A Star Equivalency Reviews 

The whole experience was an absolute nightmare.
All what A star equivalency care about withdrawing as much money as they can from you.
My experience was that I booked with them the 480 £ package that includes the exam and the course. I rebooted my exam once because of some personal circumstances to be rescheduled in August. After preparing for a long time and it was my exam day, the examiner said that the Internet connection is poor, although my husband is working from home and has online meeting almost everyday aand he never complained. So it was very obvious that the connection was poor at their end. I contacted them that it was very frustrating for me to dedicate more than half of my holiday studying, then they ask me to pay 50£ fees to rebook, and it was not my fault. They did nothing and asked me to pay the fee to proceed with my exam. I had nothing to do but to pay as I initially paid 480 £.
My school suggested that I can rebook the exam jn September to be able to use the school's Internet so as not to experience the same problem again, so I paid the fees and rescheduled my exam to 9th of September. I had to take my exam and issue the results before 15th of September to apply for the teacher training, that is why I had also to pay an extra 54£ fee for fast track results in order not to.miss the application. So because of something that is not my fault, I had to pay over 100£ apart from the initial 480£. On the exam date, they asked for ID verification and I showed them my BRP (which I also viewed on the previous trial and they verified it) and it says on my BRP that it expires i 2024, as they no longer issue any physical BRP but instead there is an E visa that verifies my BRP and is recognised by every organisation. I told that to the examiner and offered him to view my Evisa that verifies that my BRP is valid, but he refused and insisted that the physical ID should be valid and any other electronic forms cannot be accepted, so I needed to show him my passport. I had my exam at the school, so I didn't have my passport with me then, so I begged the examiner to show him my E visa that still verifies my identity, and if it was not valid, I should have been told about it during ID verification of my previous exam attempt, and I told him that I paid my fast track results to get my results before 15th of September and I might not be able to apply and miss the deadline, but he insisted to end the exam. I contacted the customer service and also told me they couldn't do anything about it except to book me the earliest available exam date, but I should also pay the rebooking fees. I told them that I bad already spent a lot of money and I can't afford to pay any more but they said that I had to pay anyway. I had no other option but to pay, as I wanted to have my exam to apply for the teacher training. So overall instead of paying 480£ which is not considered to be a large amount of money, I had to pay 480+50+100+50 in total. So before booking an exam with them, be prepared to pay an extra 100-150 pounds. Such a horrible experience with A Star. They suck money of you, poor customer service, and unreliable examiners. I forgot to say that on their course I had taken mock exams and my answers have been marked and I got grade 7 (according to DR Cliver their AI marker) but finally I got a grade 5, and I could have failed the exam, as they are very unfair in their marking too.

I was super worried as I had only 5 weeks to pass my biology. They were super supportive and gave me all the advice/resources I needed for the course. Thank you for all your support and I did pass and now doing my PGCE course

Ordered Math equivalence course and it was a very easy and smooth process thanks to Jacob. Cheers

Overall, I had a good experience with A Star Equivalency and I’m absolutely over the moon to have finally passed with a Level 8! 🎉

I only had a three-week timeframe to complete the exam, so I decided to book the exam on its own rather than purchase the full course and exam package. I planned to use other revision materials to prepare.

The biggest difficulty with this was not knowing exactly what content the exam would cover. Without access to the course content, I went into the exam somewhat blind and unsure of what to expect. Unfortunately, I didn’t pass my first two attempts before eventually passing on my third attempt.

I was offered a slight discount for my first exam, and I was then told by the company that put me forward for the exams that my second attempt would be free. However, the second and third exams weren’t completely free, as I still had to pay a £56 surplus for each attempt because I needed to complete the exams within my timeframe. I also paid £60 to have my results fast-tracked on both occasions. In total, I ended up spending nearly £500 on the three exam attempts throughout August 2026, which was considerably more than I had anticipated.

I think it would be really beneficial if A Star Equivalency provided candidates with the course content, or at least a clear breakdown of the areas covered in the exam, regardless of whether they choose to purchase the full course. This would give candidates who choose to self-study a much clearer idea of what they need to revise and help them feel more prepared going into the exam. Given the cost involved, I think having this information upfront would make the process much less stressful and could help candidates avoid unnecessary additional exam costs.

Despite the setbacks, I’m incredibly pleased with the final outcome. Passing with a Level 8 made all the hard work and perseverance worth it! 🎉

I purchased the Maths and Science bundle from A Star Equivalency, including the course and examination. Unfortunately, I found the Maths course to be very disappointing and not particularly helpful in explaining the concepts clearly.

