CSI Global Education Inc. Review

Omg. I just love it. I recently appeared here for an exam. CSI Institute is on the fifteenth floor. The place was extremely tidy. Staff was overwhelmingly helpful. I love it

Customer Service experience was very good. Responded to my request in no time and solved the issue. Thank you.

Happy to have successfully completed courses with CSI, great help to my career.

Really disappointed. Disorganized and objectively unfair testing. If I could give 0 stars, I would.

Had an amazing experience with CSI.

My computer based exam process was smooth.

I got late for my 9am exam because Go train was halted half way for 40 minutes.

I was really worried that what will happen if I miss my exam, as there are no available dates till August.

I called the CSI number, and told the executive about my situation, she relaxed me by understanding my situation and said they would allow me to write the exam if I reach before 9.30am.

When I reached the exam center, the staff members there were very kind and asked me to relax and then they sent me in the exam room.

Very professional service by the team.

The course I took was CSC, which cleared my doubts with examples.
I got my achievement badge the very next day after completing my Vol2 exam.

Exams results were declared the same time I clicked. Finish button.

Hoping for the best, let's see if I will be able to get a job after this.

Thanks CSI.

Monopoly funded by the banks

Material in all of the courses is repetitive and almost never will you require in your banking or finance career.

It is just a big money grab with ridiculous prices for their courses. I completed my undergraduate University degree for a total average cost per course of $450 with actual professors who taught the courses and provided material in which the students actually learned something . CSI courses are on average $800+ now since they run a monopoly and the courses are all self-study with dry and repetitive material across there courses.

W-Five should head to CSI next and do some investigative reporting on how this institution is even allowed to operate in Canada.

Is there any paid or unpaid parking close by?

And where is it?

Thanks

garbage institution. I called to reschedule an exam and they want $150. what a joke.

I hold a few of their designations and I can say I've found numerous errors in their questions, they're brutal at responding to concerns, it is most definitely a for profit business that cares little about the quality of their material

Most terrible experience with unfair marks. The content of test is not consistent with the content of textbooks. People need to pay more for the second or even the third text. They just want to earn money.

My experience with this place was great, close to Union Station about 8 mins walk, they are professional and friendly. The exam process was easy, would definitely recommend it to my friends and family.

Wish I could give them ZERO stars. WAY over priced. Extremely slow turn around for getting exam results. Text material does not properly reflect exam questions or vice versa. Customer service is rude and unhelpful. Do NOT recommend.

This was many, many years ago, but I will never forget it: An EXTREMELY BELLIGERENT woman employee , with a Scottish accent.

The CSI office is conveniently located for me in downtown Toronto. The Staff and everyone who works there are very kind and courteous. Overall a fantastic experience. Thank you.

The exams were fair and the invigilators were kind. It helps to purchase the CSC Check practice exams and use the Discussion Boards for help.

Excellent Customer Service received from Vicky who knew how to solve my problems thanks to her professionalism and good humor.
During periods like the Covid-19 we look for this type of handling.
Again thank you for this good service

After having to call multiple times to find out why my third exam has taken twice to three times what my other exams have taken (and of course its my final one that I really need to complete) I was told that they send all exams by regular Canada Post....

How? I have sent many things by Canada Post and there is a good percentage that gets lost..... certainly more then you would want for exams!

Allow me to repeat... regular... no tracking.... Canada Post..... for exams......

Just saying.....

The Video Companion portion is worth the money (only reason I gave 2 stars). DO NOT buy the calculator. Its a cheap/junky $15 calculator you can buy from Walmart. They absolutely rinse you on the calculator. Its just a cheap junky one they printed their logo on it. Its a Sharp brand calculator. Figure out the model and just buy a cheaper and better one.

Absolute worst customer experience of my life. If you don't have their policies memorized you'll be treated like an idiot then call disconnected, be prepared.

After three decades in the securities industry, the last 10 as an active and licensed member of the Canadian industry, I can certainly say that I am completely ashamed that the only skill needed in Canada to obtain a securities license/designation (and managing innocent people s money) is being able to write an outdated test plagued with double negatives and tricky questions, often not even relevant or realistic.

CSI barely tests on technical and real-world scenarios. I have always asked myself how no authority or even news outlet has ever questioned the only company in Canada that provides certification for people managing people s life savings.

CSI also charges for computer-based tests while offering free paper-based.

