what is more important than your actual score is why your score is what it is.

somebody can have a 700+ and only have had 1 credit card with a 500$ limit that they had a balance on for 3 or 4 months. sure, their score is good but most lenders wont take a chance on them because their experience is too limited.

and carrying a zero balance/paying stuff off early isnt always a good thing, you need to have a proven history of on-time payments.