Reviews of
A Star Equivalency
UK Leaders in the support and delivery of GCSE Equivalency Testing since 2002.
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 from 671 Reviews
98
%
of reviewers recommend
A Star EquivalencyTestimonials from Our Learners
Hear the personal journeys of some of our learners.
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The process of ordering the exam was so easy and the exams taking place everyday including Saturdays and the choice of times was what drew me to Astar. When the time come to take my exam the invigilator was amazing in helping me access the exam paper. The new platform makes getting your results and purchasing your certificate super easy as it’s all displayed on one page on your account. I purchased the fast track option and got my results in 2 working days. I would recommend this company to anyone needing to take their equivalency test.
I wasn’t aware of time keeping and number of questions so I couldn’t plan enough time to answer all the questions . Students should be make aware of time keeping and should be given number of questions they will be answering ahead of starting the exam. The examiner told me that he is going to give me 10 min warning bit he didn’t and given me 5 minutes warning. I was disappointed with that.
It was hard work but worth it in the end, very happy easy process to you, polite and considerate thank you for everything!
I was very nervous taking an online exam having to swap regularly with insert, questions and answer sheet. In the end I decided to write out my answers on paper . The invigilator was friendly and calming on my nerves. I managed to complete my exam with minimum fuss.
The overall service was professional friendly and quick. The only suggestion is that the paper based exam would really have helped, especially in an English exam, but the cost was prohibitive. I understand that it would be easier to administer online but given the nature of the English exam it would kinder to offer a lower charge for paper based exam. I would recommend A star for your exam needs.
Over priced & not very helpful. Although, that just sums up any form of adult education. I had to take the combined science exam twice. And then pay for 2 fast tracks so spent £463 on this website. My first exam cost £174 (+ fast track) I failed by a couple of marks then to my horror, the exact same exam had gone up by £81 to £255. I complained about this and then mysteriously all of the exams went down in price to £199… still £25 more expensive. For the exact same exam. No weekend prices. Nothing extra. How is this ok 😂 then after spending almost £500 you have to pay an extra £20 for a physical certificate. Overall, ok. The invigilators was nice but even the past papers are limited compared to what’s on the exam itself.
Grateful that I have passed first time!
Over priced. There should be an actual specification / more actual past exam questions not just ‘use other as a close guidance’ – failed my first attempt because I’m a normal person living in ever growing money struggles and couldn’t afford to buy the course as well. So I failed then went to book again, over night the exam had gone up by £80. I sent an email about it being ridiculous and unfair then mysteriously all the exam prices went down by £50… just another money making scheme. Finally passed on my second time. After spending £463 (2 exams and 2 lots of fast track because I couldn’t risk it) the company now want £20 for a certificate. Unbelievable really 😂. Wouldn’t recommend but then again, it’s just another con into the English educational system. Bit of a disgrace tbh.
Hi Maddison We take all reviews and feedback seriously. We are disappointed in the way you feel about the service, but want to reassure you that the vast majority of people who use the service get the support they need. We’d like to address some of your points directly: – The exam pricing, this is dynamic based on the availability of invigilators. If you book in advance when there is good availability, it secures your time slot and you get a lower priced exam. If you are booking last minute and we have to schedule additional invigilators with a few days notice the price is more expensive because of the cost of this resource. – In comparison to an average GCSE cost which stands at around £400 per exam, our exam service is a lot more cost effective way of getting into Uni and onto training courses. With our fast track results you also got your exam results back within 2 working days compared to the standard GCSE which is over 2 months. – The digital certificate containing the security code is sent free of charge as part of your exam booking. We do not encourage people to purchase the physical paper certificate, it isn’t needed by providers and it is an unnecessary expense, but a nice to have if you wish to have it. I hope the above provides context to some of the concerns you have. We appreciate appreciate all feedback and look to make the service as cost effective and reliable to learners as possible which is why our phone lines are open 6 days a week, until 7pm. We wish you all the best in your teaching career.
Got onto my teaching course yay!
A brilliant testing service that gave me all the help and support needed to prep for the exam
Very happy with the service.
I just sit for English exam two days ago. I was surprise worry-free it is to take it online. You need to be adept with computers to do the online test.
