Scored 480 on 1st practice test am i doomed?

What are your goals? That will determine your goal for the GMAT. Obviously you want to get as higha score as possible, but in how much time? I believe any well graded collegiate could get a high GMAT score if they spent enough time on it. Your question is how much time do I want or need to spend on it to get the MBA placement I desire. Most schools list their average GMAT. Other clues are also available which will help. One good thing about a low score like that, you've got nowhere to go but up.

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Not doomed... studying is key... if you took it "cold" and scored 480, I don't see why the 600s wouldnt be in reach with some serious (e.g. 2 hours daily) studying

People have made big leaps.

420 to 700: from-420-to-700-it-is-good-to-be-part-of-the-700-club-35919.html

510 to 710: 520-to-710-my-adventures-with-the-gmat-94495.html

Depends who you ask, many people feel that a 700 is "the bar" for the top 5 or top 10 programs in the country, based on the fact that the average score at many of those schools is in the 700-710 range (by definition of course, half of those admitted score below this figure, a fact often ignored by those who believe 700 is 'the' number).

What score you "need" really depends on where you intend to apply.

well i don't think 600 is out of reach but isn't that too low to get into a worthy program? i heard that any school out of the top 20 takes like over 10 years just to make the investment back

( Just for clarity, I meant a score "in the" 600s, not exactly 600 itself, but I'll answer the q )

Define "worthy"..... It really depends what you want to get out of the experience -- if your goal is to learn some new stuff and apply to the business you already have, then "worthy" is pretty broad and a number of schools would fit the bill. MBA programs are pretty cookie-cutter in the academic department, you are going to learn many of the same frameworks, concepts, and ideas regardless of where you end up. A score in the 600s would put you squarely into the range for a number of good schools - Georgetown University for instance has a middle 80% range GMAT scores from 640 to 730 (which is actually quite high for it's rank). Duke (Fuqua) another quite well respected program sits at 620 to 750 for the 80% range. UNC, 600 to 740. Carnegie Mellon, 620 to 750.

If your goal is to quit your job and make a move to investment banking, say at Goldman Sachs, then the "worthy" list is much smaller - admittedly, for such a goal your list would need to be Harvard, Wharton, Chicago, Kellogg, Stanford, Sloan, and a few others -- here, the mean GMAT is likely 700 or 710. Booths 80% range is 660 to 760 for instance.

So I'd make a few points.

First, note that a "mid 600s" score puts you within shooting distance of a number of programs and perhaps even some of the "top" programs (with a little effort and a little luck). Look not just at the median or mean scores but at the ranges too.

Second, recognize that the GMAT is something that can be beat -- not entirely of course (I never did get some of the math) but determination and studying can go a long way towards cracking that nut. Honestly, perseverance and drive are half the battle.

Third, timing - you self imposed 3 months. Your GMAT doesn't have to be done in 3 months - I'm a bit out of the loop with current application deadlines so perhaps someone else can comment but I would be of the opinion that four or five is still plausible for round two applications.

This isn’t necessarily true. It’s all relative. There is a wonderful excel template under the heading “The True Value of YOUR MBA.” I would locate employment stats for a few programs you’re interested in and plug the compensation numbers into the spread sheet. These aren’t hard and true, but can help you get an idea of what you’re in for.

None of the math on the GMAT is "difficult" per se. It's all high school level stuff presented in a somewhat tricky way. I think with a good amount of time and a lot of effort, you can bring that math score up into the 40's. Be diligent about studying and find some online tools to help you increase your speed. There's a lot that you can do.

I don't know your profile, but I would think 700 is the score you'd want to be competitive for these schools. Average gmat scores do seem to trend upwards for almost all b-schools.

In the greater context of your application and based on your other posts, I'd say try to get the GMAT out of the way before you start writing essays. Also your stellar GPA will mean less to schools since from what I gather you graduated ten years ago or so? The GMAT and your work experience are likely to matter a lot more. Keep in mind that your essays and your story will be the most important component of your application (wish I knew that when I started). So try your best to get a score as close to 700 as you can get it (absolutely doable if you're willing to put in the hours over the next 2-3 months and study smart, by that I mean LEARN from your mistakes and be absolutely relentless in going after weaknesses). Beyond that, it's about how you tell them your story. Stick around, post about how you're doing and we'll do our best to help.

Hey, I feel where you're at.

I scored a 460 on my first Kaplan diagnostic test last Sept. I studied on and off for several months and really buckled down in January after receiving a 640.

I took the GMAT again last month and scored a 690 (Q43, V41). Still a bit shy of my 710 goal, but it's a massive improvement and at the very least should give you some optimism.

I would highly recommend buying the Manhattan GMAT books and go through them thoroughly. Really really focus on mastering the fundamentals first.

You're not doomed. I met someone who scored around an 800 on the old SAT but decided that he really wanted to raise his score to get into some good schools out of high school and he got some study materials from his library and managed to pull up his score to a 1590. He ended up going to Claremont McKenna and ended up becoming a venture capitalist.