PREview is a new situational judgment test developed and administered by the AAMC. Very few medical schools currently require it, but that is likely to change in the coming years. Similar to the Casper test, PREview assesses your soft skills, so it’s not an exam you can study for. That said, it is certainly one you can prepare for by completing PREview sample questions and practice tests.
In this guide, we break down a selection of PREview sample questions, including what the correct answers are and why the questions are being asked.
What Is PREview, and Do You Need to Take It?
The AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam is a standardized situational judgment test that was created to assess a premed’s understanding of effective and ineffective professional behaviors.
It’s made up of a series of hypothetical scenarios that students may encounter in medical school. Students are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral responses to each of these scenarios in a multiple choice format.
Admissions committees will use the applicant’s responses to conclude if they have the empathy, communication skills, temperament, and ethical decision making required to be an effective medical student and future physician.
The PREview exam is quite new on the scene, so it has yet to be adopted by a large number of programs. As of 2024, only a handful of schools require applicants to take the exam, and another handful recommend it. If you’re applying this year, it’s quite possible that you will not have to worry about taking the PREview exam.
View the list of all medical schools participating in the PREview.
How to Answer PREview Questions
The PREview exam presents examinees with hypothetical scenarios based on real-life situations in healthcare, educational, and other settings. The questions were developed for premeds, so you do not need healthcare experience to score well on the test.
The scenarios are linked to the AAMC’s premed competency model, which includes professional, science, and thinking and reasoning competencies.
Professional Competencies:
- Cultural Awareness
- Cultural Humility
- Commitment to Learning and Growth
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Empathy and Compassion
- Resilience and Adaptability
- Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
- Reliability and Dependability
- Interpersonal Skills
The Science Competencies:
- Human Behavior
- Living Systems
Thinking and Reasoning Competencies:
- Critical Thinking
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Scientific Inquiry
- Written Communication
There are 30 different scenarios included in PREview. Each scenario set is made up of a scenario—a short paragraph describing a dilemma a student could face in medical school—and items (responses). The items describe the possible actions you could take in response to the dilemma, and it’s up to you to rate the effectiveness of each response using a **4-point scale:
1 = very ineffective, 2 = ineffective, 3 = effective, and 4 = very effective.
VERY INFECTIVE: The response will cause additional problems or make the situation worse.
INEFFECTIVE: The response will not improve the situation or may cause a problem.
EFFECTIVE: The response could help but will not significantly improve the situation.
VERY EFFECTIVE: The response will significantly improve the situation.
The number of items will vary with each scenario, but there are 186 questions in total on the test. The entire test, including an introduction and other administrative duties, takes 90-115 minutes to complete, but you have 75 minutes to complete the test itself.
The score key was developed through a collaboration between the AAMC and professional medical educators. These professionals were asked to go through the PREview exam themselves and rate the effectiveness of each response. Their responses determined the scoring key.
If your answer is the same as a medical educator, you are awarded full points. If it’s close, you’re awarded part points.
Essentially, admissions committees want to see that you are a well-rounded candidate who prioritizes professionalism, critical thinking, ethics, empathy, and effective communication. When evaluating how you could respond to a situation, remember a school’s general code of conduct, laws, how everyone feels in the situation, and how others will be affected by your decision.
To learn what AAMC is looking for and how to answer, read the sample questions and explanations below.
PREview Sample Question #1
Sample Question From AAMC
You are attending a guest lecture about a subject that is very important to medical students’ clinical education. The lecture was organized by one of your professors. Although there are multiple valid perspectives on the subject, the guest lecturer focused their presentation on only one perspective. As the question and answer section begins, the lecturer is quickly dismissing other valid perspectives in their responses to students’ questions.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Consider the merits of the lecture and what you can learn from the lecturer.
2. After the lecture, submit a request to your professor to provide resources on the other perspectives.
3. After the lecture, suggest your professor reconsider inviting the guest lecturer back in the future.
4. After the lecture, tell the guest lecturer their behavior was unprofessional.
5. After the lecture, suggest to the guest lecturer that they consider alternative perspectives in future discussions.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
This is a very common but nuanced scenario you’ll face in medical school, where you have an expert lecturer speaking about a subject that is important to your education. There are many times these guest lecturers only focus on what they know and dismiss or simply do not cover other perspectives.
For a diverse student body, this can be troublesome, and rightfully so. In addition to the lecturer being unilateral and one-sided in their presentation, the Q&A can also take this same form. Valid perspectives may be dismissed, and there is often a power differential going on.
Questions relating to a power differential between two people are very common in ethics. What do you do when you see someone exerting their power over others?