The invigilator was very helpful. I accidentally submitted the exam and with seconds he managed to put me back to the test.
The customer service especially on live chat were great. They can answer your problems and queries right away, and even give you links and ideas to sort things out.
One thing that can be considered is the price for rearranging your exam. I think it is on a higher side. I don’t know.
But overall, highly recommended equivalency testing centre! (Hopefully I will pass my test)
The staff were friendly and helpful and I found the materials very useful. My only minor criticism was my results took nearly the full 2 weeks to come back, was like 13 days and it would have been less worrying if they came back sooner.
I had to sit twice to pass, I didn’t prep the first time but spent the time going through the free stuff and passed on my second attempt.
Passed on my first go!!! I know so many are worried about this as was I but the hard work does pay off so keep it up!
I preferred the exam on paper and this actually worked really well for me
The course took 4 days to come but the materials were excellent and covered everything that came up in the exam.
Genuinely excellent service. I was so worried about getting into to University for my PGCE having not done maths for so long. The course was invaluable and the staff very helpful when it came to booking the exam. Highly recommend the service
I found the exam papers in this pack the most useful aspect of the course as they show you exactly the type of questions that come up. The weekly lessons were helpful and good to know others are in the same position and also finding it tricky!
I have found the process extremely overpriced and negatively corners a market for underprivileged people caught in a trap of rushing and panicking about a qualification they clearly struggled with at school. I bought the course for £324, which included the exam. Being on a deadline you have to fast track your results, waiting 10 days is not an option. Resitting was another £234. I had been working tirelessly on the course for 4 months prior to my first exam, I did the tutorials, which only went round in a loop and did not cover enough content for harder sections of the booklets.
I found being left with a huge box of workbooks completely overwhelming, so I got a weekly tutor 2 months before my exam. I figured the average person needing to do this kind of test is likely to have had a bad experience as a child with maths, so taking it on without enough feedback or encouragement from a teacher sets you up to fail.
The course does not stand alone as a sure-fire way to get the pass you need. It has cost me hundreds of pounds in childcare and extra tutoring. I crammed way too much, which left terrible gaps in my learning, and I put enormous pressure my myself and my children so that I could study (I am a single parent, working full time as well as studying.) Everything was on the line, I finished my job in order to do my pcge training, have loans lined up, the school I worked at where I am doing my training is fully expecting me to be there – friends and colleagues I’d have to let down all because of a maths qualification that I will never use as a drama teacher.
I owe everything to my cousin who’s a maths teacher, who came to help me after my first failed attempt. He gave me days worth of core learning that wasn’t there before, only after that could I crack on with the booklets from the course. I went from 48% to 62%, and have him to thank.
It really upsets me to know that others will not be so lucky to have an actual person to sit with them, you need a teacher to see how you are processing what you are learning. A Star does not offer this.
Lastly, it is an absolute abomination that when you book your exam the price goes up because the deadlines are closer – it felt like a flight booking process in August. This is an unacceptable misuse of knowing people have no choice but to keep going to get the pass they need.
Whilst I am glad and relieved to have a solid pass, I’m left with a sour taste that decades of badly taught maths is turned into big business, particularly in a time when upskilling is a non-negociable component to survival right now.
Hi Annamarie
We are sorry to read that you have not had a good experience with the service but want to take some time to address the points you have raised as we don’t feel this review represents the experience of the vast majority of learners using our service.
Our pricing is very transparent and the lowest in the sector and a lot lower than GCSE exams which are around £500 per exam for private candidates. Our courses include unlimited access to tutorials along with exam papers, revision notes, mark schemes, worksheets, revision cards and more to ensure learners have everything thy need to pass. The pass marks with course access are extremely high; however, we can not guarantee a pass and we have to stick to the standards set out by our stakeholders, namely the training providers, ensuring the equivalency tests are comparable to a GCSE qualification.
Regarding 1-2-1 tuition, it sounds like you have had some exceptional help. We do pass learners onto tutors who can help with 1-2-1 lessons but most don’t require this input and having 1-2-1 lessons with a qualified teacher is often quite expensive so we don’t recommend it but do help those who request it and feel like they need the extra help. If you had needed this support from us, we absolutely would have helped you to find a suitable tutor.
