The AAMC PREview is a situational judgment test of professionalism skills. It asks you to rate possible responses to hypothetical situations, with 186 responses in one section lasting about 75 minutes. Some medical schools require the exam while others recommend it or accept it as a way to meet a situational judgment test requirement.
PREview does not replace the MCAT. It complements academic measures such as your MCAT score and GPA by assessing how you evaluate professional behavior. The dates and school participation categories below reflect AAMC information available for the 2026 testing year as of September 15, 2026.
AAMC PREview at a Glance
- PREview measures nine competencies across personal accountability and relational skills. Its scenarios do not require previous health care experience.
- The remotely proctored exam takes about 75 minutes, uses a four-point effectiveness scale and produces a total score from 1 to 9.
- The 2026 registration fee is $105. Testing runs from April through October, with the final window scheduled for October 14 and 15.
- Schools set different PREview policies. Check whether each program requires, recommends or is only exploring the exam before choosing your test date.
What the AAMC PREview Exam Measures
The AAMC describes PREview as a standardized situational judgment test. Each text-based scenario presents a situation similar to one that could arise during medical or health professions training. You evaluate how effective or ineffective a series of possible responses would be rather than selecting what you personally would do.
Medical schools and other health professions programs use the exam to assess professionalism skills. The AAMC develops PREview with admissions officers, faculty, student affairs representatives and other people in academic medicine. Students also contribute their experiences with challenging situations. The first exams were administered in 2020 under the name AAMC Situational Judgment Test. The AAMC renamed it the PREview professional readiness exam in 2022.
Personal Accountability
The first skill area covers four competencies: Commitment to Learning and Growth, Reliability and Dependability, Resilience and Adaptability and Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others. These competencies concern how you approach responsibilities, learning, change and ethical conduct.
Relational Skills
The second area covers Teamwork and Collaboration, Interpersonal Skills, Empathy and Compassion, Self-Awareness and Understanding Others. The AAMC describes Self-Awareness as reflecting on assumptions, considering other viewpoints and revising your thinking when new information emerges. Understanding Others includes recognizing how backgrounds and experiences influence behavior, respecting differences and showing curiosity about other perspectives.
Together, the two areas contain nine competencies. You can review how these fit within the broader AAMC core competencies. PREview complements your MCAT score and GPA rather than replacing either one, and IMA’s MCAT score calculator can help you estimate the MCAT side from a practice exam. You do not need previous health care experience to take PREview.
PREview Exam Format and Test Day
According to the AAMC, the PREview exam has one section containing 186 responses to rate. You have a maximum of 75 minutes, with no scheduled break unless a break is part of an approved accommodation. Some unidentified scenarios are field-test material being evaluated for future exams and do not contribute to your score.
For every response, you use a four-point scale: 1 is very ineffective, 2 is ineffective, 3 is effective and 4 is very effective. Your task is to assess each proposed action independently based on how it would affect the situation.
Remote Testing Requirements
You take PREview online under live remote human proctoring from a location you choose, such as your home or a private library space, as long as your workspace meets the AAMC requirements. You must use a desktop or laptop, not a phone or tablet. The proctor verifies your identity, scans the entire room and monitors your camera and microphone. The room scan includes all four corners and the area beneath your workspace.
You need a physical government-issued ID. Digital identification and renewal paperwork are not accepted. The AAMC recommends logging in 15 minutes before your appointment because a late arrival can result in a no-show. Including check-in, the examinee agreement, the exam, the score-or-void decision and check-out, plan for a total session of 95 to 115 minutes.
Scoring or Voiding Your Exam
After finishing, you have up to 10 minutes to choose whether to have the exam scored or void it. If you make no selection during that period, the exam is scored. A voided exam does not appear on your score report, but it still counts as an attempt.
If you need testing accommodations, the PREview Accommodations Application remains open year-round. The AAMC advises applying early.
How PREview Is Scored
The AAMC creates the scoring key with medical school representatives, including admissions officers, faculty and student affairs staff. You receive full credit when your rating matches the medical educators’ consensus rating. You receive half credit when your choice is one level away but remains on the same side of the effectiveness scale.
For example, if the key rates an action Effective and you rate it Very Effective, the AAMC awards half credit. Rating that same action Ineffective earns no credit. This method rewards judgments that closely match the scoring key without treating every nearby response as completely incorrect.
The AAMC converts raw results into scaled scores through equating. As a result, a scaled score has the same meaning across different testing dates and exam forms. Your score report contains a total score from 1 to 9, a percentile rank and a confidence band. Schools receive the same information.
The percentile rank shows the percentage of examinees who earned the same or a lower score. The AAMC calculates its percentile table from the most recent three testing years and updates it each May, so your percentile may change even though your scaled score does not. The confidence band shows the range in which your true score likely falls and discourages overly precise comparisons between applicants with similar results.
