General Should I retake the MCAT if it's about to expire for most schools?

[Mr.Smile12]

After getting no II for this cycle so far, I believe it is definitely time to think about reapplying. Unfortunately this was my 3rd time applying for medical school, and the latest MCAT I took was in June 2016. It was my 3rd retake but I got a 517 (29 and 507 before).

I naively applied the 1st time and realized my stat were not good enough and wasted the 1st time. I made a school list that probably will accept a June 2016 MCAT score based on oldest MCAT considered date on the latest MSAR and filtered them to be more OOS friendly (CA Resident). Right now I have a full time job and I would like to avoid retaking the MCAT again (since it will be my 4th) but I feel like the school list is quite top heavy and small (only 17). Do you think I should just bite the bullet and retake the MCAT? Should I take a break from my job to study? Thank you and let me know if you would like more information. I listed some basic stat for my 2019 app.

CA Resident
GPA: 3.72 sGPA 3.68
MCAT: 29, 507, 517
Research: 1 year undergrad
Volunteering: Mostly clinical 517 hours
Shadowing: 77 hours
Misc EC: Chair for a club, backpacking & danced for a year in college.
Employment: 1 year as clinical laboratory tech (full time & currently job)

Schools that probably take MCAT from June 2016 for 2020 (will confirm)

Boston University School of Medicine August 1, 2014
California Northstate University College of Medicine January 1, 2015*
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine April 1, 2015
Central Michigan University College of Medicine January 1, 2015*
Emory University School of Medicine January 1, 2015*
Ohio State University College of Medicine January 1, 2015*
Saint Louis University School of Medicine January 1, 2015
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University April 1, 2015
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine June 1, 2015
University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine June 1, 2015
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine January 1, 2015*
University of Colorado School of Medicine January 1, 2015*
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine January 1, 2015* (confirmed)
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry January 1, 2015*
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health January 1, 2015*
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine June 1, 2015
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University April 1, 2015

To directly address your question, I would certainly plan on retaking the MCAT but I'm a little concerned a bit that you have already taken it three times in a generally short period of time and didn't get in. You should already be generally familiar with the exam, so you don't really need to take that much time off to re-learn your content. You need the time to focus on test-taking strategies (presuming you really do know your content).

You really should get some insight from an admissions counselor and/or pre-health advisor because I'm not sure if it's a question of timing, something in your application, or your match/mismatch with your list. It sounds like you need a little better advice on your entire application, not just your MCAT.

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[Goro]

Yours is a challenging situation. After three tries, I normally advise people to look into other careers. You have a red flag in that your are a 3x taker and so many schools will be averaging your scores. But of your school list, I think that your chances are good with the following:

Boston University School of Medicine August 1, 2014
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine April 1, 2015
Emory University School of Medicine January 1, 2015*
Saint Louis University School of Medicine January 1, 2015
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University April 1, 2015
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine June 1, 2015
University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine June 1, 2015
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine (ONLY if you're from the Inland Empire)
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry January 1, 2015*
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University April 1, 2015

As a 3x applicant and MCAT taker, you have to have some DO schools on your list as well.

IF you are going to retake the MCAT, you should not take it until you are 100% ready.