The easiest way to check if your VPN is operating as intended is to check your IP address both before and after turning on your VPN. To do that, turn off your VPN and go to a website like whatismyip.com and make a note of your IP address and location. After closing your browser and turning on your VPN, do the same thing and see if your IP address or location has changed. If it's different, congratulations, your VPN is doing exactly what it was meant to by making your network appear in a different location.