Re-take GMAT for the fourth time?

[AMAQ1988]

Hi,
I am currently going through an internal debate on whether or not I should retake the GMAT a 4th time. Below are my summary results from the past three times:

1st attempt: 590 - Q36 / V35
2nd attempt: 610 - Q38 / V37
3rd attempt: 660 - Q43 / V38

I have a few key takeaways from this set of scores. First, I have been improving on all fronts each time I take it (overall/quant/verbal), which is re-assuring since each time I took it I dedicated more time an effort into studying, so it is definitely "comforting" that working harder paid off. Second, I am obviously stronger on verbal than on quant (by the way I am a non-native english speaker) and feel much more comfortable and confident during the actual test when I'm on the verbal section than when I'm on the quant section. Third, I made the greatest gains on quant section (my 'weak' section) and made more modest but still positive gains in verbal. That being said it would seem that if I were to maintain my current verbal level or slightly increase while at the same time focus my time on improving quant even more, I might be able to hit a 680-690 range or maybe even a 700.

This is where the doubts start kicking in. Although my trend/data clearly shows improvement on all fronts and it would seem somewhat logical to give it one more try and get closer to the 700 mark focusing on improving quant, my main concern is the following: How much would a 4th attempt to achieve a 20-40pt gain reflect commitment/persistence in a positive way v.s. simply reflecting what is true for most (not all) of the gmat test-takers, which is that with enough attempts and enough hours of study/effort you will eventually get to your target score (or very close to it) and therefore a 4th attempt does not really add that much value to an application even if the gain is the desired one.

I would appreciate any feedback/advice on my situation. In case needed for a very general 'application strength' assessment when answering this question, I have a major in economics/minor business and have been working at a top tier investment bank for the past four and a half years ( I mention this only because I would consider that somewhat as counter-balances to my low quant score).

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

It is not true that simply studying more / "enough" will get you to your goal, so first of all, congratulations on lifting your score already by 70 points!

Most schools just pay attention to your highest score, so they aren't actually going to be keeping track of how many times you've taken it. The real question here is whether you feel you have it in you to do more. When deciding that, also think about how else you could be spending that time and effort, and what kinds of scores are typical for the programs to which you want to apply.

If you want to apply to programs with 650 averages, and you could use that study time to instead get a promotion at work (or something like that), then that extra time is probably better spent not studying for this test again.

If you want to apply to programs with 700 averages, and you don't have any better way to spend that study time, then that extra time is better spent trying again.

If the answer is somewhere in the middle, then you have a harder decision to make.

What do you think?