Improving my FICO

[ajh_76]

I'm new to this and trying to improve my credit and score.  In general, how long will it take for me to see an improvement in my score?  If I pay everything on time and my collection accounts are paid off, how many points can I expect my score to increase in let's say 6 months?

[llecs]

Very little. Paying collections won't help your FICO score and FICO really doesn't reward you  for on-time payments, though you'll see improvements over time due to the  aging. I don't think you'd see a noticable gain over 6 months.

Now if those collections disappeared, your score would spike.

Welcome to the forums!

I'd suggest reading the following:

Common Abbreviations

Credit Scoring 101 - great for knowing what is in your credit score and to see how your score is impacted.

What Steps Do I Take - great for learning the repair process.

and Example letters - PFDs, GWs, DVs, etc.