I have taken GMAT twice and below are my results

12/08
V 29 / 53%
Q 42 / 63%
Total 590 / 63%
AWA 4.5 / 42%

3/09
V 35/74%
Q 43/68%
Total 640 / 76%
AWA 5.0 / 55%

Okay I know these aren't great by any means and I definitely don't have a shot at the schools I want to go (NYU P/T, Columbia, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon P/T). I believe if I can't get past 700 I won't be competitive.

Thing is all I did to prepare for the GMAT was buying a Kaplan GMAT study guide and I basically read thru the book twice and did 1 practice test (on paper, and got a 680). I studied for only a week before my second exam (read the book again). I thought I could waltz thru the GMAT and get a decent score and boy was I wrong!!!

Looking at my score, I feel my Q should be A LOT HIGHER. I am an engineer and English is not even my first language and yet I scored a lot higher on V than Q 2nd timer around.

If I take a GMAT prep course (I prefer classroom), and focus on nothing except the test for the next couple of months. Is it realistic and possible to get in 700+?

I guess what I am trying to ask is that is a GMAT prep class worth it ($1,400) and is it possible to raise my score between 60-100 pts based on my previous score breakdown?

Thanks....
desperate and depressed