How Schools Receive Your PREview Score
Your PREview results upload automatically to your AMCAS application on the score release date. You do not need to take an additional step. AMCAS schools that are not participating in PREview cannot see the results until all admissions decisions are complete.
For a school or program that does not use AMCAS, you can send the report through Share Scores in the AAMC Testing Services Score Reporting System. Confirm the recipient before releasing it because you cannot withdraw a completed score release.
A score report includes every PREview exam you have taken and scored since 2020, including exams completed when the assessment was called the AAMC SJT. Voided attempts are excluded. During registration, you may also choose to release your report to an AAMC-approved prehealth advisor.
The AAMC retains PREview score reports indefinitely and uploads an existing report if you apply through AMCAS in a future cycle. Although the AAMC says scores remain valid for multiple years, each participating school determines how old a score it will accept. Check the policy of every school if you delay applying or reapply. Retaking the exam is your choice.
PREview Fee and Fee Assistance
As listed on the AAMC PREview registration page for 2026, the exam costs $105. The fee covers one exam and release of your score to an unlimited number of participating schools. When planning your full application budget, compare this charge with other medical school application costs.
Rescheduling costs $25. If you cancel more than 48 hours before the appointment, you receive a 50% refund. A no-show receives no refund, although it does not count toward the annual testing limit. You must pay the full registration fee to schedule another appointment.
Applicants approved for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program pay $0 for their first PREview registration. Later registrations and rescheduling fees receive a 50% discount. If a Fee Assistance Program recipient misses the free appointment, the next registration is not free and instead receives the 50% discount.
2026 PREview Test Dates and Registration
PREview is offered from April through October 2026. The calendar contains eight two-day windows, with a limited number of appointments available from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Time on each testing date. Scores are generally released about 30 days after a window.
As of September 15, 2026, the September 16 and 17 window is next, but its registration deadline has passed. The only remaining window open for registration is October 14 and 15. Registration closes September 30 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with scores scheduled for November 13. The AAMC cannot extend the deadline or add another date at the end of the testing year.
The AAMC PREview testing calendar for 2026 lists all eight testing windows, their registration deadlines and scheduled score release dates.
| Testing window | Test dates (2026) | Registration closes | Scores released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | April 15 & 16 | April 1 | May 19 |
| Window 2 | May 5 & 6 | April 21 | June 9 |
| Window 3 | June 3 & 4 | May 20 | July 7 |
| Window 4 | June 24 & 25 | June 10 | July 28 |
| Window 5 | July 22 & 23 | July 8 | Aug. 25 |
| Window 6 | Aug. 12 & 13 | July 29 | Sept. 15 |
| Window 7 | Sept. 16 & 17 | Sept. 2 | Oct. 15 |
| Window 8 | Oct. 14 & 15 | Sept. 30 | Nov. 13 |
Eligibility and Registration
You may register if you intend to apply to an eligible health professions program, can test from an approved location and have not reached the testing limits. Other prospective examinees may request special permission. Register through your AAMC account. If you already have an AAMC ID from an activity such as MCAT registration, use the same username and password.
Rescheduling and Retaking
You can reschedule until two weeks before your appointment, calculated according to the appointment time and time zone. You may take PREview no more than twice during one testing year and no more than four times in your lifetime, counting from the 2024 testing year. You can register for a second attempt before receiving your first score.
If you think you may retake, the AAMC recommends choosing an earlier first date so there is time to receive the score and use a later window. Consider your PREview result date alongside the AMCAS 2027 timeline, participating-school policies and the available appointments.
Medical Schools That Require or Recommend PREview
The AAMC assigns participating schools to four policy categories. A school that requires PREview may allow you to submit your application before the score arrives but may not consider the file complete until it receives the result. A school that recommends PREview accepts the application with or without a score.
A third category covers schools that require a situational judgment test and accept PREview as satisfying that requirement. Schools exploring PREview may view results but do not use them to evaluate applications during the current year.
