I'm a current undergrad senior but am interested in attending BSchool after a few years of work (I have a finance job lined up after college). I am going to take the GMAT next semester while I have a light schedule instead of saving it for when I'm working full time. Without doing any prep work or even learning what sort of questions would be on the exam, I scored a 570 on my first practice test. I'm really hoping to raise that to a 700 by the end of the semester. Is a rise of 100+ points common? I just bought the official guide books from GMAC, but am looking for some words of encouragement/sound advice.
Also, just to confirm, GMAT scores are good for five years right? So I can hang on to my score for the next five years without having to retake the exam?
Thanks!
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Brent@GMATPrepNow
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570 is a great baseline score (better than 1/2 the people who take the test AFTER fully preparing).
A 100+ point improvement is definitely achievable. If you check BTG's "I Just Beat the GMAT" forum, you'll find several such stories.
Yes, your scores are good for 5 years.
Advice-wise, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide). Over 40,000 Beat The GMAT students have already done so.
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.
Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline
Cheers,
Brent
A 100+ point improvement is definitely achievable. If you check BTG's "I Just Beat the GMAT" forum, you'll find several such stories.
Yes, your scores are good for 5 years.
Advice-wise, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide). Over 40,000 Beat The GMAT students have already done so.
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.
Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline
Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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Hi daa015,
Assuming that you're going to be applying to Business School within 5 years of taking your GMAT, your plan to study for it now and get it 'out of the way' is a smart move. Studying for the GMAT is NOT like studying for a College midterm or final exam though - you can't really cram for it and hit a 700+ score. The process is more akin to learning to play a musical instrument - it takes time, lots of reps, you'll need to learn the various content and tactics, you'll make mistakes then have to fix those mistakes, etc.
You have a solid starting score; the national average on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 each year, so this score result shows that you have a decent natural ability. To help you set your own expectations and plan out the next few months, you should know that most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies to hit their respective "peak" scores; during that time, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) on the process. The 700+ score is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to score at that level. Focusing on book-based study is usually not enough to get Test Takers to that level - you will likely benefit from a GMAT Course of some type (Guided Self-Study or Instructor-Led).
1) On this practice CAT, what were your Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal Sections?
2) Did you take the Essay and IR sections too?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Assuming that you're going to be applying to Business School within 5 years of taking your GMAT, your plan to study for it now and get it 'out of the way' is a smart move. Studying for the GMAT is NOT like studying for a College midterm or final exam though - you can't really cram for it and hit a 700+ score. The process is more akin to learning to play a musical instrument - it takes time, lots of reps, you'll need to learn the various content and tactics, you'll make mistakes then have to fix those mistakes, etc.
You have a solid starting score; the national average on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 each year, so this score result shows that you have a decent natural ability. To help you set your own expectations and plan out the next few months, you should know that most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies to hit their respective "peak" scores; during that time, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) on the process. The 700+ score is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to score at that level. Focusing on book-based study is usually not enough to get Test Takers to that level - you will likely benefit from a GMAT Course of some type (Guided Self-Study or Instructor-Led).
1) On this practice CAT, what were your Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal Sections?
2) Did you take the Essay and IR sections too?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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manyaabroadtpr
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Hi,daa015 wrote:I'm a current undergrad senior but am interested in attending BSchool after a few years of work (I have a finance job lined up after college). I am going to take the GMAT next semester while I have a light schedule instead of saving it for when I'm working full time. Without doing any prep work or even learning what sort of questions would be on the exam, I scored a 570 on my first practice test. I'm really hoping to raise that to a 700 by the end of the semester. Is a rise of 100+ points common? I just bought the official guide books from GMAC, but am looking for some words of encouragement/sound advice.
Also, just to confirm, GMAT scores are good for five years right? So I can hang on to my score for the next five years without having to retake the exam?
Thanks!
Score of 570 is good enough to start your preparations with and as you have enough time, you can pull up your scores to 700+. Remember, where there is a will there is a way!I am mentioning some strategy that you can follow to score good in the exam.
For GMAT preparation, time anywhere between 3 to 6 months is good enough and you can apply to the b-schools with that score within the next 5 years.
I would suggest you to start your preparation by giving a mock test first.This will help you identify your strong and weak areas.Then plan your strategy according to that.You can also take the help of mentors for improvement in your weaker areas by joining a coaching institute.
Hope this helps.Do let us know if you have further queries regarding your GMAT preparations.Wish you the best.www.manyagroup.com
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BestGMATEliza
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A 570 is definitely a great start and a 700 is possible. An important first step is to honestly assess your needs. For example, do you learn better on your own or in a classroom? Is your score skewed to one section or are your weaknesses pretty evenly spread out? These types of questions will help you answer what your best study plan should be: self-study, course or a tutor? There will be a lot of strategy and content to learn if you want a 700+, so at the bare minimum a comprehensive strategy guide set will be needed.
Hope this helps and good luck with studying!
Hope this helps and good luck with studying!
Eliza Chute
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JTuquero
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Hi daa015,daa015 wrote:I'm a current undergrad senior but am interested in attending BSchool after a few years of work (I have a finance job lined up after college). I am going to take the GMAT next semester while I have a light schedule instead of saving it for when I'm working full time. Without doing any prep work or even learning what sort of questions would be on the exam, I scored a 570 on my first practice test. I'm really hoping to raise that to a 700 by the end of the semester. Is a rise of 100+ points common? I just bought the official guide books from GMAC, but am looking for some words of encouragement/sound advice.
Also, just to confirm, GMAT scores are good for five years right? So I can hang on to my score for the next five years without having to retake the exam?
Thanks!
You've received some great advice on this thread, so I thought I'd just share some tips for when you get started on your GMAT prep:
1) If you haven't already, choose a test date and plan your study schedule backwards from the date you choose
2) Don't forget to monitor your progress
3) Realistically assess the amount of time you can devote to studying per week
4) Experiment with different learning environments, and choosing one or two that work best for you
5) Explore any additional test prep tools that work for you (e.g. note-taking on a scratchpad, forums)
6) If you find that you'll need to take a course, sign up for free trials to choose the course that works best for you.
Best of luck.
Jessica
The Economist GMAT Tutor Representative
https://econgm.at/freetrial7
https://econgm.at/freetrial7
