In the perfect world, you would have taken the GMAT once and gotten the score you desired. However, this is not often the case. I usually advise candidates not to take the test again until they have mastered all the evil aspects of their GMAT (be honest with yourself, you know what they are). I remember a few years past I worked with a candidate who took the GMAT exam nine times before she got the score needed to be a competitive candidate at HBS -- and she got in. The director of admissions at the time was impressed with her tenacity -- as this process took her 1.5 years. Again, most of us have better things to do than study for the GMAT for this length of time -- but in her case it worked. She is now a consultant at Bain.
Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review