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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) PREview exam assesses the professional competencies that medical schools look for. The PREview proves you can handle the human side of medicine. Practicing physicians and medical educators took the exam to help shape its current form.
The PREview evaluates eight core competencies:
Medical professionals see these eight areas as non-negotiable for anyone entering the profession. Schools that require or recommend the PREview use your score alongside your MCAT, GPA, and application materials to build a more complete picture of who you are as a future physician.
GPAs and MCAT scores tell admissions committees how well you study. The PREview tells them how well you'll:
Medical schools use the PREview because admissions officers want to see how you’ll handle ethical scenarios. The PREview gives admissions committees a standardized way to evaluate behavioral instincts before they offer you a seat.
Programs that require or recommend the exam tend to rely on it when differentiating between academically similar candidates. If your GPA and MCAT already put you in the competitive range, a strong PREview score can set you apart from other qualified candidates.
The PREview has hypothetical scenarios you might encounter as a medical student, and you’re required to rate the effectiveness of each response on a scale of 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective). You have to evaluate each option independently in context with the scenario.
Each scenario on the PREview will reflect real situations you might encounter as a physician, such as:
The exam also includes a few unscored field-test scenarios based on situations that practicing physicians face. You won't know which ones count to your overall score and which don't, so treat every question the same way.
The exam takes 75 minutes, but plan for a total session of 90 to 115 minutes, accounting for check-in, the exam agreement, and school selection afterward.
You take the PREview online from your own device, so choose a location with reliable internet and zero interruptions. Download the AAMC PREview Exam Essentials document from their website before test day to familiarize yourself with the portal interface.
Your PREview score is on a scale of 1 to 9, based on how closely your responses match those of experienced medical educators. The AAMC created the scoring model by having physicians and educators take the exam themselves and using their ratings as the benchmark.
Match their answers exactly, and you receive full credit. Deviate slightly, and you'll still earn partial credit. Answers that land far from the educator consensus will drop your score. The AAMC then converts your raw score to the 1-to-9 scale and sends that number directly to the schools you select.
No single "passing" score exists because each school weighs PREview results differently. A score of 7 or above generally signals strong alignment with professional expectations. Anything below 5 raises a red flag and may warrant a retake if the schools on your list require PREview results.
Plan your PREview test date around your application timeline. Score reports are released 30 days after each testing window, so work backward from your earliest application deadline.
Here are the complete 2026 PREview exam dates:
Verify current-year dates on the AAMC website, as testing windows change annually.
Register early. Dates from May-August fill up quickly because most applicants want PREview scores available for the primary application cycle.
If you're applying to schools that require the PREview, work backward from your earliest application deadline. Score reports take approximately 30 days to release, so register for a testing window that gives your scores enough lead time to arrive before secondary applications are due. Earlier windows offer more scheduling flexibility if you need to retake.
The PREview is not an academically difficult exam. You won't study organic chemistry reactions or memorize amino acid structures. The challenge is entirely behavioral and judgment-based, which makes it a different kind of challenging.
Most students underestimate the PREview because "there are no wrong answers." That mindset leads to mediocre scores.
Every response option sounds reasonable on the surface, but they’re designed to test whether you can decide between an effective approach and one that only avoids conflict.
Just picking "talk to the person" for every scenario won't earn you a high score if you can't identify when reporting, escalating, or stepping back is the stronger option.
Students who struggle most tend to answer based on what feels comfortable rather than what shows genuine professional judgment. The scenarios are intentionally uncomfortable. They put you in situations where empathy and accountability compete, and the exam rewards candidates who can exhibit both.
The PREview tests professional judgment, which means preparation is about showing how you think through interpersonal and ethical scenarios rather than memorizing material. You can’t study for the PREview exams the same way you’d study for the MCAT.
Start by downloading the AAMC PREview Exam Guide and completing every available official practice scenario. These free resources are the closest approximation to real exam content you'll find.
Most students read a scenario, pick what feels right, and move on. That approach won't increase your judgment. Use Inspira Advantage’s R-A-P framework instead:
When you finally read the options, rate each one independently on the one-to-four scale and write a one-sentence justification for every rating.
After you finish, compare your ratings against the AAMC's scoring explanations. Pay close attention to responses you rated as "effective" that the AAMC rated "ineffective." Those gaps will show you your weaknesses.
The most common error is rating conflict-avoidant responses too highly. If an option involves staying quiet, redirecting blame, or waiting for someone else to act, it almost always scores lower than you'd expect. The PREview consistently rewards proactive engagement over passive observation.