Wasting paper, having CSI employees feeding bubble sheets to dated machines somehow comes free, while an automated, paperless and existing system comes at a cost to the candidate. Nonsensical comes to mind and is a reflection of everything related to this institute.

The customer service (if any) is incredibly poor as well.

Getting Mark Meldrum videos for CSC was the best move you could have made. Many other things that need to be improved upon however 4 stars is being given based solely on the fact that you have Mark as a partner. Excellent professor.

SO OVERPRICED.

ENDED UP GOING WITH ANOTHER COMPANY.

Good experience with customer service over the email,

Absolutely what you would expect from a complacent private sector monopoly that takes its clients for granted. I have taken many of their courses, passed everyone on the first time, and had a miserable experience every time. Brutal service and outrageous costs. But if you don't like it, too bad, there is no alternative.

Money grab, this company should be regulated as they can fail you without any explanation so you can pay to take the exam once again.

Very happy with the service and attitude of the teck's trouble shooting my Hummer H3 Driver side heated seat problem.They are honest in pricing also.l will definitely be going back for remote starts on my Mustang and H3.
Hutch

The Monopoly status of CSI renders the organization complacent and satisfied with mediocrity at virtually all levels.

TERRIBLE! The institute's monopoly to certify gives them access to abusive policy. Students agree in contract of adhesion to stay informed and committed to future policy change WITHOUT notice. Have an issue with policy - CSI WILL change policy to protect its own interest and revise the contract as it was assumed. Largely the institutes revenue is generated through deep policy and policy manipulation. The stakeholders with heavy clout are the regulators whose boards are principally made up of the Big Banks! The interest of students are not its major concern. Unsure how the Competition Act does not apply the rule of law.

I don t understand why reviews are such low. I ve attended the location and it was great, calm and suitable for examination. Staffs were nice, polite and helpful.

A real Canadian shame that the industry relies on this Moody's Corporation unfair business to rip off young career aspiring people.

They overcharge a lot and the exam marks are questionable; they refuse to send the test to an independent market outside of those working for csi. This means that if your mark came, but a fancy of chance of course, just one or two marks below "pass", then to prove you actually should have gotten a substantially higher mark will be impossible, as they will not review with you or provide an independent evaluation channel. All that's left is to 'trust' them, and to pay up another half a thousand dollars to rewrite the exam.

I am a dentist and specialist in periodontics and dental implants. Needless to say, I have no history in the financial sector. But I decided that it was time to learn how to invest my money properly. I have been frustrated by the investment advisors I have worked with over the past 25 years and I never felt that my returns were as good as the TSE and DOW market benchmark. So, I took matters into my own hands and took the CSC. I am glad that I did. Now I am better able to understand the complex behemoth that is the "financial sector" and this is all due to the excellent course offered by the CSI. It is important to decide why you are going to take the course. For me, it was the start of a self-education process that will last a lifetime to learn how to properly invest my money. For others, it could be a stepping stone to a great career in the investment industry. It is all up to you what you want to make of it. But one thing it is not is a guarantee to riches. I didn't know how long it would take to complete the course but I tried to follow their stipulated protocol to complete it in 3 months. There are also the 6, 9, and 12 month options. I completed the material in 3 months and took another month to study for the Volume 1 and Volume 2 CSC exams (which I just sat on the same day). I took the Volume 1 exam at 9 am and the Volume 2 exam at 2 pm on a Friday. It was great. I ordered the materials in late April, and even in spite of COVID19, the books arrived within a week. The online text was available immediately after signup. During COVID19, and from time to time, the CSI offers discounts on their course so I singed up for $1500. I also singed up for the $500 Seneca College CSC course just to have a classroom experience in the subject matter and some input from a real-life professor who works in the financial industry. I would suggest that the $800 U of T review course with Hlinka is outstanding as well. One of my favourite aspects of the course was the accompanying video series. Mark Meldrum, CFA, gave 25 outstanding chapter reviews. It was just like going to class, and then going home to study the books. Then you could return to class and watch again. Excellent experience. Mark is a great teacher. I know he does a great job on his reviews for the CFA exams because I now follow him on YouTube. The video series accompaniment is an extra charge but well worth it. I also bought the CSC Check practice exams. They are almost identical in style and content to the final exams. In fact, the average scores I got on the four practice exams from CSC Check was identical to the average score I got on the CSI actual exams. It was uncanny. As for the exam experience, it was great. The proctor was a nice lady who was helpful and kind. I had no issues. The key is that with any licensing examinations (which this CSC exam is), always follow the rules. The institute has to apply the same rules and regulations equally to thousands of people who take their courses nationwide each year. I assure you that if you do exactly as is outlined on their csi.com website, you will not have any problems. The Moody's CSI office is at 200 Wellington West, right across from the Ritz Carlton in downtown Toronto's business district. Beautiful location, great office and classroom setup, clean, tidy, and well organized. I have to admit that it was one of the best examination experiences that I have ever had and I have had many over my career all over North America. To pass, you will have to study hard. I was very well prepared but I put in hundreds of hours of study. In the final month, I studied 12 hours a day on the weekends and 6 hours per evening after work on the weekdays. It was far from being the easiest thing that I have ever had to do but it was well worth the effort and sacrifice. I went through the material at least 4 times (Volumes 1 and 2), as well as the end of chapter tests and the CSC Check Exams many times over. If you do well on those tests, you will breeze through the final exams. Good Luck!

