Seven ISB Admits from CSQUARE Learnings

Congratulations.........

Csquare Learnings takes this opportunity to Congratulate all the seven admits to ISB this year (the names are mentioned below). We know all of you were waiting for this moment since a long time and we are thrilled to see your DREAMS come true. We are proud of all the seven students of Csquare who have accomplished their goal and made it to ISB. It is indeed an invigorating moment for Csquare to have all of you as our alumni.

This journey to success has not been a cake walk for all of you right from searching the Best institute for GMAT to clearing the interview. We can recall the days with some of you when you prepared day and night for GMAT and went through all the brain storming sessions to draft essays, and at the end must say IT HAS ALL PAID OFF!! This truly shows that hard work and dedication can lead you to your DREAMS. Time and again all you have showed the zeal and motivation to make it into a Big Bschool of your choice and finally here it is-Indian School of Business!!

Once again we have proved that at Csquare we strive not only to teach our students just the strategies or subjective concepts but also streamline the thought process to get a super score in GMAT and finally get admission into the DREAM College.

Finally heartiest congratulations to all the ISB admits for the splendid performance so far. Csquare wishes the ISB admits All the Best for future and continuous success and May you be bestowed with many such enlivening moments.

The ISB admits for 2010-2011 from CSQRL are-

Kavita Singh

Ashwin Krishna

Vijay Kumar

Surabhi Sawant

Subhadip Majumder

Raghavendra

Varun Rai Bansal

Csquare Learnings-Student Feedback-GMAT Score 730

Ashok Verma-730

My journey of GMAT preparation started last year when I had these Official guides lying all around in my bedroom. Initially I knew I can crack GMAT on my own and with this mind set I started my preparation. I prepared for a month and like a typical test taker went on to take a couple of tests to analyze my performance. I faired bad and ended up with 500s. At this point of time I realized that GMAT is not just about practice and patience but the strategies to crack the exam also matters a lot.  

I searched for a couple of GMAT training institutes and zeroed on Csquare because of the level of knowledge they had about GMAT compared to other institutes and I must say I didn’t take a wrong decision ;)

My initial months of Classroom sessions were an eye opener wherein I NOT ONLY learnt the right strategies to crack this monstrous GMAT BUT ALSO (correct usage of idioms:) ) learnt the right perspective you need to have while writing this exam that can only be taught at Csquare. I really owe a lot to my trainer, Varsha, for the efforts that she has put in right from explaining the strategies again n again to sitting down with students individually to improve their score. I must say if it was not for the impositions that I got I would have not improved on my CR and DS. Once I started taking the prep tests I could see my confidence levels raise. I saw a 610 on my prep test and that’s when I knew I have to work harder. On an average I gave about 7-8 hours of study and took a break from work 10 days before the exam. The motivation that I always received from Varsha was commendable that pushed me to perform better and stretch that extra mile to get a 700+.

On the D-day I knew this was DO or DIE for me but didn’t let my emotions dictate my exam. Math was comfortably completed and as per I remember I skipped about a couple of questions that seemed weird to me. Somewhere or the other I knew Math was not very bad. Now I have to keep my cool on Verbal. Well verbal was little tougher than my practice tests but nevertheless I managed to finish it on time. I swear guys those few minutes after submitting the test and before getting the final score was the longest moment of my life (no exaggeration). I am elated to receive a 730!! Yes I had done it and that’s why I said I did not take a wrong decision to Join Csquare.

Lastly wana say I really believe this exam is lot about patience and endurance. Everyone needs to practice as much as possible to achieve their dream score and ofcourse follow all the CSQRL strategies. Thanks to Varsha and her team for making it possible for me.

Cheers to all....and Besto!!



Ashok Verma

Csquare Learnings-Student Feedback-GMAT Score 710

Coen de Heus-GMAT Score 710

Hereby my feedback:

My reason for coming to India has always been to improve my resume to get into a business school. During my period here I started realizing that my achievements so far were very close to getting me in, and actually I started thinking about scholarships. Research concluded that a 700+ score would get me close to earning such a scholarship. What complicated my study though was the full-time work schedule at my job. Thus I decided that I needed help. CSquare felt good, thus I stuck with them.

