hey all, took the gmat sat. and am pretty happy to walk out with a 680. the math was much trickier than what i had practiced so the split was quant 43, verbal 40.
here's my study plan and advice:
i worked basic strategies with kaplan's software. practice tests ranged from 550-600. concurrently did the problems in GMAT 800 by kaplan (very helpful), while practicing with the official guide the entire time. I found that learning the strategies and then immediately applying them to problems in the OG was very effective for me.
I also used
https://www.800score.com to supplement since they have practice tests that help with pacing. i thought the practice tests were helpful, their verbal is harder than the real thing and their math is a little easier. practice tests ranged from 660-690. which was pretty close to what i got, just split up differently between quant & verbal.
the powerprep exams are OK. i think they are easier than the real deal. PP1 score was 630. i took this within the first 2 weeks of prep. then i took powerprep 2 after about halfway thru the OG and scored 730.
AWA- the Kaplan software &
https://www.800score.com were the best. their approach & methodolgy was easy to absorb the final 2 weeks.
i studied for about 3 months, and in the final days i was just sick of looking at this stuff. i would feel ill every time i cracked open the OG. so i just put it on the shelf and tried to relax the final 3 days. be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before (very improtant), drive out to the test center in advance (duh), and take a **** before you take the test (often overlooked). good luck people! 8)