Widespread Panic

Wow, thank you so much. That was more information then I could have ever hoped for. I cancelled my score today because I knew I needed to better prepare for this test. I probably would have scored in the mid 600's, but thats not good enough for the schools I am interested in.

They say that the PowerPREP is the closest indicator of what you will get with your real score. A bad grade doesn't condemn you yet, because you still have another month to study for it. I would suggest studying for another month and then with a week left before your real test, take the second CAT. I bet it shows improvement.

Hey All, My name is Evan and I am brand new to this forum. I have been studying for the GMAT both at work and home for about a month and a half using only the KAPLAN guide to the GMAT. I was studying I would say 8 to 12 hours a week, but not in any consistency. Just basically when I had the time at work. I figured (foolishly albeit) that reading the entire book would be good enough to score well. Finally, come friday night I took my first CAT score, and did miserable. I found it hard transistioning from Paperback to computer screen. I completed my second test yesterday, which although showed slight improvement, it wasn't marginally good enough to make myself confident about my real GMAT today (which is about 2 hours from now). So yes, I plan on showing up, taking it, and instantly cancelling my score. I'll think of it as a really expensive practice test. I realize now, that I had not given myself enough time to ready myself for the exam. I need to purchase the [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip], and probably another study guide because while I do pretty well on 7/8th's of the math, I can't complete SC for my life. Anyway, I have a couple of questions that I was wondering if anyone was capable of answering. These questions directly relate to how I plan to study the second time around. Any help would be very appreciated. Question 1: Does the CAT tests ever get updated so that more practice can be done? Or is it once you have taken the two tests, that's it? In other words, do they ever have new releases of those test's so that one can practice them again. Also, if they don't update them, are there any other computer based practice tests out there that can simulate the real test well? Question 2: Which study guide offers the best explanation of SC grammar. It seems like everytime I look at one of those questions, I am constantly perplexed. What is the best way to approach these questions outside of KAPLANS approach, because it does nothing for me. Question 3: I have a decent grasp on Math, but it seems like there is so much material to cover that I will never become a commanding force on the really tough math. Is it just a matter of memorizing certain methods? Question 4: Everyone talks about how important the [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] is to doing well on the test. Why? Aren't the questions just like the practice in KAPLAN? Question 5: Do most people do well on SC because they understand the grammar well, or because they have practiced it so much with the OG? Thats the brunt of my ponderings. Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed any light on these questions for me. -Evan