At the intake I already scored a 650 on the prep test. As a near native English speaker I had a major advantage, RC and CR where near perfect. However as a near-native, I never thought about grammar rules, thus my SC was terrible. Obviously my math could use some help too. We decided that 3 classes per week, 2 hours per class, for 1 month, and another month preparation should get me where I want.

The next period was very difficult, 2 hours class before work, 8 hours work, and some more 2 hours of homework each day. However having a goal is extremely useful here. Make sure that you know why you want to do this. If you lose focus (which will happen multiple times in two months) try to imagine or visualize where you want to go.

Study-wise I did nothing special. Even more so, I tried to focus on the basics. All the math you have probably seen before, and while GMAT may ask some difficult concepts, 90% will be on the basics. Besides if you understand these, you can derive the right calculations yourself often.

To make the essay part easier, see if you can learn to type blindly. This way you can check your spelling and grammar while you are typing. I earned myself some 8 minutes extra rest for both Analysis of Issue and Analysis of Argument. I am sure this mental rest helped my math score tremedously.

I was able to improve much on the verbal and scored a 37. Personally I only used the framework for RC and CR (Only F not IRE) as I was already quite good at these. The framework did however relieve my mind a bit, which is crucial after three and a half hours.

So I ended up with a Q:50, V:37 and Total:710, still waiting for the AWA. I cannot imagine a score less than a 5.0 though. Hope this helps future students.

Good Luck Coen de Heus

GMAT-Reading comprehension Workshop at CSQUARE Learnings

Is it a tough game conquering Reading Comprehension on GMAT!!!!!!??

We have a key to your hitch. Interaction with the connoisseur of GMAT with focus on reading comprehension will certainly make the trail smooth and easy. Kalyan Chakravarthi ,Founder & Director of Csquare Learnings pvt ltd., will conduct RC workshop himself in Bangalore to answer all your queries so that you learn to conquer the most perplexing section on GMAT.

To Learn more about Kalyan Chakravarthi visit: http://in.linkedin.com/in/gmatspecialist
As Csquare learnings has always stretched its wings to facilitate GMAT aspirants, its another attempt to make your flight towards your dream college successful, happy and enjoyable. At Csquare Learnings our history is our challenge - a legacy of energy and innovation, as we strive to excel in our training every day. Our experience in working with a diverse set of students has made us progress. Presently, we are on a move to build a platform that will create new horizons and foster innovative thoughts to connect and share valuable experiences.

This workshop will act as a podium to discover the best strategy to conquer the most apprehensive section on GMAT -----“READING COMPREHENSION” .The strategy is called FIRE – The most popular strategy in the GMAT world provide only by Csquare Learnings. FIRE not only helps you to understand GMAT RC’s better but also gives you command over the anxiety about RC’s on GMAT. This workshop will focus on

• Better method to read passages
• Better time management on RC
• Tackling different types of questions in RC
• Approach to arrive at right answer
• Method to resolve confusion when left with last 2 options
• Tackling unfamiliar topics.

Please find the details of the workshop below
Date: 19th (Saturday) & 20th (Sunday) December 2009
Venue: Csquare Learnings Pvt Ltd
#425,1st Floor, 80 ft road, 6th Block,
Koramangala,
Bangalore 560034
Fees: 7000/-
Contact No: 080-40821000
Number of seats: 25
Website : http://www.csqrl.com/
To seize this opportunity register by 18th Friday December 2009. We look forward to seeing you.

Csquare Learnings-Student Feedback-GMAT Score 700

I approached Csquare Learnings after I got a GMAT score of 600. It was around 1st week of Aug 09. My score was 30 verbal and 42 Quant. I had initially planned for just 10 hrs of classes, which I planned to finish in two weeks. But due to professional commitments I gave long gaps between classes in the first month. We pretty much pulled up in September.

