Prometric

This was my second visit to this location. Several of the professional certification organizations use this company to administer the testing needed to obtain the certification. It is easier to get on an airplane than to get to take the test. You need to sign in, provide an official id, and get fingerprinted, photographed, and searched. On exit you get fingerprinted again and have to sign out. If you need a bio-​break during the test, you lose all kinds of time going through the sign out, sign in procedure. This is not my favorite place.

Prometric as a company is absolutely ridiculous. Came to this testing center to take my much studied for PMP test on a Saturday morning, as to not miss work time. Upon arrival the desk attendant couldn’t find my name on the roster, until she remembered that my name was on a help desk ticket. Turns out their servers could not connect to the PMI testing center. Long story short I had to wait at the testing center for 45 minutes wondering what was happening before I was allowed to reschedule. Then they gave me a ticket number where I had to call prometric myself where they proceeded to forward me to another number with another ticket number. Customer service is absolutely ridiculous. Was no help at all and had to go through a computer line to finally reach someone that spoke English as a second or third language and was very difficult to understand. Use an alternate testing company if possible and definitely avoid falls church.

I went in last Friday for my PMP Exam. The office is as stale as week old bread. The staff had the personality of lab rats. I may choose a different location next time as trying to get in and out of Falls Church is a bit of a task.

Chinese torture. Lazy and non-​helpful personnel. No one wants to help at this place!!! Tell you to call another phone number so they don’t need to work! Horrible!!!

This is without a doubt the most bizarre testing center I have been too. First off, When I walked in the lady at the desk was nice. She got me checked in and gave me a locker key, my Prometric agreement, and then brought to another room. At this point at any other test center the room would be the testing room. Nope. Not here. Now I wait until the person at the next desk can see me so he can take my agreement form, check for me in the system again (and assign me a computer station). They then as me to stand and use a metal detecting wand on me and have me flip my pockets inside out. Then, before sending me to my station, take care of someone that just finished a test while I sit and wait. They then bring me into the test area and I begin me exam.
The test room and workstations themselves are fine. But I felt like I was walking into a classified area of some top secret facility. That aside, the staff was kind of stale in personality and it was just overkill getting checked in. Would I test here again, sure. Now that I know the routine I will just arrive a little early.

This was my second time at the Falls Church Prometric location and third time at a Prometric in the DC area overall (the other time was at the DC location — don’t recommend it unless you need a metro-​accessible location or you’re into taking important tests with a background of construction noise and sirens). The Falls Church site can’t be beat, as far as I’m concerned. And it was only a 15 minute drive from downtown DC!
Ample parking behind the building once you find it. As others have pointed out, it’s not super obvious but look for the sign that says 800 Broad St and you’ll see the arched entryway to the parking lot. There’s a pizza place downstairs that I’ve never tried, but hey if you forgot to pack a test-​day sando I’m sure it’ll do.
The check-​in process was easy and efficient. The employees are professional and friendly. Unlike my experience at the DC location, when I arrived 30 minutes prior to test time as advised, the center was open and ready to check people in.
Lockers are provided for your belongings, as are hangers for the winter months. Be aware that the temperature can fluctuate. I wore my comfiest yoga pants and a light long-​sleeved shirt and was comfortable. If you choose to wear a sweatshirt or jacket, note that you can’t take it off once you’re inside the testing center, so you have to commit to sweatshirt or no sweatshirt for at least one testing block.
Quiet quiet quiet location — but I do recommend bringing your own foam ear plugs as they are likely far more comfortable than the standard construction-​style headphone ear covers provided by the site. This is where this site vastly outshines the DC location. In the combined 16 hours that I’ve spent in this location (seriously, 16 hours), I heard one siren once for 5 seconds.

Three and a half weeks after the initial issue listed in the above review, we finally got through to someone who was able to help us get a refund, and was very apologetic for our troubles. We received a confirmation email the next day, and the refund went through our account four weeks to the day after they first took our payment. It was quite a saga, but we feel better now that they have refunded our payment. I am still wary of their procedure, wherein you must give all your information and payment prior to finding out if they have a test date at a time that is convenient for you.