The PREview tests judgment, and judgment improves when you test it against other perspectives. Form a small study group of two to four people who are also preparing for the exam.
Work through practice scenarios individually first; then compare your ratings as a group. Focus the discussion on disagreements. When someone rates a response as "very effective" and you rated it "ineffective," explore the reasoning behind both positions. These conversations make you aware of assumptions you didn't even realize you were making.
Pay attention to patterns in your disagreements. If you consistently rate direct confrontation lower than your peers do, that shows a tendency toward conflict avoidance that will cost you major points. If you consistently rate "report the behavior" options lower because they feel extreme, you're likely underweighting ethical responsibility, one of the eight core competencies the exam measures.
Group practice also gets you more familiar with the exam format. The more scenarios you discuss, the faster you'll recognize which competency each question targets and what the scoring model rewards.
Work with Inspira Advantage to get help with your med school application. Our experts have over 20 years of experience helping students master difficult exams like the PREview.
A strong PREview score doesn't come from knowing the "right" answers. It comes from avoiding the reasoning traps that pull most students toward mediocre ratings. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid each one.
Talking through a problem is effective in many situations, but the PREview penalizes students who treat conversation as a one-size-fits-all solution. Some scenarios require you to:
Having a conversation isn’t always the most ethical decision.
So before you rate a response that involves talking to the person, look at what's actually at stake. If the scenario involves patient safety, a privacy breach, or an ethical violation, look for response options that include formal reporting or supervisor involvement.
Those options will almost always score higher than a conversation. Save the "let's talk about it" rating for interpersonal scenarios and teamwork conflicts where no policy or patient welfare is at risk.
Students often overrate responses that minimize conflict and underrate those that involve accountability. The PREview isn't asking what you'd personally prefer to do. It's asking what a competent future physician should do.
A scenario where a classmate violates patient privacy is a clear example. Many students rate "talk to your classmate about it" as very effective because confronting an actual school feels uncomfortable. But the AAMC rates "report the violation" higher because patient rights take precedence over social comfort.
Teach yourself to separate emotional discomfort from professional effectiveness. When a response option makes you slightly uncomfortable but clearly addresses the root issue, that discomfort is often a sign that you've found the higher-scoring answer.
Most students treat the scale as effective or ineffective. The PREview uses a four-point scale for a reason. Each number represents its own distinction.
Grouping those two categories into a single "good enough" bucket inflates your ratings and pushes them further from the educator benchmark.
Practice assigning ratings in pairs. After you rate each option, ask yourself whether a stronger version of that same approach exists among the other choices. If it does, the weaker version likely deserves a 3, not a 4.
You have 75 minutes for the exam, which breaks down to roughly five minutes per scenario. That's more time than you think you need. Students who finish early almost always leave points on the table.
Scenario setups have specific details that shift the entire context of each response option. A phrase like "your project is due in two weeks" or "the patient is critically ill" changes which responses qualify as effective. Missing those details leads to ratings that feel reasonable but miss the entire point of the question.
Read every scenario twice before you even touch the rating scale. On your first read, learn the entire situation at hand. On your second read, find the key constraint or tension. That constraint is what separates effective from very effective responses.
Every PREview scenario connects to one or more of the eight core competencies. Students who rate responses without identifying the target competency are guessing instead of reasoning.
Before evaluating any response option, determine the competency the scenario tests. For example, a question about a struggling teammate targets teamwork and service orientation. A question about a social media privacy breach targets ethical responsibility. Once you've identified the competency, rate each response based on how well it demonstrates that specific trait.
Always anchor your ratings to the competency framework, and you'll stop relying on just gut instinct. Gut instinct sounds good, but 9 times out of 10, it’s just a reflection of your personal values.
The competency framework reflects the professional standards around which the AAMC built the scoring model. Those two things can sometimes overlap, but it’s better to anchor all your responses in what a physician should do. Not what you should do personally.
The best way to prepare for the PREview is to work through realistic scenarios and study why the AAMC scores each response the way it does. Below are five practice scenarios from the official AAMC PREview Practice Exam Booklet:
“You are pursuing a two-week volunteer opportunity at a well-regarded local clinic. When you receive your course schedule, you realize the volunteer opportunity would conflict with your weekly required lab. This is the only time that the lab is offered this semester, so you are not able to make up the lab. Participation in the lab will count toward your grade.”