Though initially I had thought that I needed help with just verbal but at CSquare I realised that the standard of quant required in GMAT has to be really high. The average score in CSquare was 49. So I took additional 5 hrs for quant to make my concepts strong. This really prepared me well. Now the training was over and I had to practice. Here again I ended up giving a 20 day gap in the beginning of Oct 09. My standards went plummeting once I went out of touch with my trainer but I kept doing the official guides. My timing was at its worst by the end of the 20 days. On 21^st Oct 09 my trainer asked me to remain at CSquare and practice whole day. This was the point that gave me the boost in my preparation.

For eight days I practiced religiously and discussed my difficulty areas with my CSQRL trainer. I implemented the suggestions deliberately. Following the FIRE strategy in RC ensures a lot of success. It is better to follow the strategies religiously as told.

I believe CSquare Learnings gave me a truly personalized attention and helped me make a personal strategy keeping in mind my strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the eight days I realized that I was peaking and this was also the time when I was giving my best in terms of time and attention. I was practicing around 10-12 hrs a day. I consulted my trainer and decided to take GMAT on 30 Oct 09 as I knew I can't sustain this performance for long. I guess besides everything thing else, taking the test at the right time also matters a lot. You should be able to identify when you are at your peak performance. After my test I have come across a few friends who were not guided as well as me and they waited too long before taking the test. Although, initially they were scoring much better than me but on the final day they spoiled their scores.

I am fortunate that I got the right guidance at the right time and Csquare’s personal attention that helped me reach my goal in just 8 days!!

Regards

Mayank- 700 (Q48 V38)

Csquare Learnings-Student Feedback-GMAT Score 700

Sachin 700 [M - 49 V - 37]

Disclaimer: This post would mainly help if you are struggling on Verbal. Also, this worked for me, please adapt what is most suitable for you.

Here's my experience:

My goal was to reach 80% verbal.

Difference in my two attempts:

Previous:
I had completed OG10, 11, Scoretop, Kaplan, Manhattan, Sets (about 25 - great to overcome timing issues + some real GMAT type questions - it's a must!)

In SC and CR, I could easily remove 3 choices. The problem was to select from the last two remaining choices. My RC was ok.

I had read Manhattan SC, but still could not relate to GMAT style (of when is present continuous or past perfect is correct / incorrect). I used to go by what sounds good.

Current:
I took 1-to-1 tutoring at Csquare Learnings. I must say, Csquare is an expert in GMAT question types and pattern. I had decided to take GMAT in next 10 days since I wanted to submit my new scores after the deadline. No choice, but to get up at 4:30 am, drive 20 KMs and attend class at 5:00 am. Rush to office by 8:30am phew! (remembered my 12th class timings). Didn't have much time but to follow their rules.

SC: Csquare made SC very simple with few basic rules like when is -ing, having + ed, were, had been etc. are correct / incorrect. Just follow blindly and apply it! This led to easy elimination of many choices within seconds. I was now more looking for the rules, instead of, spending time in what sounds good.

CR: Csquare gave a trick to paraphrase CR in a new style and to write down the conclusion before looking at answers. This worked amazingly especially for assumption and weakness type questions.

RC: Their RC approach (FIRE) is nice, Again the key in RC is to paraphrase and identify the trigger points.

Followed the rules for each question type and I could see improvement in practice tests.

Quant: I hardly touched for 15 hours in this attempt. Just revised GMAT prep 175 questions in VIP section and solved all practice questions. I was more focusing on verbal to cross the 80% barrier.

-----------


On the test day:
Completed all the practice questions for the month. Do it religiously!

Quant:
Found tougher than my previous attempt. Was surprised to see quite a few DS questions. After completing math, I knew, it was not a 50.

Verbal:
Started great. First 3 questions, I knew, I got it right. This time, I spent more time on RCs (pretty similar to Sets and GMATprep standard). My approach to RCs was different this time - Kalyan explained that in RCs the answer is in front of you, just we need to paraphrase and identify the trigger points.

