Between the two exams, I studied for maybe a total of 10-12 hours. I took my mind off studying and relaxed and hung out with friends quite a bit. I feel I studied too much and burned myself out the first time around.
The test center was very warm the first time and I went into the exam with a headache. I made sure to wear appropriate clothing during my second shot.
During my second shot, I finished the Essay and the Quant sections with quite a bit of time left, but had to rush through the last 6-10 questions on verbal (less than 1 minute/question). However, paying closer attention to the questions in the beginning certainly helped, though I should have paced myself.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will be more than happy to answer them.