How long does the Life in the UK test take?

The woman on the phone said it would take a few hours!! Just wondering as I am planning to get to the test centre on public transport!

I think you need to be there around 5-10 mins in advance to show your ID and etc. The actually test only takes a few minutes to take. I think I was in there for around 15 minutes. I was allowed to leave the test room when I was finished, but I had to stay in another waiting room until all the people taking the test were finished. I can't remember how long they give for everyone to take it. Then I had to wait a few minutes for my name to be called and I went up and was told I passed and signed the form.

So I'd allow maybe an hour to an hour and a half at the most.

I just took it this past Monday. I had to be there 30 minutes ahead of the test time. Then they allot 45 min for the test. As above, you have to wait until everyone in the room has finished the test before they will release the results. So that can take a bit of time. So, yes, it *can* take 2 hours. For me, though, there was only one other person taking the test and we both finished within 15 minutes. So I was only there under an hour. But you can't count on that at all.

If it's anything like my testing centre, you'll have to sit through about 45 minutes to an hour of instructions. Mostly consisting on how to use a computer - "this is a mouse", etc. Yes, really. And then repeating the process slowly for everyone who couldn't speak English (which made me wonder why they were even there and not doing the ESL course instead?). An then the examiners going around slowly, one person at a time, checking everyone's ID and double checking they filled in the form on the computer screen properly. It was excruciatingly slow, especially if you were missing work to be there like I was.

And then the actual test took less than a minute for all the Americans in the room to finish. At least they let us leave immediately and not have to wait around for the last person to finish or anything.

So yeah, it can take hours if you've got a centre that loves bureaucracy!

I think at my test centre they just asked if anyone needed any help using the computer...I can't remember them going into much detail about it though as no one needed any instructions on that.

I took mine last year.  I was there about 20 minutes early while they were "signing" everyone in  & checking IDs.  They found a Chinese kid trying to take the test for someone else & kicked him out.   

The test itself took me about 5 minutes to take and I was the first person finished.  They released my pass result to me with my certificate while everyone was still going.  They did this for each person as they finished their test.  It sounds like this has changed to wait for everyone now?  (I took mine last year about July-time.)     It really is simpler than it all seems.  Very daunting I know, as this little piece of paper that says you understand English & the UK is needed for your next visa / citizenship application.

Try not to fret & good luck!   

My experience was like what squirrellypoo described - all the time spent (wasted away?) before actually getting to take the test.  (A Polish guy taking it at the same time as me heaved a big sigh and said something out loud like, 'For god's sake, how long is this going to take?!'  Lol!)  Then I had to wait around afterwards until everyone finished it before getting my results.  So yeah, it was about 2 hours.    (Taking the test itself was less than 5 minutes!)

Plus, mine was in a horrible little grotty industrial estate - the forklift driving test was next door!    (I wondered long afterward what might happen if any people whose first language wasn't English might have wandered in there instead, thinking it was a very strange 'Life in the UK' test to be taking.)  The people administering the test had trouble speaking English.    And lastly, I had trouble getting transportation back into the city afterwards - different bus company & no small change on me.  (Getting there, DH had dropped me off on his way to work.)  So I had to wait in an awful neighbourhood while I rang for a cab.  So glad it's over!

Plus, mine was in a horrible little grotty industrial estate - the forklift driving test was next door!    (I wondered long afterward what might happen if any people whose first language wasn't English might have wandered in there instead, thinking it was a very strange 'Life in the UK' test to be taking.)  The people administering the test had trouble speaking English.    And lastly, I had trouble getting transportation back into the city afterwards - different bus company & no small change on me.  (Getting there, DH had dropped me off on his way to work.)  So I had to wait in an awful neighbourhood while I rang for a cab.  So glad it's over!

Mine was also on an awful industrial estate...luckily I was familiar with the area so I knew I had a long walk to get to public transport but I overheard a few people really having trouble getting to/from the train station. You would think they'd have the centres in a central location?

Yeah, at least they didn't make me take the forklift driving test!  That would have been disastrous! 

I took mine a year and half ago.
I was at the Test centre 5 minutes before the appointment, it was a Saturday so it was pretty relaxed.
Having been well prepared, the test took me around 7 minutes

Best to be there at least 30 minutes before the test, they take quite a bit of time filling the paperwork !
Duration of the test is 45 minutes, but you can complete in about 5 minutes...
I've written about my experience
http://lifeuk.info/blog/life-in-the-uk-test/