I've been reading this thread in the last month as I was preparing for the GMAT, so I thought I'd post. I took it today and got 750, 48 quant and 45 verbal.
I'm relieved to be done with it, though I was expecting, hmmm, a 770? Guess it's okay though
I thought I could have been a bit more careful on the verbal and raised my score to 47-48. That's what happens when you read too many posts by perfectionists like you guys
Now on to a quick recap of lessons learned:
For the foreigners out there, I'm an ESL student. So the verbal is NOT an unsurmountable obstacle. I've also always thought I was good at math, but could barely score 48-49, mostly due to carelessness.
Resources: I used the GMAT prep tests again and again. Take them as many times as you can, until you know all the questions. I used the
OG 11 sparingly--trying to find the hard questions. I did about 70% of the SC and 1/4 of everything else. I also used the tests of the old Powerprep software. The only other guide I used was Kaplan GMAT 800, which was pretty good. Helped me recap my math knowledge.
I'd advise against using too many prep materials. The
OG itself is humongous. I took the one free challlenge here; I could perhaps have taken more and raised my quant score a bit.
One great way to raise your verbal score is by reading: I read the New Yorker and the Economist cover to cover every week. If you don't read scientific articles often, read Science or a similar mag until the GMAT texts start to seem engaging. I was actually interested in all the reading on my exam, and even took a bit too long because of that. It also helps as you start to observe grammar patterns.
Scores:
From what I remember
GMAT prep 1 660 46/37
Taken again 710 44/42
GMAT paper test 700
Powerprep 1 720 48/42
Powerprep 2 770 50/45
Gmat Prep 2 750 46/48 (1 week before the test)
GMAt prep 2 one more time 780 50/48
Actual 750 48/45.
I studied for about a month and a half. I took about 1hr a day and did one test every weekend. I think more than that is too much.
Test experience: I was actually quite disappointed with the test center. The check in procedures are annoyingly long. Every time you take a break you have to wait for the administrator to take you in and out of the room. During my second break, I went over the time by 4 minutes because she wasn't there to let me in. Those 4 minutes probably cost me 10 or 20 points in the end!!!!
The writing pad is also really annoying. It might be worth to buy it before the test and practice with it. It's not a big deal but if you're nervous it's a distraction.
So, although I didn't hit 99% as per my original goal (sigh), I'm still planning to crack open the champagne. Thanks to everyone on this site; it was great motivation to me throughout!