See open times in your own time zone
The Philadelphia test centre that ielts.org lists
This section follows ielts.org's page for the centre and the page of the organisation that operates it, both read in October 2026. Listings 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 600 South 43rd Street, Griffith Hall- LTC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. The hyphen and the letters LTC are exactly as ielts.org prints them. Neither this page nor the ielts.org listing says what LTC stands for, and your booking confirmation is what tells you where to go.
Tests the ielts.org page lists for the centre
| Test | Delivery, worded as the listing words it |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Computer |
| IELTS General Training | Computer |
The listing shows computer delivery for both tests and nothing else. It is the only place this page takes the list of tests from, so a format or version that is not in the table (a paper-based test, Writing on Paper, a UKVI version or One Skill Retake) is not one this page can vouch for. Whether an option is open on your date is for the centre to say.
Which version you need is decided by the university, employer or authority 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 what the retake option is, see One Skill Retake or a full retake.
A new location: check the address on your confirmation
The operator's own page says the centre has a new location, at Griffith Hall, which is the building name in ielts.org's address. Because the location is described as new, an older note, map pin or forum post may point somewhere else. Check that the address on your booking confirmation matches the listing you chose, and ask the centre if it does not.
Close to downtown and public transit, as the operator describes it
The operator's page describes the centre as close to downtown, right off Lincoln Highway, and accessible by public transit. That is the operator's own description, read in October 2026. This page gives no distance, travel time, route, station or parking detail and names no neighbourhood, because the sources it uses do not say them. Look up the route from wherever you will be staying, and look at it again shortly before the day.
Speaking is a separate slot, and its time can change
The operator's page says the Speaking test is taken separately and that you may choose your Speaking time when you register. So a Philadelphia booking has two parts to plan around: the Listening, Reading and Writing sections, which the listing shows on computer, and a Speaking slot of its own. Speaking itself runs 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, but it has its own time.
The same operator's FAQ says your Speaking time can change on the day of the test because of absent test takers, examiner illness or other factors. This page cannot say how often that happens or how much notice you would get, and it does not say whether your Speaking will fall on the same day as the Listening, Reading and Writing sections; your confirmation and the centre can. In practice, the time you choose at registration is a plan, not a promise.
- Keep the hours around your Speaking time flexible where you can, rather than fitting another commitment tightly against it.
- Check any messages from the centre in the days before the test, and again on the day.
- Avoid booking a lesson right next to your Speaking time. Rescheduling is at no charge only up to 12 hours before a lesson (see the booking rules below), so a Speaking time that moves late can clash with a lesson you can no longer move.
The US-wide pages cover the rest of test day: IELTS test day in the US for ID and the Speaking day, and computer-delivered IELTS in the United States for what changes on screen.
Preparing for computer delivery and a separate Speaking slot
This is general teaching advice, not guidance from ielts.org or the centre, and no band is promised. Writing is 60 minutes for two tasks: Task 1 asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, Task 2 for at least 250 words in about 40, and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. If your test is on computer, practise typing complete answers against the clock and re-reading them. Listening and Reading you can practise alone and mark against answers.
Speaking is a conversation, so it helps to practise with someone who responds. Mike's Speaking sessions cover Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, with feedback in the moment, and the Speaking Part 2 timer lets you practise the long turn between lessons.
Hanoi and Philadelphia time: 12 hours apart on standard time, 11 on daylight time
Philadelphia is on Eastern time. NIST lists Eastern as UTC-5 on standard time (EST) and UTC-4 on daylight time (EDT). The IANA time zone database lists Vietnam with a plain UTC+7 and no daylight saving, so Hanoi stays on UTC+7 all year. Subtracting the offsets, Hanoi is 12 hours ahead of Philadelphia on standard time and 11 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.
| Philadelphia time | Hanoi, on standard time (12 hours ahead) | Hanoi, on daylight time (11 hours ahead) |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | 19:00, same day | 18:00, same day |
| 20:00 | 08:00, next day | 07:00, next day |
| 21:00 | 09:00, next day | 08:00, next day |
An evening in Philadelphia is a morning in Hanoi. The booking page shows every slot in your own time zone, so check the time there before you confirm, especially around a clock change or your test day.
Online lessons with Mike: no centre or classroom in Philadelphia
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 Philadelphia, 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.
This is one teacher and one student, not 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. No band score is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. The steps are on the online IELTS tutor page for the USA.
Questions to ask the centre before you book the test
Exam fees and test dates are not set by Band Booster, so this page quotes no exam fee and no test date; check both with the centre. Before you book, it is worth asking:
- Is the address on my booking confirmation the one in the ielts.org listing, given that the centre has a new location?
- Which format will my test be on my date, and is the version I need, Academic or General Training, offered?
- When is my Speaking slot, and how will I be told if it changes on the day?
- How do I get there by public transit from where I will be staying?
- What identification and other rules apply on test day?
For other US centres, see IELTS test centres in the USA. Elsewhere in the US? The Washington DC area page and the New York page follow the same format.