In SC and CR, with the new rules, I was now pretty confident on choices I was selecting. If I was not sure on some question, then I made sure that for the next question I gave attention to avoid consecutive errors (heavy penalty on GMAT!). Struggled in last 3 to 4 questions. Had just 4 minutes left. Completed the survey.
Could not believe, when the screen flashed - 700 and V – 38: 83%.

ATB!

Csquare Learnings-Student Feedback-GMAT Score 710

Divya Reddy 710 [M - 47, V - 41]

Three months ago, I ascended on the mammoth task of preparing for the GMAT exam. Like most other MBA aspirants, I was armed with a deep rooted conviction to secure a good GMAT score but lacked the know-how to do so. I spent a month and a half on an exhaustive (quite literally) study plan- researching GMAT material and analyzing and practicing various GMAT approaches (Princeton/ Kaplan included). At the end of this stint, I took the GMAT Prep 1 and got a ‘scintillating’ (as Kalyan would say, at his peak of sarcasm ) 560- M 43 V24. It was after this futile attempt and thereof much needed ‘reality check’ that I came to Kalyan of Csquare Learnings for help.

I had always been strong in Quantitative but Verbal was the monstrous Goliath that I needed to slay. The Csqrl coaching classes, quite effortlessly, taught me to do just that. The sessions were geared towards building a conceptual understanding of the tested GMAT topics, understanding and implementing strategies (bizarre, is what I thought they were at that time!) and practicing the classic ‘Practice, Practice, Practice’ approach.

I took tests every fortnight and I saw a marked improvement in scores. My improvement in tackling Reading Comprehension passages, amongst other things, requires special mention. The RC Strategy- FIRE approach (very appropriately tagged, I must say!) made the Verbal section a complete breeze, in every sense of the word. At the end of understanding and repeatedly using the strategy, at the cost of sounding vain, I found it quite impossible to go wrong in any of the RC questions!

D Day-
I went to the exam centre with a Red Bull (not quite literally!) and three Cadbury Crackle bars (don’t worry, I’m not embarking on the quintessential Bollywood success narrative!) and returned with a smile that (for some insane reason) has still not wiped off from my faceJ.

To begin with, the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section was quite effortless. I blindly followed the templates that were given by CsquareL for both Issue and Argument.

The Quantitative section was slightly trickier than I had anticipated, nevertheless, stayed calm and saw it through. I saw quite a few questions on Number Theory, Profit & Loss and Percentage and a couple on Permutation and Combination. I ran short of time towards the end as I had ended up spending more time that I should have on a particular P&C question. I ended up guessing the last four questions which probably explains the dip in my Quant. Score as compared to how I had fared in Practice tests. In retrospect, I think ‘staying calm’ was my saving grace in this section.

For Verbal, I followed a very simple strategy (again imbibed from one of the many Csquare ‘gyan’ sessions). I first assessed the difficulty of a question, if I felt the scope extended beyond what I knew; I simply skipped it (got a head start by skipping the 2nd and 3rd questionsJ). This ensured I did not waste valuable time on a couple of Sentence Corrections and Critical Reasonings that could have been experimental or that I would have got wrong in any case. I devoted additional time to RC passages and ensured that I was confident about the answers I was giving. To my surprise, I got a 5th RC passage at the fag end of the test, with only 7 mins. left. Even with the time constraint, I could not move away from using the FIRE approach for the RC passage (suffering from compulsive obsessive disorder had nothing to do with it J just kidding!)

Contemplated on whether to Cancel or Report Scores. Decided to go for it. Prayed And Prayed. Hoped for a 650
Got a 710 M 47 V 41.

I have just one word (actually, more than one) of advice for future GMAT test takers, having been (??) there and done that…focus, keep your calm, have faith in and practice Kalyan’s techniques i.e Csquare’s techniques (although they might seem logically bizarre at first, they are winning strategies, truly) and give the test experience your all. And believe me, if I can do it, so can anyone.

Good Luck!