The AAMC participating schools list updated June 12, 2026 contains 73 schools. Of those, 15 require PREview, 3 require a situational judgment test that PREview satisfies, 16 recommend PREview and 39 are exploring it for future use. The table below lists the 34 schools in the first three categories.
| School | Participation |
|---|---|
| George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Requires PREview |
| Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Saint Louis University School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah | Requires PREview |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| University of California, Davis, School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| University of Minnesota Medical School | Requires PREview |
| University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Utah State University College of Veterinary Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine | Requires PREview |
| Michigan State University College of Human Medicine | Requires a situational judgment test (PREview satisfies it) |
| Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School | Requires a situational judgment test (PREview satisfies it) |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine | Requires a situational judgment test (PREview satisfies it) |
| Alice L. Walton School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science | Recommends PREview |
| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University | Recommends PREview |
| Des Moines University Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program | Recommends PREview |
| Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Howard University College of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans | Recommends PREview |
| Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Morehouse School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| Thomas R. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University | Recommends PREview |
| Uniformed Services University of Health Science F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
| University of Oklahoma College of Medicine | Recommends PREview |
The table above reflects the AAMC list for the 2026 testing year and 2027 medical school application year. The AAMC may update the list as more schools confirm their plans. If a program is absent, check directly with the school and review its requirements in AMCAS. If a program asks for a different situational judgment test, check its requirements and see IMA’s Casper test guide.
How to Prepare for the AAMC PREview Exam
Start by learning what the exam asks you to judge. According to the AAMC PREview preparation resources, the tested competencies develop over time through coursework, team activities, volunteering and work. The AAMC’s resources explain the competencies the exam measures and what it asks you to do.
Learn the Rating Task
Read the Examinee Preparation Guide closely. PREview does not ask what you would do or what someone should do. It presents possible actions and asks whether each one would improve or worsen the situation. Keeping that distinction in mind helps you evaluate every response on its own terms.
Use the Official Practice Exams in Order
The AAMC provides three full-length practice exams. Practice Exams 1 and 2 are free, unscored PDFs with scoring keys and rationales. The Scored Practice Exam is delivered through the MCAT Official Prep Hub and provides a scaled score and percentile rank similar to the real score report, although it does not use the actual PREview exam platform.
The AAMC suggests completing Practice Exam 1 under timed conditions and then reviewing its key and rationales. Follow the same process with Practice Exam 2 before taking the Scored Practice Exam under timed conditions. As listed on September 15, 2026, the first two exams cost $0 and the Scored Practice Exam costs $20 for six months of access.
Prepare for the Testing Experience
The AAMC also offers sample scenarios, instructions, videos and webinars. Before your appointment, read the PREview Essentials and Test Day Requirements, watch the Test Day Experience video and review the platform tutorial. The tutorial allows unlimited views before your appointment. Use it to become familiar with the interface, then confirm your device, physical ID and private testing space meet the requirements.
Planning Your PREview Next Steps
Check every school on your application list before deciding whether to register. If you need PREview, work backward from the available testing window, registration deadline and expected score release. Leave enough time to complete the official practice materials and verify your remote testing setup.
If you want help coordinating PREview with the rest of your application, IMA’s medical school admissions consulting can help you build a plan around your target programs and application schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Is the AAMC PREview Exam?
The AAMC PREview exam takes about 75 minutes. It has one section with 186 responses to rate and no scheduled break unless a break is an approved accommodation. Including check-in, required agreements, the score-or-void decision and check-out, the complete session lasts approximately 95 to 115 minutes.
How Much Does the PREview Exam Cost?
The PREview exam costs $105 for the 2026 testing year. That payment covers one exam and score release to an unlimited number of participating schools. Rescheduling costs $25. Fee Assistance Program recipients pay $0 for their first registration and receive a 50% discount on later registrations and rescheduling fees.
How Is the PREview Exam Scored?
PREview produces a total score from 1 to 9. You receive full credit when your rating matches the medical educators’ consensus rating and half credit when it is one level away on the same side of the scale. Your report also contains a percentile rank and confidence band.
What Is a Good PREview Score?
The AAMC does not publish a universal good score or cutoff. Your report shows a score from 1 to 9, a percentile rank and a confidence band. Schools receive the same information and use PREview alongside the rest of the application, so review each program’s policy instead of treating one number as a universal target.
Which Medical Schools Require the AAMC PREview?
The AAMC’s June 12, 2026 list identifies 15 schools that require PREview and 3 that require a situational judgment test that PREview satisfies. Another 16 recommend PREview. Because policies can change, use the school table above and confirm each requirement with the program or in AMCAS.
When Are the Remaining 2026 PREview Test Dates?
As of September 15, the September 16 and 17 window remains ahead but is closed for registration. The final window is October 14 and 15, 2026, with registration closing September 30 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Scores from that window are scheduled for release November 13.
How Many Times Can You Take the PREview Exam?
You can take PREview no more than twice in one testing year and four times in your lifetime, counting from the 2024 testing year. A voided exam counts as an attempt. A no-show does not count toward the annual limit, but you must pay to schedule another appointment.
Does the PREview Exam Replace the MCAT?
No, PREview does not replace the MCAT. PREview assesses professionalism skills, and the AAMC describes it as complementing academic measures such as the MCAT and GPA. Complete each assessment required by the schools on your application list.
