See open times in your own time zone
The Minneapolis test centre that ielts.org lists
This section follows ielts.org's page for the centre and the page of the organisation that runs it, both read in October 2026. Listings and instructions change, so confirm everything on the centre's ielts.org page before you plan. Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutor and has no link with the centre: it does not book IELTS tests, hold places, set exam fees or dates, or issue results.
ielts.org prints the address as 1000 La Salle Avenue, Terrence Murphy Hall, Suite 444, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403. It lists two tests, each delivered on computer:
| Test | Delivery as the listing words it |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Computer |
| IELTS General Training | Computer |
Computer is the only delivery the listing shows for either test. The table shows these two entries only; read the ielts.org page itself for everything else it shows. Whether a test is open on your date is for the centre to say, and this page quotes no exam fee or test date. For what changes on screen and how results arrive, see computer-delivered IELTS in the United States. For options this page does not cover, see IELTS for UKVI in the USA and One Skill Retake or a full retake.
Test day in Minneapolis: what the centre operator's page says
The points below come from the operator's page for the Minneapolis centre, not from ielts.org. They are that operator's instructions for this centre, not rules for every US centre, so read the page itself and your booking confirmation before test day.
The doors of the buildings are locked when you arrive
The page says that when you arrive on your test day, the doors of all the buildings will be locked. It goes on to say to look for an orange sign with instructions on how to call for someone to let you inside. This page does not repeat the details, so read that part of the operator's page before the day rather than on the morning.
Arrive at least 30 minutes before your first scheduled test
The page asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before your first scheduled test. Take that first time from your booking confirmation and work back from it; this page gives no start time of its own.
If you drive: the page gives parking directions
For people who drive, the operator's page gives parking directions. This page does not repeat them, because they can change. It quotes no parking cost, distance or walking time. If you are not driving, work out your route to the address ielts.org prints before the day.
Speaking is generally in the afternoon if the main test starts in the morning
The page says Speaking tests at the centre are generally scheduled in the afternoon if your main test starts in the morning, and in the morning if your main test starts in the afternoon. “Generally” is the operator's own hedge, so treat it as the usual pattern, not a promise about your day; your booking confirmation is where to check your times.
So read the time of every part there, Speaking included, instead of assuming they sit together. Other US centres have their own wording on this: the test-day guide sets out what several US centre pages say about ID, the Speaking day and late arrival.
Preparing for a Speaking slot at a different time of day
Speaking is an interview of 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, and the format is the same in Academic and General Training:
- Part 1: introduction and questions on familiar topics, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Part 2: a cue card with 1 minute to prepare and 1 to 2 minutes of speaking, then one or two rounding-off questions, 3 to 4 minutes in all.
- Part 3: discussion of more abstract questions linked to Part 2, 4 to 5 minutes.
Four criteria, weighted equally, score it: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
One idea of this page's own, not the centre's: if your confirmation puts Speaking at a particular time of day, practise aloud at about that hour at least once, to time, with someone listening. Whether Mike's calendar has a slot at that hour is a separate question, and the time table in the next section shows why it may not. For practice on your own in between, use the Speaking Part 2 timer, and see Speaking Part 2 cue card themes for broad topics to talk about.
Minneapolis and Hanoi time: 13 hours apart on standard time, 12 on daylight time
Minneapolis is on Central time. NIST lists Central as UTC-6 on standard time (CST) and UTC-5 on daylight time (CDT). The IANA time zone database shows Vietnam's Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh entry ending on plain UTC+7 with no daylight saving, so Hanoi stays on UTC+7 all year. Subtracting the offsets, Hanoi is 13 hours ahead of Minneapolis on standard time and 12 hours ahead on daylight time.
US clocks change twice a year and Hanoi's does not, so a lesson at a fixed Hanoi time moves by an hour on your clock. This page lists no changeover dates. The table converts times and is not a list of open slots: Mike's calendar decides which times are open, and no particular hours are promised.
| Minneapolis time | Hanoi, while Minneapolis is on standard time (13 hours ahead) | Hanoi, while Minneapolis is on daylight time (12 hours ahead) |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 19:00, same day | 18:00, same day |
| 07:00 | 20:00, same day | 19:00, same day |
| 15:00 | 04:00, next day | 03:00, next day |
| 19:00 | 08:00, next day | 07:00, next day |
| 20:00 | 09:00, next day | 08:00, next day |
A Minneapolis evening such as 19:00 or 20:00 is a morning in Hanoi, and a mid-afternoon time such as 15:00, which could be an afternoon Speaking slot, falls in the small hours there. The booking page shows every slot in your own time zone, so check the time there before you confirm, especially around a US clock change or your test day.
Online lessons with Mike: no centre or classroom in Minneapolis
Mike teaches every lesson himself: one-to-one, live on Google Meet and in English. He holds the Cambridge CELTA (July 2017), teaches from Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS; About Mike has more. Band Booster IELTS has no classroom, group class or test centre in Minneapolis, and lessons are online wherever you sit the test.
A lesson can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format), with feedback during the lesson rather than days later and written progress notes in your account afterwards. A lesson can be recorded on request. See IELTS Speaking coaching, IELTS Writing feedback and the Speaking tutor page for the USA.
Three results have been reported back to Mike, each anonymous: 6.0 to 7.5 overall, 5.5 to 7.0 in Writing and 6.5 to 8.0 in Speaking. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
Each lesson is one-to-one rather than a class. A class can suit you better if you want a fixed timetable and classmates, because lessons depend on the slots Mike has open; how to choose an online IELTS tutor lists questions worth asking any tutor.
Price, booking and rescheduling
Your price appears in your own currency on the booking page before you pay. A regular session lasts 60 minutes, and your first booking can be a paid 30-minute trial, available once per student. There is no subscription and no package to commit to. You can pay with PayPal, using a card through PayPal guest checkout if you prefer. Rescheduling is at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot, and a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded. The steps are on the online IELTS tutor page for the USA.
Questions to settle before test day
Band Booster does not set exam fees or test dates, and ielts.org says to check prices with the local test centre, so this page quotes no exam fee and no test date; check both with the centre. Before test day, it is worth settling:
- What time does my booking confirmation give for each part, Speaking included, and will I be there at least 30 minutes before the first?
- Have I read what the operator's page says about getting in, given that the doors are locked?
- If I drive, have I read the parking directions on the operator's page?
- Do the name and address on my confirmation match the listing I chose on ielts.org?
- Is the test I booked the one the university, employer or authority asking for my result requires?
Which test you need, Academic or General Training, is decided by the organisation that asks for your result, and its own page says what it requires; see Academic or General Training. Band Booster IELTS gives no visa or immigration advice. For other US centres, see IELTS test centres in the USA; for another Central-time city, read the Chicago page.