GMAT Test Center Reviews

Took my 1st GMAT at the Chicago Pearson location at 200 W. Adams - got a 730.

Test center was very easy to find and conveniently located in the Loop. Staff was EXTREMELY nice and helpful throughout the entire appointment. They made me feel comfortable, especially my proctor Donnie, who gave me a little pep talk right before I went in and cracked a few jokes. Really helped calm my nerves. They also did everything they could to help me do my best. For example, they were very observant when my 8 min breaks started, so I didn't have to wait at all to get checked out. Each time I checked out, they reminded me of the current time and how much time I had for break.
Also, they automatically switched out my test booklet during each break and gave me extra markers.

Your personal locker is located right in the reception lobby, and the test room was just a few steps from the reception desk. Check in took about 10 minutes, and I was able to start my test 1/2 hour before my appointment time. The bathrooms are just outside of the reception area, and although you need a key to get in, they have plenty of keys available to sign out.

The room was a tad warm, but they had a few floor fans on and was able to adjust since I dressed in layers. Room was very quiet.

I can't speak for Parking options since I walked. But its located in the Loop, so expect to pay steeply for parking!

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Location: Nettur Technical Training Foundation, Bangalore, India

When I showed my European passport, the proctor told me I would need a second form of ID to be allowed to take the test.

This was nowhere mentioned in GMAC's website. I had to rush back, stressed and under the impression that I would not be allowed to take the test.

The test center was also very noisy. Despite the ear plugs I could hear many students outside talking loudly in the hallway.

I have filed a complaint and hope to get a voucher to discount the exam fee when I retake the GMAT.

Other than that, the center was "OK". It was easy to find. The proctor was relatively friendly. The whole test center was located inside a school, with class rooms and lots of students around the test room. The mass of students created a lot of noise, that could be heard despite of the ear plugs I used.

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I took my GMAT at Pearson VUE, Hyderabad India on March 26th 2012. Prior to the test I never gave a thought about how a test center could affect GMAT score. After all its only a test center. But I was proved wrong. Let me tell you how.

I was scheduled for the test at 9AM slot. I arrived at the test center(which is centrally located and has easy accessibility) well before 8:30AM. The staff at the center are very courteous and explained all rules to me. Also they have put few Lord Ganesha Idols on the welcome desk (to help those who seek some divine intervention :) ).

The test center is right next to the busy SP Road which is noisy due the traffic on the road. Though the building is acoustic and cuts down most of the noise, still some disturbance was there and that distracted me a lot. I requested for a pair of earplugs and the proctor was prompt in handing over that to me.

Overall the proctor was attentive and didn't waste any time whenever I raised my hand for any kind of assistance. Hence full marks to the staff present at the test center.

The only problem which affected me most was a technical glitch, which was definitely out of the staff's scope. The test started with a 40 minutes delay and this delay pumped up my blood pressure and a fear of rescheduling the test was looming. Hence in the end when the test started I was a bit high on the adrenaline.

Overall the test center was comfortable with clearly marked seats, deposit lockers, clean restrooms and drinking water facility. But don't forget to carry an jacket with you since the AC is very cold over there and it all depends on the comfort level of all other test takers.

Hence I would rate the test center as follows:
1-best .... 5-worst

Location: 1
Connectivity to the test center: 1
Ambiance:1
noise level:3
seating arrangement:1
A/C:3
restrooms:2
misc facilities: 2
Staff at the test center: 1

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Location
Excellent, easy to find. But there is no parking, go early to find a spot.

Facilities and restrooms
Everything clean and they have fresh water. However, they do not have lockers. They take your things and store them until the end of the exam. If you want something from your bag in the break you have to ask one of the supervisors to bring your bag, take what you want out, and ask the supervisor to store the bag again. You should not bring anything valuable because you don't know who may have easy access to your things and the test center is not responsible. In addition, make sure you get enough scratch paper before starting the test, because if you need more you would have to go upstairs, ask for a new one and then go again downstairs. That might mean at least 2 minutes. I don't take too many notes so it was more than enough for me.

Noise level
No noise from street. However, you can constantly hear people going up or down the stairs next to the room. The noise from other test takers next to you can be annoying too because the keyboards make a lot of noise when typing.

Staff
Here comes the big problem. When I took the exam there were two women. The younger one was friendly, but the other seemed very angry since the first minute I saw her. She was in an extremely bad mood. During the first break, because of her fault I lost 2 minutes in my Q section and had to start it arguing with her instead of relaxing and concentrating during the break. She didn't want to log me in because she told me she was not able to do it, and the other woman (the younger one) was talking on the phone and the old woman told me she could not be interrupt the young woman because the phone call was more important than my exam. After complaining A LOT the old woman finally went down the stairs telling me her user and password will probably not work. The user did work but it was already around 2 minutes late and I could not concentrate properly during the first half of the Q section.

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I used the Dallas, TX Pearson VUE center twice. Both times, the test center was absolutely wonderful and very conducive to taking a nerve-wracking exam such as the GMAT. The proctors were very cordial and quick to respond to any questions. On my 2nd visit, the lady who checked me in even made sure to take all phones to prevent test-takers from touching it in their locker and thus, having their test cancelled.