How to Answer
1. Consider the merits of the lecture and what you can learn from the lecturer.
Correct Answer: Effective
This is a very straightforward response. The lecturer is an expert, so you can certainly learn something from their perspective and take it upon yourself to learn from others. While this puts the onus on the learner, this is often what medical school is like. Students must dig and find their own resources and determine different biases on their own. This tests your ability to stay rational and open-minded.
Now, the reason this is only rated as “Effective” is because you are only thinking about yourself, not your classmates. Keep in mind that your empathy and emotional intelligence is being assessed on this exam, so demonstrating your understanding of and care for others is essential. Look for a more effective response than Item #1.
2. After the lecture, submit a request to your professor to provide resources on the other perspectives.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This response is non-confrontational and balanced and helps your entire cohort benefit from the lecture and the additional resources. This response means you’re not criticizing the lecturer or calling anyone out; you’re simply making a request that addresses the issue and provides a solution.
This response demonstrates your ability to stand against injustice in the fairest way possible.
3. After the lecture, suggest your professor reconsider inviting the guest lecturer back in the future.
Correct Answer: Ineffective
While this response shows you understand the issue and are willing to take it upon yourself to address it, it doesn’t help the current situation; it only has the potential to help future generations. Plus, this response doesn’t provide any context—you’re merely saying you didn’t like it. Therefore, you’re not helping yourself or your classmates.
4. After the lecture, tell the guest lecturer their behavior was unprofessional.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
This answer would only be effective if there was a massive power differential and your medical school’s administration was doing nothing about it. If the lecturer was overtly racist, using microaggressions, or something of the kind, it may be important to address their behavior.
However, in this instance, your response is merely causing a confrontation and not a constructive one. You’re not aiming to solve anything.
5. After the lecture, suggest to the guest lecturer that they consider alternative perspectives in future discussions.
Correct Answer: Effective
This is a bold, direct response that does address the issue respectfully and forthrightly. You are standing up for what you think is best, but, once again, it does not solve the present issue. How can you help your student cohort now?
Item #2 is the best answer because it addresses the issue respectfully and provides resources to solve it immediately. It demonstrates that you know what is right and also know how to make the right decision in the moment.
PREview Sample Question #2
You and several classmates are conducting blood pressure screenings at a community clinic. The clinic closes in 30 minutes. You are with a patient when a previous patient interrupts and asks you to explain the blood pressure results. You explained to the patient earlier that their results were normal, but the patient says they still don’t understand the numbers or what they mean.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Offer to help the patient as soon as you are finished with your current patient.
2. Tell the patient to find someone else to explain the results to them because you are busy.
3. Explain to the patient that if they can wait for 30 minutes until the clinic closes, you will explain the results then.
4. Reassure the patient that the numbers are normal and there is nothing to worry about.
5. Ask an available volunteer if they can discuss the results with the patient.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
This question is designed to evaluate how you may behave during clinical rotations and in the clinic in general. You are being interrupted, which demonstrates a clear lack of respect on the patient’s part. However, this is also someone who doesn’t understand a relatively complex medical topic. The patient may be being rude, but they’re also concerned for their health, and it’s your job to address those concerns.
You have a duty to your current patient, but you also have a duty to the interrupting patient. And on top of that, it’s up to you to do your best not to disrupt the flow of the clinic.
How to Answer
1. Offer to help the patient as soon as you are finished with your current patient.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This is a balanced and respectful response because not only are you addressing their problem, you’re also not doing an injustice to your current patient and keeping the clinic running smoothly.
2. Tell the patient to find someone else to explain the results to them because you are busy.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
Quite simply, you never say “go bother someone else” to a patient. It’s disrespectful and unhelpful to both the patient and your busy colleagues.
3. Explain to the patient that if they can wait for 30 minutes until the clinic closes, you will explain the results then.
Correct Answer: Effective
The wording of this one is tricky, as it’s very specific. Yes, you are offering to help the patient while still being respectful of your current patient as well as the flow of the clinic. However, it’s quite possible you will be finished with your current patient before closing time, which means you could answer their questions sooner than in 30 minutes. Therefore, this response is not as effective as it could be.
4. Reassure the patient that the numbers are normal and there is nothing to worry about.
Correct Answer: Ineffective
Now this is a big one. Whenever you are faced with a question that says, “The patient does not understand this,” reassurance is NEVER the right answer—not even on Step exams. This is where explanation goes a long way, not only because it’s respectful and patient-centered, but it also prevents trouble in the future. If you take the time to explain what blood pressure indicates, you’re actually saving health care costs in the future because the patient will have the necessary knowledge to be more in control of their health.