We are really pleased that you passed the exam with our service and want to reassure you that we will be supporting as many learners as we can going forward to achieve what you have achieved. We are investing into additional free resources onto our site and although we offer more free resources than any other provider we don’t want to be complacent and understand that not everyone can invest into course access. We have also expanded our tutorials, making them free to access for every resit learner, whilst also doubling the number of lessons available. We listen to all feedback provided and continue to improve the service ensuring we offer the best service available to learners.
Super friendly and helpful people at the call centre. The whole experience was less pressuring than I thought. The test was tricky but there are lots of resources to help you study and the results came through very quick with easy access and both options of an online and hard copy certificate. Very satisfied!
A Star equivalency have made this process easy for me. They kept me informed and got back to me promptly. I have passed my combined science with them and of to do my teaching in September. Thank you for your help A Star equivalency!
I approached A Star for my English Equivalency Test. From the very beginning, i was offered all the information i needed to enrol, prepare and carry out the test. The support provided before and during the test was excellent too. Finally, my results arrived on time and in an easy to access manner. I am fully satisfied with the overall service and can highly recommend it.
There was a problem with question number 5, I couldn’t see the question on the screen. However, I found the invigilator extremely helpful to support immediately.
Hi,
Thank you for your review.
I can confirm that question 5 is fully visible on our exams. We will investigate this error as a matter of urgency.
I can confirm that a student’s results will never be impacted by technical issues on either the learner’s or invigilator’s side.
Best of luck with your exams.
Thanks
A Star Equivalency
The examiner was very kind, patient and helpful. The process was very simple and stress free.
I cannot review just a product because all services offered with A Star are excelent. Exams, support, administration, everything. I do not have enough words to thank A Star.
Very happy with Astar equivalency team, very friendly, supportive, and professional.
So glad I chose A Star for my GCSE Equivalent exam. So convenient as you can sit the exam online.
Highly recommended.
Very good
It was easy, smooth and very convenient. I am glad that I took my equivalency with A star. It was an A-star experience.
the service was great, had a great experience with my exams.
Lots of course materials provided. If you study them carefully they are very helpful for the final exam (particularly exam tips). You do need to revise, there is a lot of content and the exam is not easy! If you put the work in it is achievable.
Only negative I can say is, it is a bit pricey, but compared to other providers it’s still the most reasonable.
High quality revision content. I really appreciated the useful information from this course. I have successfully passed. Great experience throughout.
I booked my maths higher exam and bought GCSE maths higher equivalency course. The course material was comprehensive, the practice papers were a great help. The online inveglator was very helpful. Overall it went so smooth. Excellent support.
I would definitely recommend a Star Equivalency.
Thank you.
Excellent course material provided , straight forward to sit the exam on line. Kind invigilator who put my nerves at ease.
Just waiting to hear if I pass, but would recommend AStar to all especially buying their course products
So glad I chose A Star for my GCSE Equivalent exam. Super easy and so convenient as you can sit the exam online. And once I passed the exam I’d got my e-certificate almost straight away. Highly recommended.
For a examination of 160 pounds and adding on the papers I bought etc. I felt it was slightly poor as the examination started late and kinda messed around with my plans for the evening and then adding to this the mathematics papers were filled with the odd error here and there which made learning difficult. I still felt it was good. Just my opinion.
Hi Alistair,
Apologies that your exam started was 15 minutes late getting set up. Being an online exam, there are sometimes technical issues with students which can disrupt the schedule slightly. Everyone always gets the full amount of time for their exam and nobody’s exam is ever compromised as a result. For future exams, it would always be worthwhile to schedule a buffer of at least 1 hour after your exam to account for unforeseen circumstances. (If you were to discount from the exam, this could delay things while you were reconnected for instance)
We check all our course materials vigorously and currently we have had no reports of errors in the foundation papers, for the 21/22 course, from any other students. We will contact you directly to try and establish what these errors may be.
Congratulations on your result
Best wishes
A Star Equivalency Team
good
Fantastic communication and resources. Lectures were really informative, passed my English first time. Big thank you to A Star 😁
Hello,
Thank you so much for your assistance during the whole procedure and also during the exam.