Additionally, the testing center was very easy to find, and I never had any trouble with parking either time. The room was very quiet and well lit, and I experienced no trouble regarding computer log-ins, scratch pads, or noise. A+

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Was the test center conveniently located? :yes
Was it easy to find?:yes
Were the staff polite and respectful?: Yes, but unprofessional
Were there proper facilities and restrooms? :yes
What was the noise level from external sources (street, lights, A/C, etc)? :low to medium
Why would you retake the test here?:No,never

After finishing my AWA, I took my 8 minute break. I went outside, took a walk, came back and when there were almost 20 seconds left for the Verbal section to start, I pressed RESUME. And what do I see? A stupid windows screen asking for the Device Manager’s password. I raised my hand and waited for the instructor to come. I could see the clock eating away time from my Quant section. Tired of holding my hand up, I knocked on the glass door loudly and fortunately, a passerby(not an employee) saw me and ran to alert the instructors. By the time the instructor arrived, I had lost around 2 minutes of my time, add to that the time the instructor took to enter his password, and leave the room. Then by the time I realized what was going on, I skipped the instruction screen and came to my exam screen. I had lost some 3 minutes of my time and started to panic. I don’t even remember what the questions were like in the beginning and during the middle of the exam I was some 9 minutes behind the target time of 2 minutes per question. I raised my hand to ask for a new scratch sheet and again tired of holding up my hand, I knocked on the glass door loudly, and the lazy instructors arrived. I had lost my confidence and the thought that I had struggled with the Quant timing during my practice test kept popping up in my head and somehow with great effort I was able to keep my emotions of anger, worry and fear at rest while I wrote the exam. Henceforth I stopped looking at the time and concentrated. But by the time I reached the end I was in panic state again and was reading and guessing since I had no time.

I took my eight minute break after Quant, kept my feelings to myself, didn’t share them with the instructors/management outside, and utilized the time to motivate myself. I went to the washroom, spoke to myself in the mirror, and asked myself to give all that I have to Verbal since it was my only hope. I took an extra scratch pad in advance to be safe (and prevent the arm-ache that I would have experienced) and started my Verbal. I kept giving myself little pep talks whenever I felt scared. I finished within time and got my scores.

After the exam I went to speak to the management outside and they asked me my score and reacted as if I was a geek to complain about my scores because in their 4 year career at the centre, they knew of only one other person who got more than 700. I lost it that time and told him that he is nobody to pass comments on my scores or how perfect I want them to be. His senior informed me that he, himself was informed too late about the issue and although could have added a few additional minutes to my Quant to my time, didn’t do so because he didn’t want to disturb me further. Typing all this here makes me realize how ridiculous the entire staff was. I told him I will file a complaint with mba.com(somebody please guide me with this) and he said he will too inform VUE that it was their fault.
I will be going back to them to get proper documentation done for the complaint.

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Easy location near the MRT.
Noise level was ok (the test room faces the road but windows are high up and closed).
Staff were polite and quick.
Restroom was easy access, just opposite to the test center.
A/C level was good.
As the chair is facing the wall, you get least distraction. You will be literally staring at the blank wall every time you think.
The thing to note is, they dont have drinking water facility. So buy one before you enter the test center. There is one 7-11 in level 1 ,which is open in early mornings also( in case if ur test time is around 9)

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This center is great. Very easy to find, lots of parking (lots), but best of all, the staff is fantastic. They were very patient and professional. Very relaxed and calm vibe. Just what I needed! The center is very clean, and not loud at all. Lockers are located just outside of the testing area.

Check-in was fast and easy. I got there 30 min early and because they are so efficient, I was able to start my test 20 min early.

Right across the street from BART which is very convenient.

I highly recommend this center for you GMAT testing needs. :-)

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My test was on 12 noon so i got plenty of time in the morning to revised math formulae one last time..Since i knew this area in and out test center was very easy to find ,located near main haighway and near to my place,just 2 to 3 miles.Staff was very respectful and allowed me to start ahed on my scheduled time.Staff provided me 2 yellow books and 2 pen and asked me whether I need earplugs.Facilities in the center included restrooms,siting arrengment if one wants to relax,water cooler and ofcourse a locker to store our belongings.the noise level from external sources street, lights, A/C, etc was null, in all very comfortable room temprature .I would retake the test here again since its very close to my home.

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The test center is located not far from a railroad station. Though it is a 20 minutes walk, talking a taxi should be better. It is easy to locate.

The test center itself is quite a small office, with some chairs and lockers to store your personal belongings. The restrooms are located outside the test center "office", a 10 meters walk.

The workers of the test center are pleasant and nice, and the identification process was fast and easy. The test room was quiet and chairs were comfortable.
The computer station was somewhat "packed" - the computer case is located on the table. horizontally, and the monitor is located on top of it. If you wish to move the keyboard aside, you have to position it in an uncomfortable way which takes from the space available to place your pens and papers.

As there are no other test centers in Israel, there isn't much choice.

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