5. Ask an available volunteer if they can discuss the results with the patient.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
Medicine is a team sport. It’s always important to ask for help. Since this response clearly indicates there are volunteers available, asking a volunteer to help the interrupting patient is an efficient solution that maintains the flow of the clinic while still being respectful to both patients involved in the scenario.
PREview Sample Question #3
You are assisting a physician at a local hospital. Upon entering a patient’s room, you forget to wash your hands because you are nervous. In front of the patient, the doctor explains that you did not follow protocol because you did not wash your hands.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Explain to the doctor that you were nervous and forgot to wash your hands.
2. Apologize for your mistake and assure the doctor that it will not happen again.
3. Tell the doctor that you have not gotten a chance to do it yet.
4. Assure the patient that your hands are clean.
5. Wash your hands immediately.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
This is something that could happen early on in your training when you’re still a new clinical student, also known as a clerk. Washing your hands and maintaining protocol is a major deal in medical school and in medicine in general. While being called out in front of the patient certainly won’t make you any less nervous, it allows you to deal with the issue head-on.
How to Answer
1. Explain to the doctor that you were nervous and forgot to wash your hands.
Correct Answer: Effective
This response is fine, but it’s not marked as Very Effective because you’re not taking accountability for your actions. You made a mistake, and you’re not taking any steps to correct the mistake. However, you’re also being truthful, and it’s important to convey to admissions committees that you believe honesty is the best policy.
2. Apologize for your mistake and assure the doctor that it will not happen again.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This response is more to the point and doesn’t make any “excuses” for your actions. However, the most important part is you’re committing not to make the mistake in the future, which is why this response is weighted higher than the first response. It’s very likely that if Item #1 read “Explain to the doctor that you were nervous and forgot and assure them it won’t happen again,” that response could be rated “Very Effective.”
This answer highlights the importance of deeply considering each response. While there is nothing wrong with admitting you made a mistake, you must take action to correct it.
3. Tell the doctor that you have not gotten a chance to do it yet.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
This response is most certainly an excuse, and more than that, it indicates both dishonestly, as you know you’re required to wash your hands, and an unwillingness to hear feedback, which won’t do you any good in medical school. It also demonstrates a lack of accountability. You’re blaming the circumstances for your mistake when it’s your responsibility to follow protocol.
4. Assure the patient that your hands are clean.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
This is another example of a total lack of accountability, and it’s also dishonest. The patient knows just as well as the doctor that you need to wash your hands.
While you may have washed your hands just before entering the room, this response shows a complete disregard for established hand-washing protocols.
5. Wash your hands immediately.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This response take’s the doctor’s feedback to heart and immediately rectifies the situation, which makes it Very Effective.
This scenario is another example of why it’s essential to deeply consider your responses. The scenarios are purposely vague and ambiguous. Don’t fill in the details with your imagination. While there’s nothing wrong with being honest that you’re nervous, that in itself is not enough. You must show you will take action.
Read each item carefully, and if it seems like there’s a step missing, do not rate that response as Very Effective.
PREview Sample Question #4
During a new rotation, you are having difficulty working with others on your medical team. The rotation director asked to meet with you to share feedback about your performance from other peer members on your team. During the meeting, the director states that your peers believe your professional conduct needs improvement. The director also shares specific feedback about your behavior and offers to discuss your areas for improvement in greater detail.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Tell the director that you will find additional time to work on your professional behavior.
2. Tell the director that your peers’ opinions do not accurately reflect your true behavior on the job.
3. Suggest to the director that the other team members may misunderstand your behavior.
4. Remind the director that sometimes it takes time to adjust to working with new team members.
5. Ask the director if you can set up a follow up meeting in the near future to discuss your progress.
6. Explain that you haven’t noticed any difficulties in working with the medical team.
7. Discuss with the director for possible solutions to address your peers’ feedback.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
This is a scenario that may occur in medical school in your third or fourth year when you are on your clinical rotations. The scenario suggests you’re a member of a large team and professional conduct is an issue. Hearing this is likely to be insulting, as it cuts much deeper than hearing you didn’t understand a piece of medical knowledge.
The last piece of the scenario is interesting, as the director is being positive and offering constructive criticism. In this scenario, you are not being called out, mismanaged, or abused in any way.
How to Answer
1. Tell the director that you will find additional time to work on your professional behavior.
Correct Answer: Effective
This response is only rated “Effective” as although you are acknowledging you have to grow as a student and team member, your response is somewhat ambiguous and not very proactive. You are not outlining any specific steps you will take to improve your professional conduct. Essentially, you’re saying you hear them and you’ll think about it.
