Ask the Test Maker

Hello,

I took the GMAT today at the Pearson Vue test center located in Ahmedabad, India.

During the test, I faced several problems (listed below) which were detrimental to my performance:

1) As I was about to finish my Quantitative Reasoning Section (in the last 5 minutes), my computer stopped responding. I alerted the proctor and they tried to fix the issue to no avail. Hence, I was asked to change my seat and complete the remainder of my test using a different machine.
This interruption affected my rhythm for the remainder of the test significantly.

2) There were people walking in and out of the testing area for the entire duration of the test.
The testing terminal right behind me (at a distance of just 3 feet) was being dismantled by a technician while I was answering my Verbal Reasoning section. This was very disconcerting when I was trying to focus and concentrate during the exam.

3) During the AWA section, the computer and the test screen were too slow to respond. As I typed my response in the text box provided, my keystrokes were not recognized instantly. There was a significant lag between the time I typed my response and the time it was displayed on screen.
This led to a lot of typing errors and cost me a lot of editing time affecting the quality of my response adversely.

Also to mention, the test center is just a small shop located in the middle of a busy shopping mall. Needless to say that privacy and silence were way below optimum.

The entire shop (test center) was approximately 12 feet X 15 feet in dimensions (including the lockers and reception area) with 6-8 seats for test taking.


In my opinion,these incidents represent a clear breach of the fair and standardized testing environment as described in the GMAT handbook.

As per GMAT handbook, GMAC and Pearson may provide an opportunity to retake the test free of cost in these circumstances.

Please advise on how to avail the same.

Regards,
Maulik.

Maulik,

I am sorry to hear about these issues you experienced. Please send an email to [email protected] with your full name and registration ID so we can follow up on this.

Rebecca,

Thanks for the reply. I have forwarded the email I sent to Pearson to the email id you provided. All my details are included.

Best Regards,
Maulik.

Thanks, Maulik! We will be in touch.

Rebecca,

Thank you for your efforts on this. I was offered a free retake by GMAC/Pearson and the test went well - no hiccups. Appreciate you for getting the wheels rolling.

I still want to draw attention to the quality and overall ambiance/environment of the above mentioned test center. It is significantly below par and not at all up to the standards stated by GMAC on their website. It would help if GMAC takes appropriate steps for the convenience of future test takers.

Anyway, I digressed. I wanted this to be a thank you note and not a complaint.

Thank you for the opportunity to retake the test fairly.

Best Regards,
Maulik.

Thanks, Maulik. Your feedback really is very helpful. We can't fix problems if we don't know about them, so I do appreciate you taking the time to write. I will pass on your experiences to our test center managers.

I am glad you were able to retake.