Dear Manhattan GMAT,

I just took my first practice exam before I start my Manhattan GMAT course this week just to see where I am at, and scored a 520. This was based on having not studied at all, just to see where I am at. Is this a normal score for the first practice exam? Is it common for students to get this score in their first exam, but after taking the course, to eventually score somewhere around a 700 during the actual exam?

thanks!

I have definitely had students who started in the low 500s (with little to no practice / experience) and ended up in the high 600s or low 700s after diligent study. Not everyone breaks 700, of course - that's a very hard score to get. But it isn't unusual if you took the exam "cold" (that is, you didn't really study beforehand).