Why does this organization even exist on this site? Let’s start with the location — beautiful, clean, building, shared with other offices, restaurants, the USPS, adjacent to a school and located right there on route 7 in Falls Church. Yes, the infamous route 7, down the way from the beloved traffic of Tysons Corner. If any little accident takes place here, you’re screwed — even if you planned to be there an hour ahead!
Thankfully, no traffic drama for me the two times I’ve had the unpleasant experiences of going here, though being hit by a car would have been preferred prior to my appointment. I would say my issue has always been with parking (which will easily set you back by 30 minutes.) The garage is tight. Very tight. Keep in mind that the building Prometric has decided to settle themselves in is shared with other offices, restaurants, and the post office!
The Prometric office itself is very well kept, spacious, and even has a waiting room. Why the two stars? Because I think their staff could use some help. That’s all. By «some» I do mean «a lot.»

No complaints, really. Parking is easy in a nice, private lot. All persons entering the Prometric office will be immediately asked to produce identification regardless of why they’re there. The test is secure and well monitored. Test takers are observed by a test monitor to ensure they don’t cheat (which is a very good thing for those of us who take our exams seriously and spend tons of time, money and energy studying!). You can not take anything, including a watch, in to the testing area. They have lockers where you can store your stuff during the test. Bathroom is in the hall and is locked. You’ll need a key. The keys are in a basket on a table by the door. You’ll be asked if you need to use the restroom before your exam. To get to the parking lot, you have to pass through an archway that’s cut out of the building itself. There’s a little pizza place in the building if you need to eat before or after your exam.

I’ve been here a couple of times to take tests for my teaching certification. It’s in a convenient location. The building itself is kind of cool, it has flowers on it. The staff is really nice and helpful and they will answer general questions about the test if you have any. They even let me test earlier than my appointment since I as early. The only complaint I had was that the last time I came, I tested during the hours the day care center behind it was open and I could hear kids outside screaming and stuff. It was distracting. Luckily I passed my test though.

This Prometric site apparently replaces the testing site on Old Lee Highway in Fairfax. Leaving aside my personal thoughts on what a racket Prometric has on educational testing, I will make this review as fair as humanly possible.
First off, finding this place can be a little difficult because you can’t see it from the street. Look for the office building with the post office in it. You’ll have to pass through the middle of the building (an archway) to reach the parking lot towards the rear of the building. Second, upon entrance to the Prometric lobby, expect to be filmed. Security is no joke. I was fingerprinted no less than three times and had to turn my pockets inside out every time I came back to the testing area. I just found it easier to walk around with my pockets inside out on breaks. The staff was incredibly professional and I don’t blame them for the insane policies instituted by the individual organizations under which the exams are administered. They let me take my test with minimal distractions. Ear plugs of the earmuff variety are available. Also, this testing site was pretty quiet i.e. no traffic noise, no construction noise, etc.
One of my main complaints is the bathroom facilities. The bathroom is accessible by key only and I assume is shared with some of the other offices on the floor. If I’m there for an 8 hour exam, I want to know that I have priority seating, so to speak. The building prides itself on being «green». However, in the infinite wisdom of the environmentalist who designed this bathroom, they made everything low flow. So yes, that means after I «drop a deuce», I get to flush 4 or 5 times thus using more water than normal. Also, I get to stand at the sink and wash my hands for 4 times as long. How about I take this one step further and just not wash my hands after going to the bathroom? I’d be more than happy to save the environment that way.
Parking was plentiful in the morning. They have lockers for storage of personal possessions (although depending on what exam you are there for, policy might dictate that you are prohibited from using a locker). Overall, I thought this test center is an improvement over the one in Fairfax. Judging from stories about other test centers, you could probably do a lot worse.