Rate each response from 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective)
“While viewing a classmate’s social media profile, you notice that your classmate has made negative comments about treating a recent patient. Your classmate describes the patient and the patient’s condition in detail, which violates patient privacy regulations.”
Rate each response from 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective)
“You are speaking with a patient who recently immigrated to the United States. The patient is undergoing minor surgery and asks you to contact their family in their home country if anything unexpected occurs. The patient shares the customs that should be followed when someone dies and asks you to ensure that those customs are respected.”
Rate each response from 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective)
“You are working in a hospital’s emergency department. This clerkship rotation has been particularly challenging. Your workload has become overwhelming and stressful. A lack of sleep combined with stress is starting to impact your judgment. You are concerned because you still have three weeks remaining in your hospital assignment.”
Rate each response from 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective)
“Your faculty instructor has assigned you the role of group leader for a discussion about medical ethics. Your course syllabus specifies that each student will receive a participation grade based on these discussions. During the discussion, you notice one student is starting to dominate the conversation. Other students seem to be frustrated that they cannot contribute.”
Rate each response from 1 (very ineffective) to 4 (very effective)
Start preparing eight to 12 weeks before your test date. Here's how to break that prep window into phases.
8 to 12 weeks out: Register for your preferred testing window, create your AAMC account, and download the AAMC PREview Exam Guide. Read the guide in one sitting and memorize the eight core competencies and the four-point rating scale definitions.
6 to 8 weeks out: Download all three AAMC PREview Practice Exam Booklets and work through Booklet 1 without time limits. Write down which competency each scenario tests before rating any responses, then check every answer against the scoring key and read every rationale. Track where your ratings diverge from the AAMC's by two or more points and identify which competency areas trip you up most.
4 to 6 weeks out: Move to Practice Exam Booklet 2 and identify the competency, predict responses before reading the options, rate independently, then compare against the key. Form a study group of two to four people and focus discussions on scenarios where your group's ratings diverge from the AAMC's. Revisit your Booklet 1 misses and re-rate them without the answer key to measure whether your calibration has improved.
2 to 4 weeks out: Take Practice Exam Booklet 3 under timed conditions (75 minutes, no breaks). Because you haven't seen these scenarios before, Booklet 3 is your most accurate simulation of the real exam. Compare your accuracy across all three booklets by competency area.
Final week: Review five to 10 of your most difficult scenarios and re-read the rationales one last time. Don't introduce new material. Do a final technology check, set two alarms for exam day, and get a full night's sleep both the night before and two nights before.
After score release: Scores arrive approximately 30 days after your testing window on a one-to-nine scale. Give yourself at least six weeks of additional preparation before any retake rather than registering for the next available window.
Here is a complete list of medical schools that require the PREview exam in 2026.
The programs below require a situational judgment test, and the PREview can satisfy that requirement.
Over 45 additional schools are currently exploring PREview for future admissions cycles. When you combine schools that require, recommend, and are actively evaluating the exam, nearly half of all AAMC-accredited medical schools are engaging with the PREview in some capacity.
Students applying broadly to multiple schools should treat the PREview as an increasingly important part of their application strategy, rather than as something only a handful of programs care about.
The AAMC PREview exam costs $105 per registration. Fee assistance is available through the AAMC's Fee Assistance Program (FAP) for eligible applicants. Check the AAMC PREview portal for the most current pricing and to confirm whether your FAP eligibility applies to the PREview registration fee.
No, you can’t select which PREview scores to send. All scores from the current testing year will be reported to the schools you designate, so admissions committees may see results from both an original attempt and a retake. Factor this policy into your decision about whether to retake, since a lower first score will still appear alongside any improvement.
No, the PREview and Casper are separate exams created by different organizations, and one does not replace the other. Some schools require PREview, some require Casper, and a few accept either to satisfy their situational judgment testing requirement. Check each school's admissions page directly to confirm which exam they expect, since requirements vary and can change between cycles.
Yes, you can take the PREview at any point during the testing year, regardless of your MCAT status. The two exams are independent, and the AAMC does not require you to complete the MCAT before registering for or taking the PREview.
Yes, the AAMC provides testing accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. Submit your accommodations request through the AAMC PREview portal well before your intended testing window, as the review process takes time.
Yes, PREview scores are valid for the testing year in which you take the exam. Schools receive scores from the current testing cycle, so scores from previous testing windows will not carry over. If you're reapplying in a new cycle, plan to retake the PREview during that year's testing windows.
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Physician
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
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