Many of the Maths topics were not explained in sufficient detail, and I often had to rely on external videos to understand the equations and methods. The videos provided as part of the Maths course are very short and, in many cases, simply show the working without properly explaining how the answer was reached. This made the learning process frustrating, particularly when trying to understand the underlying concepts rather than simply memorising the steps.

Overall, I found the Maths course videos to be of very limited value, and based on my experience, I would not recommend paying for the course.

I was also offered a free resit as part of purchasing the Maths course bundle with the examination. However, when I have tried to book the resit, I have been informed that I would need to pay for it as there is no free resit on my account. This is particularly disappointing, as the free resit was presented as part of the package I purchased but now they refuse it was even offered.

Great support for redoing maths

I did my Maths twice. I was deflated lol. It was a good experience overall. A Star has a clear course outline which keeps you on track. Also, I had invested in the course which was key in preparation. There are tutorials on the various topics and practice to help you get ready for your exam. The invigilators were patient. Additionally, when I had just signed up, I had a free one to one session. I stated that I wasn’t clear about simultaneous equations and she helped there and then. I would recommend.

Had a good experience with A Star Equivalency. Always someone willing to help.
Managed to pass my Biology equivalency, recieved my certificate and have just started University... on my way to become a teacher.

If you're neurodiverse, I would seriously think twice before booking here. I have ADHD and contacted A Star BEFORE my exam asking for extra time, only to be told it was too late. I then ran out of time and couldn't complete the paper. Afterwards, I was told that requests within the 7-day period can actually still be considered — something nobody explained when I called. For £250, I expected far better support and communication. I feel completely let down and disadvantaged by the way my ADHD was handled. Absolutely unacceptable in my opinion. Avoid there are better companies who will support people with disabilitys

I am very satisfied with my experience with A Star Equivalency. I took both the Maths and English GCSE Equivalency Tests and also purchased their preparation courses.

The courses were extremely informative, well structured and very helpful for preparing for the exams. They covered everything I needed to know and gave me much more confidence before taking the tests.

I also chose the fast-track results option and received my results within just two days, which was incredibly helpful.

Overall, I had a very positive experience and would definitely recommend A Star Equivalency to anyone who needs to complete GCSE equivalency exams.

Fantastic service. Very professional. Great customer service. Paid for the fast tracking, very efficient. Would highly recommend.

Very informative! Very straightforward! Thank you

Jack was very helpful and clearly explained all my options

Do not waste your time or money with A Star Equivalency. Their entire business model is a racket—their sole purpose is to fleece you unless you pay for their overpriced full course. If you dare to take the exam without it, they will punish you. I sat the test three times and received 44%, 45%, and 46%—clearly a deliberate pattern to keep you coming back. They aren't interested in your success; they want you as a perpetual customer. And guess what? The moment I took the equivalency test with a proper university, I passed first time with 55%. That tells you everything. My advice: go to a non-profit university or college. Otherwise, you are just a cash cow to them, and their goal is to extract every penny they can.

Jacob from the support team was incredibly helpful. He provided very timely assistance and offered a great deal of helpful, detailed information.

Any incorrect question should be reviewed and we should know what we did right and what we did wrong.

I managed to pass first time after really needing my maths gcse for my teacher training. Even though I saw results I would say the course is very expensive as you have to pay to get your certificate as a paper format after paying all those fees just for the course itself!
The videos were fast paced however I feel like they could’ve gone into more detail in the slightly tricker topics as I found my self using YouTube videos in order to understand topics better.
Overall A star is very good as I passed first time using their recommendation of studying between 60-100 hours, however it is VERRYYY expensive so just make yourself aware with the payment plans.

Yes—add it at the end so readers know your review is about the exam experience so far.

Overall, I had a very positive experience with A Star Equivalency. The staff was helpful, friendly, and supportive throughout the process. The exam itself did not feel stressful. Although the invigilator was monitoring me online, I could not see them, which helped me feel more relaxed. Once the exam begins, you cannot switch to another screen until you have submitted it, but the system was straightforward and easy to use. I am still waiting for my result, but based on my experience so far, I would recommend A Star Equivalency to others.

They provide free learning resources as well as mock exams. They also provide premium learning resources but you have to pay for them. The clear instruction videos before taking the exam help me to prepare for the real-time exam better. However, the exam invigilators in each exam subjects are varied. Some are helpful and supportive; regardless you have to ask them for any queries; otherwise, they won't tell you.