Test Center Review - Unisoft Technologies - Nagpur Maharashtra India

Want to write about the horrible experience a friend of mine faced in Unisoft Technologies Center in Nagpur Maharashtra.
I gave my exam in a Person Vue Center in Delhi and I couldn't hope for anything better, and hence in my opinion based on the following experience a free retake should be offered by GMAC. She doesn't want to do anything associated with GMAT now, and I can understand her frustration. Let me know your opinion guys on whether this should be taken up with GMAC or not.

Note - This center wasn't listed in the gmatclub list of centers available for review, and hence I am posting it here.

Written by a friend of mine. I am writing it here to warn other gmatclubbers to avoid such a horrific experience by staying away from this center. She is like 'done' with the GMAT now and has written the below only to let others be wary of this center. I convinced her to go for GMAT, and she really worked hard for it, like super hard. Now I feel guilty for telling her to go ahead with this center (near to her home) instead of the far away delhi center (Pearson Vue center) thinking that all GMAT centers may have the same standard. They take a whopping 250$ for the exam. The least they can do is audit and maintain the same standards in all the centers.

Please read what she wrote:

I had a horrible experience giving the GMAT in Unisoft Technologies in Nagpur Maharashtra India. Just so that you guys know I gave the EP2-2 two days before the exam and got 750. EP1-2 four days before the exam and got a 730. I have got 750 three times on official mocks - none of them were repeat attempts.

Following are the issues I faced in the center:

Firstly, weird and awkward request from the test center few days before the exam - I received a request from an email address - Unisoft Dharampeth <unisoftdp@gmail.com> the following email:


GMAC doesn't require candidates to bring a photocopy. I am not sure what the Test Administrator's motives are in this case. She was asked to show another ID on the center a PAN Card (Indian Income Tax Card) and a Driving License. She had one of them and was allowed, but again the policy only asks for Passport and no other ID.
On a totally unrelated note - in India there have been multiple instances of photocopies obtained for valid reasons being mis-used for illegal activities without the owner's knowledge. I am not saying that the administrator has any malicious intention but the request does seem odd, more so because GMAC doesn't request it. I didn't want to create a scene, and hence happily took a copy and handed it over to them before the test..
Refer the pages from GMAC regarding ID. None of them state anything about bringing a copy. My friends in Delhi were never asked to bring one.
https://www.mba.com/india/the-gmat-exam/ ... ation.aspx
https://www.mba.com/india/the-gmat-exam/ ... klist.aspx

Now, begins my ordeal:

1. I reach the center @ 1.30 pm for the 2 pm exam and get ready after taking sips of drink, and taking a banana. After that I was escorted to a room where the palm scan machine didn't work properly - it took me 20 plus trials after which the machine registered my scan. I was nervous before the exam and this took my nervousness to a whole new level. I became thirsty standing there for 15 minutes trying again and again. I am a person who drinks water every 30 minutes, and the 75 minutes without water was already an issue for me, and this additional time standing added to the horror. My throat dried during the first verbal section but I tried to keep my mind off it.

2. Verbal was my weakest section, and hence I chose VA>QA>IR+AWA order. I had given 4 official mocks in this order and my scores on them were 750,750,730,750 (without repeat). Now, the pens were dry and were not writing at all. I asked them for a replacement, and a guy gave me another which wasn't working too. I asked again and got another replacement which wasn't working too. This happened thrice. After getting the pen which actually wrote, I went on and the pen stopped writing in the middle as well. I was so frustrated with the whole exercise that I started keeping the RC notes in my mind. Striking out options in my mind in SC was really challenging as I kept forgetting which options I had stricken-out.

When the same happened during the quant in the middle, I had to ask for a pen at which point I heard the girl telling this guy - I was super-freaked out after listening to it; it actually felt like harassment. I did receive a new pen after this which actually wrote.

3. The sheet provided was torn off and wasn't wiped off properly. There were black marks/spots all around it. It was torn off around the corners.

4. Now comes the nightmare. The place was cramped and I guess only two computers were available over there. The other just beside me. A guy had an exam @ 3pm and his computer had some issues and needed some troubleshooting. The troubleshooting took almost half an hour. At this point you'd be wondering how do I know all this. Because, the women sat beside me and kept talking on phone first to troubleshoot it herself and then called this IT service guy to solve this problem. She kept trying, and eventually a guy came up and set it up. They kept coming in and going out throughout the first hour which was also my weakest verbal time. Troubled I asked her, . She gave me a death stare; didn't say a thing and continued coming in and going out and also talking on phone all this while.
She had to continuously close the door behind the IT guys who left it open almost always allowing the outside noise to disrupt. She asked them once, but then when they didn't follow, she kept doing it herself.

5. After finishing my verbal, I raised my hand to take the break but the invigilator was scanning someone else's palm and hence didn't come for a minute or two. After that my scan again took 1 or two minutes to register in multiple trials. I rushed to the toilet and by the time I came back to take drink and banana and a protein bar I was told that my time is already up. I have done the simulations before for 8 minute breaks so even without a watch I can say that at least 3-4 minutes were lost in the palm scan ordeal and waiting for the invigilator to come. The invigilator told me that my time is already up. I went in and saw that the clock is already @73:30, i.e. 1.5 minutes from my exam had passed. Also as expected the new sheet provided was pathetic with the same characteristics as described above in point 3.

I followed slingfox's strategies and hence needed the 8 minute break completely for tylenol, gatorade, banana, and diver's reflex. However, I couldn't drink gatorade and couldn't take tylenol during the break as my time was taken up by the palm scanner.

6. During my verbal - it was extremely cold inside and I started getting headache and hence tightened the scarf around my head. I was told to remove that and I followed the orders. I requested them to increase the temperature of the Air Conditioning Unit but to no avail. During the break I asked them if I can put on a sweater - I was refused. Now, I am aware that GMAC doesn't allow loose clothing like jackets but my friends had all worn sweaters in Delhi while giving the exam in winter. i suffered in intense cold temperature inside the test center.

7. Table space was cramped too. No tray for keyboard. I had to shift the monitor to the left and put the keyboard in a slightly vertically tiled position to allow space for the sheet in the table. And even then the space was sufficient to put 70-80% of the sheet on the table and that too vertically and not horizontally, which was impossible. Lower portion of the sheet was hanging around.

8. Keyboard was pathetic too - The keys were stiff and many won't take inputs in one go. While proof-reading I saw so many spelling mistakes owing to the fact that the keystroke didn't register. I tried my best to correct them. Instead of worrying about the content and structure, I was more worried about the spelling mistakes due to the keyboard.

At the end I received a 690 with Q49, V35 (my lowest scores ever in these sections based on official mocks), and a respectable IR7.

I will not be giving the GMAT again as the exam has really gotten onto my nerves. I have spoiled my friendships, office reputation, and done a lot of other sacrifices in the last 8 months for this exam. I wanted a 760+ score today, and could have been satisfied with 750 as well, but instead got a score unimaginable for me.