Computer freezes or a technical fault during your Life in the UK test: what happens
If the computer freezes, crashes or develops any fault during your Life in the UK test, stop, raise your hand and alert a member of staff immediately. You will not be penalised for a genuine equipment failure. The official booking terms state that if staff cannot recover your test or resolve the issue, you will be allowed to book a new appointment free of charge on a different day. In other words, a fault that is the test centre's problem should not cost you your £50 test fee.
- The Life in the UK test is computer-based: 24 questions in 45 minutes at an official test centre
- If anything goes wrong with the machine, raise your hand and tell the invigilator straight away. Do not try to fix it or touch other equipment
- The PSI booking terms (clause 10.28) promise a free rebooking if a technical issue during your test cannot be recovered or resolved
- Candidate-caused problems are different: lateness, wrong ID or refusing a photo mean no test and no refund
- Complaints go to PSI (complaints@lituk.psionline.com or 0800 015 4245) within 3 months, with a response due within 10 working days
The test runs on a computer at the centre
The Life in the UK test is not a paper exam. You sit at a computer workstation in an official test centre and answer 24 questions in 45 minutes, needing 18 correct answers to pass. Before the real test begins, you can take a practice test on the day, and staff will explain how the system works. If you are not confident with computers, use that practice run. The booking service's own guidance says plainly: "If you need help on the day, please ask the test centre staff."
Not sure where you stand? Take a free Life in the UK mock test — 24 real-style questions, scored exactly like the real exam, no sign-up needed.
Because the whole test runs on the centre's hardware, technical faults are the centre's responsibility, not yours. Screens freeze, sessions drop, workstations fail. Centres deal with this routinely.
What to do the moment something goes wrong
If the screen freezes, a question will not load, your answers will not register or the machine restarts itself, do three things:
- Stop and raise your hand. The booking terms require you to "alert a member of staff immediately" if you suffer technical difficulties.
- Do not touch other equipment or move to another workstation on your own. Using devices not provided to you, or doing anything that could look like seeking an unfair advantage, is treated as misconduct under the terms. Let staff handle the machines.
- Let the invigilator manage the fix. Staff are the only people authorised to restart or transfer a session, and your progress and remaining time are handled within the system.
Staying calm matters. Hammering the keyboard or swapping seats is the one way to turn a centre problem into a you problem.
Will you lose your £50 if the fault is the centre's?
No, not if you follow the process. The Life in the UK test booking terms and conditions state: "If you suffer from any technical difficulties during your test, you must alert a member of staff immediately. If we are unable to recover your test or resolve the issue, we will allow you to book a new Appointment free of charge on a different day subject to availability."
So the promise is a free rebooking, not an automatic cash refund. GOV.UK separately confirms you can request a refund if the test centre cancels your test, and you must ask for it within 3 months of the test date.
Before you leave the centre, ask staff to log the incident in writing and note the staff member's name, the time and what happened. The free rebooking depends on you having alerted staff immediately, so a written record protects you if the rebooking does not appear or is disputed later. If the centre will not confirm it, phone the helpline on 0800 015 4245 the same day.
For the wider rules on refunds and moving your booking, see how cancelling or rescheduling your test works.
How this differs from problems you cause yourself
The free-rebooking protection only covers faults on the centre's side. GOV.UK is explicit that you cannot get a refund if your test does not go ahead because of:
- Lateness or non-attendance. The booking terms require you to arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment time; miss that and you "will not receive a refund"
- Bringing the wrong ID, or a copy or screenshot instead of the original document
- Illness on the day
- Refusing to have your photo taken at the centre
In all of those cases the £50 is lost and you pay again. Equipment failure is the centre's risk; turning up unprepared is yours. Knowing exactly what happens on the day of your test is the best way to make sure the only risk left is the one the centre carries.
How to complain if the centre does not put it right
If you were promised a rebooking that never materialised, or you believe a fault affected your result and it was not handled properly, GOV.UK sets out the complaints route. Contact PSI, the company that runs the test for the Home Office, at complaints@lituk.psionline.com, by phone on 0800 015 4245 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm), or by post to PSI e-Assessments, 2nd Floor, Boardman House, 64 Broadway, London E15 1NT. You must complain within 3 months of the test date, and you should get a response within 10 working days. Keep your booking confirmation, any incident reference and notes of every call: a short, factual complaint with dates and names gets resolved fastest.