I took the GMAT 5 times and got a 710 the last time. I had the flu the third time and my mom was in a car crash right before the 4th time. Harvard's application asks how many times the GMAT was taken. Will taking it this many times hurt my chances? Should I explain why in the optional essays to schools??

No, because it won't take away the fact that you did the test a 3rd time and 5th time (which would be the "real" 4th time since the one where your mom was in a car crash didn't count).

Regardless of what happened on your 4th attempt, the fact is you re-took the test a little too often. It's not going to make-or-break your application, but it will raise a few eyebrows.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com