First GMAT Mock Completed Cold Scored 470...How bad is this?

Question

Hey Guys,

I just completed the Princeton Review GMAT mock test online; i did this with zero preparation, i just put a study plan together and the first thing i did was this mock. I have been out of school for 4 years, I scored 470 (30 math, 25 english) i believe...my goal is to score at least 680. I am on a 12 week study schedule as i work full time..is it likely that i will improve my score significantly? I need a confidence booster big time.

marymayi · Answer

Well, that's what you get for taking it cold. ;-)

I wouldn't honestly read anything into it. While those tests are fairly accurate, the fact that you had no exposure at all to the GMAT itself and haven't done any practice in those areas in some time means the score is relatively meaningless. So shrug it off, pick up a review guide (PR's guide is actually really solid, I would get that one), and go through it from beginning to end. Get the Official Guide and do a good 15 or so practice questions, if not more, before taking another test. If you're tanking on the practice questions, keep working at those before taking another timed test. Twelve weeks in general should be plenty of time to prep. Just stay on top of your prep schedule and you should be fine.

Victor81 · Answer

Thanks, I needed that

...I think thats exactly what i am going to do and then hopefully i will see some significant improvement.

lsuguy7 · Answer

I scored a 470 on my first PR Practice Test. I'm now scoring around 700 on GMATPrep, PowerPrep, Manhattan Tests. So I think you should be fine, just use it as a wake up call to yourself that you are going to need some prep but with a little work you can get there.

Liquid · Answer

Sounds oddly similiar. I took my first test cold to see where I stood, and scored a 490. Within a short while I was around the 590-600 mark. Took the GMAt prematurely and scored a 580. Now my current practice exam scored me at a 620 as of last night.

Frustrating thing is that my verbal is awesome, but my quant is still really a huge struggle!

Frustrating thing is that my verbal is awesome, but my quant is still really a huge struggle!

jimmy23 · Answer

Hi,
Even i have scored 450 in my first attempt but now there is a boom in my scores i am sure by practicing more who will also increase your marks anyways best of luck.

londonHK · Answer

Don't be discouraged! I started off with a practice test around the 490 mark. Since I had no time to study for the GMAT since I was studying for the LSAT, working full time and also working a part time job, I only did extremely minimal studying (reviewing math concepts) for a few weeks. Then 2 weeks before test day, I started doing practice full-length tests a few evenings a week (and 3-4 hours of quant practice on evenings when I wasn't doing practice tests). I scored 740 on test day. So trust me, don't be discouraged by your first practice test. It means very little.

Victor81 · Answer

Its definitely encouraging to hear other peoples experiences on this forum as they have or are likely going through the same process. Its even more encouraging to hear that most people show significant improvement with practice. Before I started studying, and when I mentioned the GMAT to friends who never wrote it, the common response was oh its high school math, you were pretty good at it you should do fine...so going into the practice was def a wake up call i needed, I think the most difficult thing for me will be dealing with the time constraint, but that comes with practice.

thx guys and best of luck to those who have not written yet.

thx guys and best of luck to those who have not written yet.

Vish1990 · Answer

Hi All,

I have been preparing for the GMAT for the last two months.

I started taking full tests from Mar-02. So far,

Mar-02 : GMAT Prep test 1 : Score : 620
Apr-05 : MGMAT Free test : Score : 650
Apr-12 : Princeton test 1 : Score 510
Apr-12 : Princeton test 1 : Score 530

I am not sure why my score reduced drastically in the princeton tests. Can someone please explain

Is princeton's scoring method tougher ?

Regards,
Vishwanath

Is princeton's scoring method tougher ? Regards, Vishwanath

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First GMAT Mock Completed Cold Scored 470...How bad is this?

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