GMAT Strategy

I've just walked in home from the test centre and walked out with a 580 - not a horrific score but not brilliant for the schools/courses I'm aiming for. I'm pretty upset about this, I've been studying bit by bit since August, I was hoping for a 680-700 score. I was hoping you guys could please give me some much needed advice:
1) My scores/deadlines
I sent my scores to three of the schools/courses I'm sure I want to apply to (the other two not so sure). Two of them have their deadlines mid to late January but one the deadline is 1st January, can I assume that by the time I do some more sufficient revision to boost my score and do the test it will be too late to get the official scores in before the deadline that falls of Jan 1st but it will be fine for the other two. Did it matter that I chose to send this score to them initially anyway? Am I correct in thinking, even if I hadn't sent it this time, If I had sent in another set of scores they would have received these ones?

2) My revision plan
How can I boost my score in say a month? I've seen on Beatthegmat that people revise all day, I work on weekdays so I don't have the time. In fact over the 3/4 months the most I managed on weekdays was about 2-3 hours after work. Also are my target scores attainable? (Goodbye Christmas!) .
Also how to approach things now? I want to completely focus but the whole ordeal is kinda disheartening. �
Any advice would be appreciated.

You can take the test in a month n send them to ur preferred schools.

Yes..you can definitely improve ur score in a month. You just need to invest 2-3 hrs on weekdays and more on weekends.

Best of luck!!

karanrulz4ever wrote:You can take the test in a month n send them to ur preferred schools.

Yes..you can definitely improve ur score in a month. You just need to invest 2-3 hrs on weekdays and more on weekends.

Best of luck!!

Thank you karanrulz, I was wondering what books did you use to revise? (the link to your 740 debrief gets an http 404 error) I initially used Kaplan premier and the GMAC Official guide. I exhaused the gmac software and had to reset the tests I had for the Kaplan online guide...

I have bought the GMAC quant and prep guides and I'm looking at the Kaplan 800 - again, not aiming for 800 (but it would be nice) but I was thinking it could at least help me on harder questions to pull up my score?

Any ideas from anyone else? Anything would be apprciated