I need to pass a test called the “Life in the UK” to apply for a permanent residency. The things I’m learning for this test are things I’ve never needed to learn to live here.
But I love to learn these things, especially geography and history.
I hate having to remember which sportsman plays what sport for this country in the seventies, though.
I never knew Hitchcock was a British filmmaker.
The kind of mnemonics I’m inventing make me remember similar things I did for engineering entrance exams 15 years ago.
I’d advise anyone who’s preparing for the exam, to buy the official handbook. It is a great read, and has many pictures in it. Reading the book would definitely be a better way to make sure you learn and remember things, than directly jumping into practice tests. Also, you would be able to use the associated website https://learn.redsquirrelbooks.com/ for practising questions chapterwise.
Here we are finally! Hurray!
I passed the test 🙂
Learnings after the test
The actual test is a lot easier than the numerous practice tests you find online. Probably because the harder you think they are, the higher the probability of you taking a course/subscription from those sites.
I was able to finish the test in 6–7 minutes, with more than 30 minutes to spare, so no need to worry about time either.
If you wondered what those images were in these post, those are some of the mnemonics I used to remember details I could easily forget.
The first image (Edward 1 on Rhuddlan castle) is to remind me it was in the time of Edward 1, that Wales was annexed into England, with the adoption of the Statue of Rhuddlan.
The second image is a render of Maiden Castle, where people converted hills into forts.
The last one (race car full of buttons) is to remember it was Jenson Button who won many formula 1 races for Britain. I’m not going to forget Lewis Hamilton, right?