 TITLE: What Credit Score Is Needed for a Personal Loan? CONTENT: Improve Your Credit Score Before Applying\n-----------------------------------------\nIt's always a good idea to check your credit score before you apply for any loan and, depending on how urgently you need your personal loan, it could be to your benefit to take six months to a year to focus on improving your credit score before submitting your application. You won't be able to convert a score in the fair range to one that's exceptional in that short a time, but you might be able to bump a fair score up to good, or a good one to very good—improving your odds of getting a loan in the first place, or of getting a favorable interest rate.\nThe steps you can take to improve your credit score quickly will depend in part on your individual credit history (and the risk factors that appear with your credit score may help focus your efforts most efficiently). But the following steps often have the quickest impact, and can lead to appreciable score increases within 12 months or even less:\n*   Pay down outstanding credit card balances, especially on any accounts with balances that exceed 30% of their borrowing limit.\n*   Pay all your bills on time without fail.\n*   Avoid applying for any new loans or credit cards, to give the impact of any recent credit inquiries time to subside. END