PLT ON INST TRAINING FLT; AFTER MISSED APCH; ALLOWS ALT TO DEVIATE AT LEAST 200 FT. THE FLT INSTRUCTOR WAS BUSY AT OTHER CHORES.

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I WAS FLYING ON MY FIRST FLT IN SOLID IMC ON AN IFR FLT PLAN IN ALMOST 2 MONTHS. THE ACFT WAS STILL RELATIVELY NEW TO ME. I HAD JUST CHKED OUT IN IT ABOUT 2 WKS EARLIER. SHORTLY AFTER LEVELING AT 4000 FT I WAS DISTRACTED. WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT THE ALTIMETER IT WAS CLOSE TO READING 3800 FT. I DO NOT KNOW IF I ACTUALLY BUSTED MY ALT OR NOT. WHEN I CAUGHT MY ERROR; I WAS JUST INSIDE THE ALT LIMITS. I BELIEVE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO MY ERROR WERE: LOW TIME IN ACFT; NO RECENT IFR EXPERIENCE (EVEN THOUGH I WAS CURRENT); THE TURB; AND ALSO; WE HAD JUST MISSED THE VOR 21 APCH AT DANVILLE (MY FIRST MISS DUE TO WX EVER). THE APCH HAD BEEN PHYSICALLY DRAINING; AND THUS; WHEN I REACHED 4000 FT; MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO RELAX. I FEEL THAT THE EVENT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I WAS MORE EXPERIENCED IN THE ACFT TYPE; AND IF I HAD HAD MORE RECENT EXPERIENCE IN IMC CONDITIONS; UNDER IFR FLT PLANS. I DID HAVE A CFI ON BOARD; BUT HE WAS BUSY WITH OTHER TASKS WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. IF I DID HAVE ONE THING GOING FOR ME; IT WAS THE FACT HE WAS THERE. I WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE BEHIND THE ACFT IF I DIDN'T HAVE HIM TO HELP ME HANDLE CHARTS; RADIOS; ETC. IF I LEARNED ONE THING; IT WAS TO KNOW MY LIMITS; AND NEVER GIVE UP ON MY SCAN; EVEN FOR A SECOND.