Pearson Professional Centers

I’ve come twice now to take my test at Pearson Professional Centers. Overall, I’ve found the experience to be positive. Staff is courteous and tries to work as efficiently as possible. Additionally, everything is regulated by rules and is followed to a tee… so it’s funny to watch people flip out over the most insignificant thing like:
Doors:
When they say the door opens at 7:30AM, don’t knock. They will open the door and kindly tell you that the sign on the door says it will open at 7:30AM. And it will. They don’t care if you’d be more comfortable in their waiting room seats. So stop complaining.
Food:
No food or drinks allowed in the testing room. A girl furiously tried to look for a testing guide that stated otherwise so that she could bring her «brain food» (almonds and blueberries) into the testing room but was met with a hard «no» over and over. Kudos to the proctors for dealing with people like this everyday.
And I’m sure there’s much more one can complain about like phones, lockers, temperature, etc… but realize that Pearson isn’t deliberately trying to make your life more difficult. This is just how it is. The rules are pretty clear so just follow them and you’ll live.
Parking is a bit tough in the area, so plan to get dropped off or take public transit.

SUCKS!!! On hold for 20 minutes just trying to get someone to help me schedule a required test. Did you leave for lunch???

I’m going into teaching which requires (at the minimum) 5 tests that are only offered through Pearson. After taking one of the tests in the SF location I will never, ever, come back.
I give this location 1 star because:
1. It’s hard to find and inconvenient to get in – they had to buzz me into the building but wouldn’t let me in 35 minutes before the test time (they told me to arrive 30 minutes early) so I had to stand outside in the fog and wind for 5 minutes to wait to be allowed up while another person was allowed in ahead of me.
2. The nearest lot has ridiculously expensive parking. I paid just over $ 25 for 3 hours. Maybe this was because it was a Saturday?
3. I was treated like a criminal the whole time. This was the most infuriating part of my experience. I understand that you have to be extremely strict around testing situations; that’s not the problem. I fully support having rules for turning out pockets, no outside paper or pencils, etc. The problem is that there is a line between being strict and orderly and being downright rude and offensive; they crossed this line big time. The staff at this location were unfriendly and made me feel unwelcome. I was already super stressed about taking a 3 hour exam, and the actions of the staff made me feel much worse.
I will be using ANY other testing center from now on.
As a final note: it’s freezing in the testing room but they make you take off your sweater. Wear a long sleeved shirt if at all possible.

As the No1DP and I got dropped off at the testing center where I would take my ASCP MLS board exam (for those that are curious, I passed), we saw two buildings: «Filbert Landing» and «Pearson». So where was the testing site? «Filbert Landing». Not very intuitive unless you look at the number posted at the door, as the «Pearson» building has a number addressed at Sansome.
We took an elevator up to the testing site where we were greeted by a woman who was initially condescending.
Woman (to No1DP): Sir, are you taking a test?
No1DP: No.
Woman: I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the building. Unless you are taking a test you can’t be anywhere near the testing site.
(No1DP is at the nearby Starbucks for the rest of this visit)
(Woman sees me trying to do late Unilocal-​check in. This was before getting my locker.)
Woman: I’m gonna have to ask you to turn off your phone off, not vibrate, silent or airplane mode. If your phone goes off anytime during your stay we’re going to file an incident report for misconduct.
(Woman sees two people having a conversation about the GMAT)
Woman: If you two are taking the same test you can’t talk about the test.
The actual check-​in process was rather hassle-​free and the aforementioned woman was actually nice to me. She would rather see people be successful in their tests than file incident reports. I know I didn’t have to do two hands because I was registered in the system from previously taking a test at a Pearson center. Around this time another lady took over the front desk duties.
There are 16 lockers but there is no locker #13 — locker is labeled #12a for some strange reason.
Actual computer testing room was comfortable for taking a 150 minute test. Earbuds are available if you want silence as you are testing. Once you are finished you raise your hand to signal the proctor, who will do the check-​out process. The «scratch paper» was flimsy and it was hard to erase the dry-​erase marker and towards the end the marker had little ink.
Should you be in the mood to celebrate afterwards it’s a 5 minute walk from the Embarcadero. Pier 39 is a 10 – 15 minute walk and the Ferry Building is either a 20 – 25 minute walk or 10 minutes with the F line. But please be mindful as you exit — it’s harder than it looks. You have to push the green «Exit» button and you have to give the left glass door a good push.

