I just Beat The GMAT!

My practice exam scores ranged from 580-610 and I was hoping I'd be able to score at least a 600 but my score was slighly below this range. The quant was CHALLENGING. Now, I've taken all kinds of practice exams--GMAC quant focus test, Kaplan tests, MGMAT tests, and of course the GMATPrep. I would honestly say that I literally 'guessed' on at least 5 questions during the test. I think I've done OG questions at least 2x over and enough practice tests to last me a lifetime Some people have said that the verbal is harder, but I beg to differ--I thought the verbal was much more tolerable than the quant (but then again, verbal is my strength).

My question is, should I try and take it again, but is the third time a charm? Has anyone taken the test more than 2x? Is it worth it taking it again in hopes in applying for the second round or just taking my time and deferring school a year? I've studied my ___ off for this but how much time/energy can be spent on an entry exam???

If you missed 600 on the second attempt as well and you don't think that you can significantly raise your score on the third attempt then I don't think there is any need to take it. Plus if you get the same score or lower a third time it will reflect negatively on your profile.

The GMAT is only one part of your application. There are other parts to it as well which if not up to the mark will seriously dent your application even with a top notch GMAT score.

Your chances also depend on your target school. Which schools are you aiming for MBA? You may want to research their mean and median GMAT scores.

I rarely have students that go up on the 3rd attempt. Usually, by that point, you've studied all you can and hit your ceiling.

So, unless you're going to do something drastically different (e.g., you didn't study much the first two times and now you're going to study 2 hours per day for 2 months, or you didn't take a prep class before but now you're going to), I don't think I'd take it again. As pointed out above, you're just as likely to go down/stay the same as go up.