5 or 6 years work experience

You are absolutely fine with five years of work experience. I don't think you need to wait for another year.
Good luck:)

you already have plenty of work experience for a top program. in fact, there comes a point where the longer you wait actually starts to be a liability. one reason is that the more senior you are within an org, the harder it is to keep the same pace of progress at the more junior levels. most orgs are structured like pyramids, which means - by defnintion - there are fewer slots at the top. if you wait too long to apply, you may be at a point where your career progress is stalled, by no fault of your own.

the only time when it makes sense to have a bit more work exp is if you have a low GPA, or some blemish from your past that you want to put far behind you before applying.

hope that's helpful,
-james young

Thanks both for the replies. Based on what both of you said, I think I will apply sooner better than later. You kind of hit the nail on the head, I was going to wait try and get more experience to offset my GPA which is on the lower end but I think my GMAT and work experience will make me competitive. Thanks a lot.

if it's a low GPA you're trying to offset, there are a number of strategies you can employ. i've discussed a few of them in a series of articles around Low GPA. you can see that here: https://www.thefirstread.com/category/mb ... pa-series/

hope that's helpful,
-james young

You can use optional essay question to provide context for your low gpa .Make sure your reason is genuine to convince them that your low GPA occurred due to circumstances beyond your control .
To cite an example, one of the applicants I worked with had an excellent profile : a stellar GMAT ( 750+), an impressive 7 years of work experience, and numerous other academic achievements to his credit , but he had a low GPA because his family circumstances forced him to work round the clock throughout his undergraduate years in order to support his and his brother's education. He effectively used this life- experience in his optional essay to justify his low GPA...... He got interview call from all the five schools he applied to.So the key here is how convincing and authentic your story is.

I hope it helped.

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Thanks those were both extremely helpful. I did work during school but I do feel like a lot of my grades not being as high as I would like was just immaturity on my part. I also worked for a computer start-up that ended up being successful my last year which I think might have caused a grade slip. Do you think that is something to mention. Thanks for all the advice. You both have been very helpful.