I recently took the GMAT here and I did not appreciate the service I experienced. I was well prepared to expect all of the strict and rigorous test center regulations and in/​out privileges BUT they didn’t even follow their own rules!
You’re suppose to raise your hand for breaks and «scratch papers» and when I did this, they didn’t even see me for a minute sometimes more! This made me lose 1 minute of my timing on my quantitative section AND they made me 1 minute late for my Verbal section. Set me all off and I know that I performed less because of this. Afterwards, the woman told me to just knock on the window if I don’t get her attention right away, which is NOT what they tell you to do in their strict rules.
When you’re providing services for stressed test takers where time is crucial, you better have your stuff together and be on point for everything.
If you have to take the GMAT or any other time-​sensitive test here, please make sure to talk to the staff and be clear about their leniency with in/​out privileges. And maybe not get a desk that is behind them where they can’t see…

I have taken the CSET Mathematics test twice here. I passed subtest one and am waiting on the results of subtest two. The parking is expensive but after 6 it’s free. Meter costs a lot. I use the nearby Starbucks which unfortunately has no restroom access.
This facility is run by professional people. They run an efficient and secure operation. They even held on to a watch I had left the last time I was there to give it back to me. The computer-​based testing is comfortable and quiet. I also had no issues rescheduling 24 hours prior to my appointment date.

Efficient and painless *if* you follow directions. No, they will not make an exception for you because you «look» honest. If your thermostat tends to run cold, wear an inconspicuous sweater, and don’t accessorize. They require that you remove your jacket and scarves, as well as bracelets and watch.

No good parking — get dropped off or take the bus.
— Guys: expect to take off your zip-​up jackets
— Girls: no jewelry on your wrist is allowed
— pack light — they have mini lockers for your belongings
— if taking NAPLEX: bring 2 forms of ID, they provide a hand calculator (good condition) and a note pad you can write on.
— free ear plugs and tissues for your personal needs, and good quality too
— go early! you don’t want to be one of those stragglers that delays the check in process

They only lose a star for being in the building labeled «Filbert Landing» instead of being in the building labeled «Pearson Professional Centers» across the street.
I came here to take the NCLEX-​RN (the nurse test) and was surprised that only a couple other people were there for the same exam. Everyone else in the waiting room was taking an assortment of other exams.
The receptionist was beyond mellow, but maybe she just seemed stoned in relation to all my fellow test-​takers who were jumping out of their seats.
One helpful hint, don’t use up your precious test time pondering how it’s possible that there are 18 lockers in a 6×3 grid and yet somehow you got locker #12B. It’s because there’s no #13. I just saved you 10 minutes of unnecessary thinking.
Ooh bonus! There’s a starbucks nearby for pre-​test caffeinating/​manic flashcarding as well as a grassy lawn for post-​test collapsing.
Good luck! Plan to get there early.

Seems kind of random to review a testing center on Unilocal but this is more to give kudos to a very helpful and attentive staff at this location and to provide some advice on getting there before a test.
So, the front-​desk receptionist, the test administrators and everyone else are very nice and helpful. They are there to support you and that’s nice given you may be stressing over some exam.
I would advise getting there early for your appointment. At times, they are busy and you don’t want to lose your spot. Get a number from the board and they call you up and fingerprint or scan your palm for security purposes. Bring your ID and put all your stuff in the locker provided. You can’t bring anything into the testing center so even leave loose change and your crusty kleenex.
Definitely take a cab or take the F line to get there. Parking is rough. Most importantly, good luck on whatever exam you are taking, this world needs more financial analysts, insurance brokers and attorneys.

As far as testing centers go, Pearson San Francisco was a pretty good choice. I used it for the NAPLEX (read: 3 hour long pharmacy licensing exam) during an afternoon session.
The staff was polite and efficient. They have lockers to store your stuff which was a major plus. Not that it isn’t cool to have some random lady sitting with your earthly belongings in an accordian folder while you slave away. Also, they allow you to use their provided handheld calculators instead of the computer calculator which I generally end up in a jihad with by the end.
The only major drawback is that parking sucks. I know, I know, it’s san francisco where parking ALWAYS sucks, but if I have to put down over $ 500 to take a stupid test I really don’t want to have to pay $ 20 to park on top of it. It’s the simple things really…