Some people say that the test starts almost immediately but I've read some posts on the forums saying that their testing center wasn't very organized and their test didn't start until 10:30 (2 hrs after they got there).
Does anyone know which case is more likely?

9:30-10:30 sounds about right. Those college kids take forever to line up and get into the classroom lol, not that I am not one of them, but at least I know how to get in line and wait quietly.

Its more likely that you will be lined up right around the time they say to arrive and get fingerprinted and assigned to a room. Most testing centers are pretty on top of it and if you are late you wont get in.

Weird, i never got fingerprinted at my test, I thought they stopped using that for some reason.

Indeed, I'd recommend you get there at the specified time. Even if you have to wait an hour, I'd wager that would be better than missing the test.

p.s. yeah they do fingerprint

Mine started around 9

My testing center was packed with well over a hundred and fifty kids, so even though most of us were there by 8:30 the test didn't start till 10:00, and didn't end till 2:30.

All stuck you in one room?

We had like 30 proctors here, they divided ~10-20 people in room between 15 rooms

Thanks guys, I will definitely be there a bit early.
I'm just curious about the timing so I can figure out how long I will actually be at the testing site, so I can decide how much food to eat before the test.
I'm thin, but i digest food really quickly and am worried about hunger if the test goes on til 2-3.
I cannot focus at all when I'm hungry. =(
My friend who said the test started almost immediately was in a room with about 30 people. It didn't take them very much time to get situated and started.
Too be on the safe side, I'll bring heavy snacks.
I seriously hope the test starts quickly, as afternoons = sleepy for me also.

Maybe this isn't the norm, but I got there at 8:20 or so and was the last one in my room. It was about 15-20 kids per room with 3-5 rooms (although they did leave it up to you to figure out where your assigned room was).

We got started right at 8:30.

I must say, I had really good proctors who were very accommodating. They let us move the desks beside us over and use them for extra space and let anyone switch seats if you wanted to.

Yeah I took it at the Mariott, and they put everybody in the ballroom. It was kind of ridiculous as they had one proctor to fingerprint all the people with last names from A-L, and one for M-Z. LSAC obviously forgot to take into account the fact that the A-L line contains all the Chang's, Kim's and Lee's, and thus 90% of the test takers in California.

Where I took it, I arrived around 8:15 and there was already a line. After about 5 minutes I got fingerprinted and others behind me did also. Nobody was turned away from fingerprinting as long as they arrived by about 8:35-8:40. They closed the doors (2 separate rooms) by around 8:40 and it was about 20 minutes to get set up. The first section began by about 9. I would make sure to arrive early if I were you.

The seating was large enough tables with 2 people per table (my second person never showed up). Make sure to read all the policies as they are very strict once you enter.

I took it once, and it took quite awhile to get everyone in and to the right classrooms... people were getting confused by the alphabetizing on the doors, for example... then when you're inside, they have to take your thumbprint and all of that.. get everyone seated properly and explain the rules and all that... so I think for me it was about 9:30 or so before it started..

Unfortunately in my case, the desks were very small, and there were no notches on the desk to put extra pencils. I hate small writing spaces. It makes me feel cramped.

I would remember to bring layered clothes, in case it's too hot or cold for you in the room. Also, you may want to try an energy "shot" or some caffeine, if that keeps you from getting sleepy in the afternoon... as long as it doesn't make you wired and jittery, which you don't want to be. You want to have that calm focus.

As for what to eat in the morning, I found that I was so anxious about the test, I couldn't eat very much... I think this time I may take some protein bars... something with enough protein to keep me from being hungry until the snack, but not so heavy that I can't eat it.

Did you take it in Canada, they had to stop fingerprinting in Canada because of complaints to the privacy comission....

Be there at 8:15

+1 they don't fingerprint in Canada anymore cause of border issues. Canadian government didn't like that the US was keeping Canadian fingerprints on file.

i took mine in the middle of nowhere and there were only like 30 per room...we started by 9-915 i think and were done by one. i dont think we got fingerprinted either

What if they have those little desks and someone is too fat to fit in those little desks...

Mine got started around 9:30am.

I got there around 8:10- the proctors in my room started fingerprinting at 8:30 even though we were all in there 10 minutes earlier, so the test started right at 9. My center really seemed to have it together though- even though I live closer to a different test center, I'm taking it there again in Dec just because of how well everything was run. I would HIGHLY recommend getting there before 8:30 because once you are officially checked in, you can't leave the room. So I already had my room assignment & had all my stuff situated around 8:20, & had the remaining 10 minutes to get my bearings, relax, go to the bathroom, etc rather than jumping right into testing procedure

Mine started at 8:45. I was thrown off.

You may want to experiment with foods and see which ones tend to keep you full the longest. Might sound like overkill but controling as many variables as possible will do great things for your confidence.

I was there at 8:25 but we didn't start taking the test until 10 or so... they fingerprinted us all, and then divided us into 4 groups that had to walk to different buildings to test. It was kind of strange.

9:30 is probably the earliest you can hope for. It definitely sucks. I showed up at 8 am, and I didn't get out of my testing center until nearly 2:00 pm.