Who you book with
IELTS is run by test providers. In Romania the two you will meet are IDP and the British Council. The test owners' site, ielts.org, has a booking page that says to always check entry requirements before you choose your test. Band Booster IELTS is not a test centre, does not register candidates and does not set the exam fee.
Booking steps
- Find out which test you need. Ask the university, employer or regulator that asked for IELTS which version and format it accepts. IDP's booking checklist also tells you to check the entry requirements of the organisation that asked for IELTS before you book. For a short comparison, read IELTS Academic or General Training.
- Check the format and the venue. IDP's checklist says some venues offer only one format, so check with the venue before booking. For what the computer test is like, see IELTS on computer in Romania.
- Choose a centre and a session. The cities and providers are in IELTS test centres in Romania, with a separate page for Bucharest.
- Prepare your ID (see below) and fill in the booking form on the provider's site.
- Pay on the provider's site and keep the confirmation. It is the document that matters on test day.
ID and documents
The providers' wording may differ, so follow the page of the one you book with.
| Provider | What to check |
|---|---|
| IDP Romania | For online booking, its test dates page asks you to upload a clear colour scan or photo of your passport. Its checklist says to bring the same document on test day. |
| British Council Romania | Read the ID rules on its booking page before you book. This page does not repeat them, because they could not be confirmed when it was written. |
Check that the name on your booking matches the document exactly, and that it will not expire before the exam. This page does not say which Romanian documents each provider accepts: the provider's page is the authority.
Payment
IDP's page says payment is by credit card to finalise the booking. For the British Council, check the payment methods on its booking page when you book. Payment goes to the provider, not through a tutor.
Where the exam fee and dates are shown
This page does not list exam fees or test dates, because both change. IDP's Romania page says that for updated fees you should visit the individual test centre pages, and each centre page lists its own sessions. For the British Council, check its Romania IELTS pages for dates and fees. Always read the total on the final booking screen before you pay. Your tutor's lesson price is a separate thing and has nothing to do with the exam fee.
If you are under 18
IDP's checklist says applicants under 18 must supply written consent from a parent or guardian to book. Ask the provider what form it wants. Separately, for lessons with Mike, a parent or guardian first agrees to a short consent letter before the booking is made.
After you book
- Save the confirmation and check the venue address and start time.
- Check the provider's page for its rules on changing or cancelling before you pay.
- Put the date in your calendar and plan to arrive early with the ID you registered with.
How lessons with Mike can help with this
Mike is a Cambridge CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi, with 12+ years teaching English and IELTS in Vietnam, Turkey and Iran, and 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS result (about Mike). Lessons are one-to-one, 60 minutes, live on Google Meet in English. He marks Writing Task 1 and Task 2 against the public band descriptors, runs Speaking Parts 1 to 3 in the real format with feedback in the moment, and leaves written progress notes in your account. Lessons are practice, not the exam, and no band is promised.
The booking page shows each slot in your own time zone. Romania is 5 hours behind Hanoi in winter and 4 hours behind in summer, so check the time shown. The amount is shown before you pay, and PayPal charges the US-dollar equivalent. Reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before; a paid 30-minute trial is available once, on a first booking.
