How I did it:
First of all - thank you everyone who has read my story and congradulated me. It was definitely a long hard road and I know many of you are currently on it so I wish you all the same luck.
Most of you are already familiar with the GMAT - so a course such as Kaplan or Manhattan is really unecessary. The most important tools are:
OG11
Verbal and Quant
OG Supplement Guides
The Kaplan Course Book (has some valuable lessons in it)
The GMAT Club
A good tutor if you have the means
Outside of materials, you need to make sure you are taking care of yourself physically. Exercise 3-4 days per week, mostly cardio to keep your blood flowing and your stress down. Increasing circulation is a good thing for your brain and will only benefit you in the long run. I also tried to eat a lot of vegetables and took a multi-vitamin. Of course I had a little wine now and then, ate Chinese food, and pizza - but for the most part I tried to be good.
For prep - take a GMAT Prep to see exactly where you stand. The last time I took the exam was August so I had taken a long break. Figuring I had mostly forgotten the material I took a test and scored a 680 - so I knew improving was going to be possible since my skills were still there. I did the entire SC section in the
OG verbal supp, and the problem solving and DS section in the
OG quant supp. I reviewed my errors and tried them again.
Then I met with my tutor - saw him once per week for 4 weeks of prep. It took me about a month to pull this off (after almost a year of being in the mid 600's). I took both powerprep exams within 4 days of eachother - scoring a 690 and a 720. The 720 really boosted the confidence although the test itself is pretty easy compared to the real GMAT. I went over all the errors I made with my tutor when we met.
Then I went through the Kaplan course book - did every math problem in it - avoided the verbal because only the official verbal will truly tell you where you stand. I also started hanging out in the verbal section of this forum and answering questions - trying to understand why the correct answers were correct and how to tell when something is wrong.
My tutor also helped me see that I was making the same errors on every test in both the math and verbal section. I had problems with modifier SC's which are some of the more common SC questions. So once that was pointed out I worked to improve on that area. I also had trouble on the DS and he showed me how to use Algebra even on questions that didnt look that complicated - and it really helped.
I also retook the GMAT prep about 6 times before the exam. The week of the exam I took one per day almost just to get my brain used to the timing and the endurence needed to do well. I also like the fact that the math section seems to be different every time although the verbal has many repeats. I even did the essays once just to get the idea of a full sitting. The key is to just keep retaking it, both sections, and reviewing your mistakes. The two days before the test I scored a pair of 740's so I felt confident but of course in the back of my mind I was nervous.
Another key is to believe in yourself. Know that you are intelligent enough to pull this off and envision yourself doing it - over and over. When doubt slips into your mind, fight it. You can beat this thing, with a consistent prep effort and a positive attitude you will do well.
You need to hit the materials for 1-2 hours per day during the week and probably 5+ per day on the weekends (including at least one practice test per week and pick it up near the end to force your brain to be ready). But keep in mind we all learn differently - so look at all the other stories here and pick what works best for you.
This is like the mental olympics - if you train correctly you will get your score. If you have any questions let me know - best of luck.