GMAT Strategy

Hello! I REALLY need advice from fellow GMAT takers! I really hope you guys can help me out!

I started studying for the GMAT sometime in March, my initial score was 450 (Quant 20, Verbal 29).

First I took private tutoring for about 2.5 months in both Quant & Verbal to fix my basics. I used the OG 10th guide to prepare, along with some additional material that the tutors provided. However, I never completed all the verbal material.

By May I had improved my score by 100 points to 550. I was mostly focused on Quant as that was really very poor. I kept working on it & used Kaplan, Manhattan and GmatPrep to gauge my performance. I took 2, 3 Manhattan tests (avg score 600), 1 GmatPrep Tests (score 530) and 2, 3 Kaplan tests (avg score 550).

On May 28th, I finally took my first GMAT test and scored 550, Quant 36, Verbal 29. I had to get at least a 580 so I was disappointed. I was able to get an extension from the grad school and I decided to take it a month later as I was quite sure I could reach 580 at least with more practice.

This time I didn't take any private tutoring as I felt that my tutors had done what they could and their interests had diminished. So I used the beatthegmat forum and the GMATfix website. I also completed the Manhattan SC guide.
I also completed OG 12 and the OG companion guide alongwith it. However, again I wasn't able to complete all the Verbal material and again, I reaally focused on Math.

After about 3 weeks, I saw that I had improved by 50 points already, all my practice test scores (i did new tests & did gmatprep once again) were in the 600 range and for Quant I was consistently scoring in the 40-45 range while Verbal was around 30-32. I was feeling good about the test but I was also beginning to get a bit restless.

So on June 29th, I took my 2nd test........and got 550 again! Quant was 39 and Verbal dropped by 2 points to 27 - my lowest ever!! I wasn't nervous at the test, I was very pumped and really ready to kick its *** (well, sort of ) and my energy only dropped once I saw my score

Based on this I didn't get admission but now I am aiming for January 2011 admission. I have 3 years of professional work experience; my CV demonstrates 'career progression but I do have an average GPA of 3.0. So clearly GMAT plays a BIG role in my application.

So now since I'm not a quitter, I will retake the test in September (to meet the Oct 1st deadline) and I REALLY NEED YOU GUYS TO HELP ME OUT!

I'm not sure what I should do. I am a bit burned out but I don't want to waste any time either. I have not been working since I started studying for the GMAT (I am taking my own 'gap' year!) and I have been 'constructively' studying at least 6, 7 hours every day and but I'm still not seeing results that truly reflect my effort.

I'm not sure what I should do now? I don't want join another course as they will again teach the basics which I have decent grasp of by now. I need to do higher level questions but I also need ' really good' explainations. I liked the OG companion solutions but in Verbal there is no such guide. Also, sometimes the Verbal explainations seem very odd and subjective to me, at times. So far, i havent met a teacher in India who can give good explainations for verbal...i've had two teachers and both were, at times, not sure about answers.

I have done two OG guides and doing them again won't help me as I know the answers. What other books or software can I use? I really want to ensure that I get as close as possible to a 650 this time. I spoke to my tutors and they are insisting that I redo all materials again and if anyone from India is reading this post they also suggested that I do every single Quant VIP test from Jamboree. I have done about 16 of them and I found that most of the questions are from OG 12...is this really good practice material??

I know that this time around I cannot ignore Verbal so what are the good materials for Verbal? I had been practicing RC by reading a lot on the computer but I didn't do more the 30 passages prior to the exam because I was scoring 80% correct most of the time. and I am definitely not weak at English. I didn't prepare for the essays at all and I scored 5.5 both times. In fact, writing in english is one of my strengths (ignore this post though! lol) So I'm not sure where I go wrong when doing questions.

Also timing is a BIG issue for me! I used a stop watch to time myself throughout my practice. I used to take 5 minutes or more to solve every math question and now I am down to 1.5- 2 minutes per question on average, sometimes even less. I never finish the test even in my practice attempts. I always have anywhere from 10 -7 questions left and in the last 50 secs I quickly pick mostly d's and c's so that theres no penalty for not completing. So what should I do improve my timing??

This time I want to score a 48 in Quant and a 37 in Verbal. I haven't given up on the GMAT at all and unless I don't get what I want I will not stop even if I end up delirious! Lol nah not really

So please helppppppppppppp me! This is a very long post so I'm summarizing below what areas I need to work on.

1. Verbal - I need to improve my overall score from 27 to 37 - how and what materials should i use? I have the 1000 RCS file which I can keep doing. For CR what should I use? And SC- any other material or should I redo the Manhattan SC more thoroughly?

2. Quant - What should I do to improve my timing?? Done OG 10, 12 and gmatfix's OG companion. What is the next level of prep I need in quant? Also, what is a good source for clearing doubts? I feel my tutors don't really know the 'shortcuts' ...which prep material can provide solutions that can help minimize time?

3. Also, should I do something else on the side or go crazy studying GMAT again? Before my second attempt I was getting a bit burnt out so maybe I should take up some activity to keep my mind fresh? Or is it that based on my target I should spend even more time everyday?!

4. Also, I have spend a considerable amount of money on my prep and I really don't want to spend more...im not working at the moment and this prep is beginning to cause a dent in my savings! So please make suggestions considering $$$$

5. Lastly, is it true that GMAT is easier in countries outside India? I am a dual citizenship holder. I did my schooling in Canada but I came back to india to stay with my family for a yr. So should I go back to Canada or go to Nepal maybe to give the test????? Lol A lot of people say its easier outside India so I'm just wondering...

THANKS A LOT TO ANYONE THAT REPLIES!!!!!!! & HAPPY GMATING! :0)