Every person I spoke to or write to was absolutely fantastic and very professional.
As I was so stressed the staff gave me the confidence and support I needed to face the exam.
It is so nice nowadays to find authentic people like you. Carry on !
Of course, I will recommend you without any doubt.
Best wishes
Chantale Toumazou
Wow! What can I say! I added a fast track on at 10am on day 2 after the exam and got the results by 5pm the same day! Such an easy process with helpful staff and they were so supportive of me when I felt I was going to have a breakdown where I was so stressed. I am eternally grateful for A Star staff. Would highly recommend.
Absolutely love A Star. So professional and easy throughout the entire process of my anxiety fuelled maths journey. I had to sit my exam twice, but the support was exceptional. I didn’t purchase the course as I couldn’t afford it, but there were so many free revision materials, that it didn’t matter for me. The helpful feedback after my fail was key to my pass second time around. I hate maths with a passion and I needed a lot of support from A Star with my stress and I cannot thank them enough for how much they listened and offered kind words and speedy results. Loved the fast track option too. Thank you to each and every one of you that has helped me on my journey.
What can I say! So so pleased with the service from A Star from start to finish. Quick and easy to book with a wide selection of time slots available. Very efficient communication throughout the process and always someone on hand to help with queries. The invigilator was very friendly and easy going and I passed first time! I didn’t purchase the course due to funding issues, but they provide so many helpful revision materials if you’re on a tight budget. Thank you so much A Star for helping me on my journey to my PGCE.
The course pack was very useful. It is effective for revision. Really recommend it.
I booked my Math foundation exam with A Star . It was a simple and easy process. Then sitting in exam was also made so easy and convenient by A star team. The examiner was very cooperative and explained the exam procedure clearly and in detail.
Thanks A star for making my exam simple and convenient. I am happy and satisfied with the service.
It was a great experience.
I booked my exam eight weeks before the exam date. I have ordered the exam and the course work. Comparing with other providers accepted by my university, AStar had a competitive price. For me, as a foreign student, the most important was that the coursework was written in a simple, approachable language. The coursework was absolutely the key to passing the exam, so I advise to purchase it.
The examiner was very nice and friendly, talked to me in a friendly manner. I had few tachnical issues during my test, however the examiner quickly helped me to resolve them. Overall, I am very pleased with the services and the outcome. I have passed first time.
Thank you.
I booked my exam 4 weeks before my exam as I was a tight schedule. I purchased both the course material and exam, which I thought was expensive to begin with. However, I wouldn’t have been able to pass in the short time frame without the course material. I feel the course material is KEY to passing the exam! I put the hours in using the material which allowed me to pass. I then sat my exam via a google meeting. My invigilator was lovely, talked me through the whole process of sitting the exam and was on the other side of the screen if I was to get unsure on how to use the exam portal.
Once I sat my exam, I added fast track for my results which was added immediately. I received my results back within the 48 hour time period and my certificate within the 3 day period.
A Star were easy to contact using there direct chat.
I would 100% recommend using them.
Need to get a Grade 4 for Teacher Training and I achieved this through AStar Equivalency! As a mature student it was over 30 years since I actually sat (and failed) my original biology GCSE so I put off doing this until the last minute. The process was really easy, invigilator calming and put me at ease with clear directions and instructions on the day if the exam. Would highly recommend AStar!! Thank you
Everything was straight forward from booking to sitting the exam. Sitting the exam online was straightforward. Great communication. I would definitely recommend A Star.
Maths has been my nemesis – My Achilles heel – my arch enemy; but thanks to A Star Equivalency I have been able to overcome my fear and failings, It took two attempts, but the ease of booking the exam, the free online resources, and ease at getting access to previous papers have made this journey smooth and straight forward. The friendliness of the staff and the speed of response to queries have been fantastic. I would (and have) highly recommend A Star to anyone who is interested in obtaining further qualifications. Age is no barrier. I would Like to thank all at A Star for a fantastic experience.
I passed my Maths GCSE foundation exam, and the process was so straightforward and not stressful at all I would definitely recommend using A* star equivalency