2. Tell the director that your peers’ opinions do not accurately reflect your true behavior on the job.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
This response discounts the opinions of your peers, and you should never do that when a prompt specifies the feedback is constructive. The director is clearly willing to work with you to help you become a better team member, and if you reject this offer, it shows both an unwillingness to improve and a disregard for the director. Not only could this hinder the working relationship between you and your director, it will almost certainly show up in your evaluation.
3. Suggest to the director that the other team members may misunderstand your behavior.
Correct Answer: Ineffective
While not as outwardly defensive as the previous response, this item still shows resistance to feedback and improvement. This scenario is specifically testing your openness to feedback and your ability to grow, which is a key aspect of being a medical student, so demonstrating an unwillingness to listen to the feedback of others is definitely not the way to answer.
4. Remind the director that sometimes it takes time to adjust to working with new team members.
Correct Answer: Ineffective
Once again, this shows a lack of openness to feedback. While you may truly feel that your peers’ reactions to your professional style are simply “growing pains,” you’re still disregarding the root issue and failing to take any tangible next steps to find a solution. Simply waiting for others to get used to you is not enough, especially if the rotation director is offering their help.
5. Ask the director if you can set up a follow up meeting in the near future to discuss your progress.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This response shows you are not only accountable, but you want to invest in that accountability. You are taking initiative. It’s a stronger response than #1 because you are demonstrating that you specifically want to work on your professionalism, as well as your relationships with your peers. It also shows you want to be actively involved in the feedback process—which is exactly what the director is there for.
6. Explain that you haven’t noticed any difficulties in working with the medical team.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
Since the scenario opens with the statement that “you are having difficulty working with others on the medical team,” responding in this way is dishonest, shows a disregard for your peers, and an unwillingness to hear and learn from feedback. PREview is designed to assess your teamwork, commitment to learning, interpersonal skills, dependability, and ethical responsibility, and this response demonstrates a complete lack of all of those components.
7. Discuss with the director for possible solutions to address your peers’ feedback.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This response shows a willingness and eagerness to hear feedback and improve. By accepting the rotation director’s offer to discuss how you can improve, you’re taking initiative and being accountable for your actions.
PREview Sample Question #5
You are one of several teaching assistants responsible for providing weekly tutoring sessions. The professor asks you to hold an impromptu tutoring session the day before the final exam. You realize that you cannot because you are scheduled to volunteer at a student-run clinic that day.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Ask the professor if another teaching assistant could provide the tutoring session.
2. Ask the clinic supervisor if they could write you a note explaining why you cannot provide the tutoring session.
3. Ask another teaching assistant if they can provide the tutoring session.
4. Notify the professor about your scheduling conflict.
5. Call in sick to the clinic shift so that you can provide the tutoring session.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
Working as a Teaching Assistant (TA) is often something med students are asked to do during their first two years of medical school, and, unfortunately, you can often be blindsided by an impromptu tutoring session the day before the final exam when you have a conflict.
You can expect this to happen often and in several different contexts, so it’s important that you know how to handle these situations when they arise.
The key thing to note about the scenario is it specifies you are one of several TAs. Plus, student-run clinics serve underserved people, so they are vital to the community. The question is, do you choose to help your peers, or do you choose to staff the clinic?
How to Answer
1. Ask the professor if another teaching assistant could provide the tutoring session.
Correct Answer: Effective
This response is only rated as “Effective” because you are not providing the professor with the context of your situation. In the professor’s eyes, you could just want to go to a party. Once again, we cannot overemphasize the importance of deeply reading all of the responses. Do not fill in the details yourself, watch for them in the items.
This answer is effective, as that’s likely what the professor would do anyway if you informed them of your conflict, but remember to provide the professor with all of the information first.
2. Ask the clinic supervisor if they could write you a note explaining why you cannot provide the tutoring session.
Correct Answer: Ineffective
This response is “Ineffective” because you’re not in high school anymore. This question is testing your ability to be an adult learner and advocate for yourself.
3. Ask another teaching assistant if they can provide the tutoring session.
Correct Answer: Effective
Just like #1, this answer is tricky. Yes, you are taking initiative and being an advocate for yourself, but you are sidestepping the professor who specifically asked you to run the session. The professor should know why you are not able to tutor the session, so this response is only “Effective.”
4. Notify the professor about your scheduling conflict.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
As previously mentioned, notifying the professor is essential. This shows accountability and also honors your previous commitment.
In a perfect world, this response could easily be tied with #1 or #3, as you could notify the professor and then recommend a TA to take your place or leave that job up to them. However, this is the way the question is worded, so pay close attention.