The material make sense , the exam doesn t make any sense. The questions of the exam is not part of the study material. Lots of mistakes between the book and the online quiz. Same question with different answer between the book and online.
How I can trust ?????????

If you like to read texts full of errors, quizzes that have nothing to do with tests and exams to questions are informative and often have unrelated answers. you will like. for serious people who want to learn. The course is not worth 1 star ...

Thank you very much CSI, Toronto for arranging the IFIC exam in a comfortable environment.

Exam questions are not related to the text book and yes the exam marks are questionable. When you ask for review of your exam, they don't provide you with the details. I don't understand why cant a student not request the exam papers for further review and learn from the mistakes to better prepare for the next exam. They are hiding details in order to earn more fees.

I have been taking these courses/designations since it started out as The Institute of Canadian Bankers and tehn merged in to the CSI - at least 21 years ago. I have never had a problem with anything, I am surprised at some of the other reviews. Yes the exams in some instances are difficult. Rightly so.

Horrible customer service, inability to think outside the box and problem solve. You call in and there is no effort to make you feel like a valued customer and everything you do is extremely over priced. From rescheduling, to booking a test, to practice exams etc.

The exam mark take too long to come and the content inside the textbook is not reflective of the exam. I've run trough the content twice and spend hours pass the recommended study time but there is still some odd questions that is unclear. Examination is also secret and second attempts cost 250 $ !

Would give 0 star. In today's world, how come it will take days to deliever an online study tool... Could not believe it.

Absolutely terrible course. It's not designed at all for students to learn AND their refund policy is awful. 14 days? It takes that long to get the text book. SCAMMERS

Just finished writing the CPH exam. I had online material, hard copy, and paid the extra $$$ for the CPH Check, study exams. I need this course to provide income for my family. So went through everything many times. I got 80--100% on all the review questions, knew both CPH Check exams solid. Wrote the exam...and it was not even in the same league for difficulty or content. There was only 2 questions from the Check study exams (so that was a complete waste of money). The exam was loaded with double negative questions, tricky wording, many had more than one option that could be right. Why don't they just ask straight forward questions? Many exam questions were not on practical content. The most frustrating part is my knowledge was solid on the content I was provided, but the actual exam went well above this, and well above the practice exams I paid for. I have tried calling, only to be in the queue for well over an hour multiple times and have to hang up because I can't wait any longer. Now with COVID, every available date is booked out for months. I am being told there is nothing they can do, so keep checking. I drove 2.5 hours to a different city to write today. The room I was in was small, with approx 9 people writing...If they are full of bookings, can CSI not just get a larger room and add another proctor? There is something they can do! Obviously demand is there...and they didn't have any trouble collecting my fee. A complete disgrace.

The CSI allowed me to take my CSC - Securities Course. Despite my apprehensions, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the two textbooks to be studied and the quality of the online access.

I also recommend the additional modules for studying online, because they allow you to practice for chapter 7 of manual 1 on the calculation of fixed income securities. If you have taken a baccalaureate in business, it is very accessible, and it's worth the investment. Good luck with your projects!

Courteous staff. Makes you very comfortable during exams.

Spent almost $1800+ on a course. Extensions are only once, did not know this nor do they send email reminders that the only option is to book the exams and extensions are no longer valid. They are not helpful on the phone and I couldn't even book my exam to a future date meanwhile the course is still enrolled and active. Horrible service and now I just wasted $1800+. Thanks for everything

CSC is the best licensing course to get into banking jobs in Canada.