congrats. Great score.

OG11 is a must.

Clayton,

I took a Kaplan course about 6 weeks prior to taking the test. So I went from 500 to 650 in a little over 6 weeks. I felt that Kaplans methods for tackling the verbal section are great overall. I was lucky enough to have a friend that is very active on these forums suggest the Manhattan SC book. I went front to back over the course of a couple of days and really felt comfortable doing SC afterward. I would strongly suggest taking a course if you question your ability to stay on course and to remain focused. With my job, I could have easily seen myself drifting off of my study plan. The course definitely requires you to stay on track. I am sold on the Manhattan prep books. I just bought all of the math ones for my next attempt.

Breakdown by practice tests:

Diagnostic: 500
CAT 1: 490
CAT 2: 540
CAT 3: 550
CAT 4: 560
CAT 5: 550
CAT 6: 610
GMAT Prep 1: 630
GMAT Prep 2: 590
GMAT: 650

You can see from the breakdown that Kaplan scores do not accurately reflect the GMAT but I still feel they were beneficial to me in my preparation. After CAT 5 I toned down my study habits, I really felt as though I was burning myself out so 10 days prior I went from putting in 4-6 hrs a day to about 2. I picked up the pace a few days prior to the test and tried to remain confident and build on my successes. My recommendation to any and all taking the GMAT...confidence is the key! Good luck!