they do not change the requirements between now and then.)

i have had an up-and-down time with immigration, but looking at it from this perspective, it is not all that bad. at least i have more options and less hassle than many people trying to live and work in this country. (knock on wood, fingers crossed, and hopefully not 'famous last words', she whispered superstititously!) even paddington bear is not immune to immigration laws!

2 comments:

curpin said...

Congratulations for passing the test.
Would you be kind and test my free site on the British Citizenship Test, I have developed it to help people passing the test without hard work!
Anyway, your comments are welcome to improve it, the address is: http://uklifetest.com

brandarling said...

Re: previous comment by toni...

I looked at the website and my first recommendation would be to make it accessible without having to register first. That put me off going any further so I cannot comment on the practice questions, but perhaps other people who are studying for the test would find it useful. Personally, I don't see any reason not to use an alternate website that simply launches straight into practice questions.