from a 440 to a 500

Hi there,

It honestly depends, so there is no easy answer for you. Some people can study for a day and go up 100 points, and some people can study for months and not go up at all.

Whether you can go up 60 to 110 points quickly depends, among other things, on the type of problems you're having. For example, having issues with your fundamental math skills will take longer to fix than will just not knowing what a data sufficiency problem is.

There are some areas that tend to be quicker fixes than others. On math, I'd focus on common types of word problems (e.g., rate problems, distance problems, etc.) and basic math skills such as working with fractions and exponents. On verbal, sentence correction problems are usually easier to fix than are reading comp or critical reasoning issues. But again, there's really no way to know because everyone is different.

If you post more specific issues that you're having, I'm sure we'll be able to help you out more.

Ok I don't really understand the data sufficency problems, I've read about them and I kinda get what they mean, but when I answer them it doesn't make sense. When I took the test last night I found myself thinking about the DS problem then just guessing, so I need to work on those I think I'm OK at SC and comprehension from reading.
On three of the math problems they seemed really long, like they would take a bunch of time so I just guessed on those too, I know that is bad, but I figured if I got one like that on the actual test I would try then probably end up guessing then too. I know I need hep in a few math areas, so I'll be working on that too.

I guess what I'm looking for is a study schedule/plan to tell me how to start and keep going so I'm not just staring at a book waiting for it to hit me.

I want to have my scores in by June 1st, which is 15 days before the deadline, so I was thinking about taking the test April 7th then if I need to retake it I can on May 11th and still have 20 days for the scores to reach the school before the 1st of June.

Generally, you can take your test up to the date of the deadline (in your case, June 15th). Of course you should check with the specific school(s) you're applying to, however.

As for a study schedule, here's my recommended weekly breakdown:

5 hours for a practice test (full length, including essays, under test day conditions) and subsequent evaluation, analysis, and review of results.
5 hours of background study (i.e., don't do GMAT problems - work on foundational skills)
10 hours of GMAT problems and analysis (don't just breeze through as many problems as possible. It's quality over quantity here. I'd much rather see you take an hour to do four problems, but have you truly understand why the right answers are right, wrong answers are wrong, traps, tricks, etc. That said, a good goal is roughly 10 problems per hour. Any faster than that and you aren't analyzing the problems deeply enough.)

More is better - but not past the point of burnout. Don't push yourself too hard, as there definitely comes a point of diminishing returns. Try to take a day off each week on which you don't think about the GMAT.

Another good way to study is to intersperse a little GMAT throughout your day without realizing it. For example, try to calculate things in your head before relying on a calculator, or pick apart your coworkers' emails for grammatical errors. Reading well written material for half an hour or so per day is also a good way to practice for the verbal sections with minimal pain.

Also, focus your study on the appropriate level of question. Don't stress yourself out over the 700-level stuff if you're aiming for a score in the 500s. Study the foundational material and easy to mid level questions that you'll actually see on your GMAT rather than the most difficult probability and permutation problems.

Good luck!

Thank you so much!!