New for 2024, the AAMC is introducing a brand new medical school requirement. Will you be affected by this application change, and what do premeds need to know about the PREview exam?
Find out what schools require this new test and how many schools AAMC expects to adopt PREview in the future.
What Is the PREview Professional Readiness Exam, and Do You Need to Take It?
The AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam is a brand new situational judgment test designed to evaluate a premed’s professionalism. Composed of a series of hypothetical scenarios that students may be faced with in medical school, the test is designed to evaluate a premed’s awareness of effective and ineffective professional behaviors.
In recent years, the medical community has placed increasing emphasis on the importance of a premed’s soft skills and non-academic qualifications. In addition to hard metrics, admissions committees want insight into a med school candidate’s empathy, professionalism, communication skills, and ethical decision making.
It’s essentially the AAMC’s answer to the rising popularity of the Casper test, which is required by approximately 50 medical schools. It costs a 1-time fee of $100 to take the test. Since it’s quite new on the scene, it’s very possible you will not have to complete it in order to apply to medical school.
In 2024, only 9 schools require PREview so far. However, there are additional schools that recommend taking the test, and more schools will likely continue to add this requirement in the years to come.
Whether or not you need a PREview test depends on the medical schools you’re applying to.
What Schools Require PREview in 2024?
So far, for 2024, there are 6 schools that require a PREView exam score. This is subject to change, and the exact details are only available from each school directly. Be sure to check the requirements of each specific school you are applying to in order to find out if you require PREview and when the test scores are due by.
The following schools require a PREview test as part of your medical school application.
- Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
- Mercer University School of Medicine
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine
- Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah
- Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University
- University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
- University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
- University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine
- University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine
What Schools Recommend PREview in 2024?
Next, there’s a list of schools that recommend a PREview test.
Since PREview is a brand new test, it’s unclear whether or not there could be negative consequences for those who choose not to take the recommended test. That said, you should look at each application component as another opportunity to impress admissions committees. When applying to medical school, you’ll be up against thousands of equally qualified candidates. If they took the time to complete a recommended PREview exam and you did not, they could have a leg up.
The following schools recommend a PREview test when applying to medical school.
- Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
- Des Moines University Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program*
- Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
- George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine*
- Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine*
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
*Osteopathic schools do not have PREview scores sent by AAMC automatically. On the day of your exam, you can select participating osteopathic programs to receive scores. You can also notify AAMC later on by submitting a Release AAMC PREview Exam Scores form.
It’s possible that schools could be added to each of these lists, so be sure to check back before submitting your application.
This list from AAMC has all medical schools participating in the PREview Professional Readiness Exam.
What Schools Require a Situational Judgment Test in 2024?
Additionally, some schools may require a situational judgment test of any type, which either PREview or Casper will satisfy. If you need to decide between Casper or PREview, first check if any of the other schools you’re applying to require either PREview or Casper.
If you can get by only taking one test, you’ll save yourself some time and money. Casper costs $85 USD for distribution of results to 7 programs, and another $16 USD per additional program. PREview has a 1-time fee of $100, with unlimited distribution to programs.
Schools with an open situational judgment test requirement:
- Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
- Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine*
*TMDSAS schools do not have PREview scores sent by AAMC automatically. On the day of your exam, you can select participating osteopathic programs to receive scores. You can also notify AAMC later on by submitting a Release AAMC PREview Exam Scores form.
For all three lists, the AAMC says more schools are expected to be added, though that number is still unknown and depends on how well the test is received by medical schools.
How Many AAMC PREview Schools Will Be Added in the Future?
The PREview exam comes after a growing number of schools added a Casper test as an application requirement. Out of approximately 200 MD and DO medical schools, around 50 require a Casper test, which is about 25%. Considering that it’s recommended to apply to around 20 medical schools, there’s a good chance at least one of them will require Casper.
The AAMC has recognized this missed opportunity, and they’ve taken the past few years to develop their own test. They are able to submit your results directly to all of the schools you’re applying to that require a PREview exam score.
While only a handful of schools require PREview so far, the AAMC anticipates huge adoption in the future. They estimate over 80% of applicants will apply to at least one school that is requiring or recommending applicants take PREview. They previously stated: “Most if not all of the 2023 administration participating schools are expected to participate again in 2024, with the addition of some new MD- and DO-granting institutions.”
But keep in mind that they actually saw a drop in participation from 2023 to 2024, with only 9 schools currently requiring PREview for the 2024-2025 application cycle. Of course, there’s still more time for schools to be added to the list, but they are still a long way off from the number of participating Casper schools.
The next few application cycles will be telling as to whether or not the PREview test builds momentum with medical schools.
So far, PREview is only a requirement for medical school applications, not residency applications. Currently, programs across the specialties of Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, Interventional Radiology, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, and Surgery require a Casper test.
Learn more: Casper Residency Programs—How to Succeed.
How to Prepare for PREview
You may not be able to study for PREview like you can for most exams, but you can prepare for it. The exam uses a unique multiple choice system that you must be intimately familiar with in order to perform well on the test.
Leading up to your exam, complete practice questions and practice tests. The sample scenarios and response questions in the AAMC practice tests are developed by the AAMC to reflect the types of hypothetical situations you’ll face on the real test.
These questions will give you a sense of what you’ll encounter on test day. Additionally, by completing practice tests within the same allotted 75 minute test time limit, you’ll determine how much more practice you require in order to succeed. Do all that you can to simulate what it will be like on test day, including taking practice tests in the same location, with the same computer, and at the same time of day.
After you complete a practice session, take a long look at the scoring key rationales at the end. This provides essential insight into how the questions are evaluated. Take time to understand why you got each question right or wrong so that you’ll be able to apply that understanding to future scenarios.
Before test day, go through the tutorial and review the PREview exam’s policies and procedures so that you’re not leaving anything to chance on the day of your test.
Read our comprehensive PREview guide to learn more about test logistics, how the test is scored, and frequently asked questions: AAMC PREview Prep Guide—Everything You Need to Know.
How to Prepare Your Primary Application
The list of requirements to apply to medical school has expanded once again. In addition to a narrative-driven personal statement, glowing letters of recommendation, a varied yet comprehensive list of extracurriculars, and much more, you may now also require a PREview exam. While there aren’t many medical schools that have adopted PREview yet, more will likely be added with each passing year as the AAMC continues to improve and endorse its new test.
Premeds face one hoop after the other in order to earn medical school acceptance. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone. You can receive advice tailored to your unique strengths, weaknesses, and interests that will help you earn acceptance to your top choice medical school.
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!
Sign up for our newsletter and follow our blog for the latest medical school application news, guides, and resources. Our content library is filled with articles that will help you prepare for every aspect of your application, transition into medical school, complete rotations, and succeed in your future medical career.
