Pearson Professional Centers

Took the GMAT there twice and scored 60 points below what I scored in the much nicer Bethesda location. Avoid this location if you can. They treat you like a soldier or something of that sort. They won’t let you go up unless it’s 30 minutes or less prior so you’ll have to nervously wait in the lobby where there are no chairs, the place is small and they won’t let you eat even a granola bar inside so you’re forced out and can’t look at the watch that’s inside. They won’t remind you that your break is almost over and literally they are just rude. The location is great if you live in the city, but do yourself a favor and avoid it. NOT worth it.

I gave five stars cuz my experience is really good. I had my fe test yesterday, which lasted almost 6 hours long. Since the test started from 2pm, I saw two groups of staff– I think they switched shifts sometime before 4pm… Not sure. Anyway, my experience is very good. I felt very welcomed and they are very friendly. I don’t feel disturbed at all when I was taking the exam. If you are taking an exam in DC area, this one can be a good option.

I would agree more with the 2^nd review. The people, esp the woman running the place, is rude. However, the 1^st reviewer is also right, they are tight on rules. My id wasn’t exactly as my professional name, though any reasonable person could conclude that my id had my first & middle name. She wasn’t a reasonable person and told me 5 times what her job was and the rules. I don’t problem with that, but rather the tone she used. Everyone could hear her make an example of me. Unprofessional! I asked her to calm down that her voice was loud, and she got more upset with me. No matter what I could do, I couldn’t work with her. She was loud and wanted everyone to know what her job was. But her lack of discreetness with discussing individual situation is why this is a 1 (or no) star rating. Someone from the headquarter told me to go back and get an incident number. I explained that to her and she went off again about how she knows her job and I don’t need to tell her it and then she tried to kick me out for being a security concern?
Really, the issue was she was insecure because she didn’t catch the issue — her assistant did. And she had to compensate by not being polite and sensitive to the situation and letting everyone know her job.

Future test takers be warned — as Kelsey G. mentions, all test taking centers are not created equal. I had a horrible experience at the L St location in DC, and it resulted in me scoring 100 points below what I ended up getting at the much nicer Bethesda location a few weeks later!
This location is cramped, prison-​like, hot, and the people who work here are extremely rude. Choosing this location is a huge mistake.

Reliable place to choose for a test — they’re not all created equal, as I found out when I took a test at a different Pearson-​certified center out in NoVa. There, the computers froze, my test had to be cancelled, and the guy running the place clearly didn’t have much training or support. Frustrating. So I rescheduled here, and it was very professional with no problems. The testing administrators were a little pushy about the rules, but I’d rather have that than people who don’t know what they’re doing.