5. Call in sick to the clinic shift so that you can provide the tutoring session.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
Student-run clinics are essential to the community, and lying violates your ethics. This response is very ineffective.
PREview Sample Question #6
You and your friend are taking a neuroscience course. Your friend often makes comments about being smarter than the professor. One day, after arriving 15 minutes late to class, your friend leans over to you and says, “It doesn’t matter that I’m late. There’s nothing they can teach me anyway.” Several students and the professor overhear this comment.
Please rate the effectiveness of each response to this situation.
1. Nod your head to affirm you heard your friend’s comment.
2. Tell your friend the course is not a good use of their time.
3. Ask your friend if they realize other students might perceive the comment as disrespectful.
4. Suggest that your friend might still learn something in the class.
For each of the five responses, you will rate them on a scale of 1-4
1 = VERY INEFFECTIVE, 2 = INEFFECTIVE, 3 = EFFECTIVE, 4 = VERY EFFECTIVE
Why This Question Is Being Asked
This is a very likely scenario you could face in medical school. You will encounter many students from very prestigious universities who feel they know more than their peers as well as their professors.
The key piece of this question is that this is not just a private comment to you—it’s a comment made to essentially everyone around, as well as the professor. Therefore, your response is not only to that student, but it will also set the tone for who you are to the rest of the class.
How to Answer
1. Nod your head to affirm you heard your friend’s comment.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
The entire class and the professor are watching you. To nod your head would be to agree with the student’s sentiment, which encourages their behavior and places you in the same boat. It is not only disrespectful but unethical, so it’s a “Very Ineffective” response.
2. Tell your friend the course is not a good use of their time.
Correct Answer: Very Ineffective
This is an even worse way to respond to the student. You are affirming their belief that the course is below them, which encourages their poor behavior and discourages them from learning. It also totally dismisses your professor, which is extremely disrespectful.
3. Ask your friend if they realize other students might perceive the comment as disrespectful.
Correct Answer: Very Effective
This is another tricky one, as this response could be perceived as accusatory and confrontational and could actually escalate the situation. When a dilemma like this is described in most situational judgment tests, the most correct response is often to take the offending person aside and speak to them privately.
However, this is evidently not the case for this scenario, as it is already a public situation.
It could be argued that forming this comment as a question encourages the student to reflect on their comment and empathize with those around them—including the professor. You are also standing up for your professor and the rest of the students, who were all likely offended by the comment.
4. Suggest that your friend might still learn something in the class.
Correct Answer: Effective
This is another example of how there are multiple right answers, and it’s not always clear what response is more or less effective. The key is choosing what you believe to be the most effective response to the selection you’re given.
While this is a less confrontational reply to the student and still encourages them to be open-minded, it also does not directly address their disrespectful tone, so it could inadvertently embolden them to double down and say something even more disrespectful. Therefore, this response is less effective than the former.
Admittedly, these responses are extremely nit-picky, as if you were facing this situation in reality, what’s likely more effective is to address the situation in stages. Be diplomatic and non-confrontational in public, and then speak to the student in private about how they shouldn’t talk that way in class.
If you were to use #3 in reality, you’d likely embarrass the student, which would make them defensive and cause the situation to escalate.
However, this isn’t reality—it’s a situational judgment test. Deeply think through the consequences of each response, and always reflect on the core competencies when answering.
Situational Judgment Test Success
As you can see, the PREview exam has a unique format that can easily trip you up if you’re not already familiar with it. Do not allow this to happen. Complete practice tests and review your answers to determine why you got questions either right or wrong.
Start your prep early to determine how much time you need to prepare. This depends on how well you perform on the practice test as well as how you know you perform on tests in general.
When practicing, simulate the format of the test as much as possible, including where you will take the test, the computer you will use, and the time of your test. Force yourself to complete the test within the allotted 75 minutes to ensure you can get through it efficiently on test day.
There are a number of moving parts that make up your medical school application, and balancing all of them isn’t easy. And to make matters even more challenging, the PREview presents yet another hoop you need to jump though. While only a handful of schools currently require or recommend the exam, it’s likely more programs will adopt it in the future as the AAMC continues to advocate for their new test.
Med School Insiders can help. If you need to take PREview, our brand-new course leverages cutting-edge AI technology combined with in-depth video tutorials. You’ll have access to unlimited practice questions and instant AI feedback to help you master PREview. We’re so confident you’ll find tremendous value in the Med School Insiders PREview AI Course that we offer a 3-day money-back guarantee. Try it yourself at no risk!
Read our complete AAMC PREview Guide to learn more about test logistics, how the test is scored, and frequently asked questions.
