The AAMC PREview exam is a standardized situational judgment test (SJT) for prospective medical school students. The exam requires examinees to read different scenarios and then rate the effectiveness of several responses to each scenario.
Although you may not always need to take this test, more and more medical schools are requiring or recommending it. Check out the admissions process requirements of your dream medical college to find out if you have to take it.
Even if you aren’t required to take it, taking the PREview test can benefit you in multiple ways. Keep reading to learn more about this exam, plus some free tips on how to prepare for it.
Prepping for virtual assessments? We put together a free guidebook on everything you need to know before taking the ones required by your preferred medical program.
Formerly the AAMC Situational Judgment Test, the AAMC PREview professional readiness exam is a standardized test for premed students applying to medical colleges. The AAMC stands for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The PREview exam offers a series of scenarios that a student may encounter in med school, then asks examinees to rate the effectiveness of multiple behavioral responses to each scenario. It measures a student’s ability to respond and adapt to real-life scenarios a med student may encounter.
About 6-7 weeks after completing the test, the AAMC automatically releases your PREview score report to the AMCAS application system, not the AACOMAS or TMDSAS systems. Schools that use AACOMAS or TMDSAS must upload scores reported to them through the PREview Score Reporting System.
Some schools require you to take this exam. Others recommend it, while some examine applicant scores purely for research purposes.
The PREview exam is graded on a scaled scoring key. Below are the scaled scores, along with the percentile ranks of each score:
A growing number of medical schools require the PREview professional readiness exam for a more holistic application evaluation, while some schools just recommend it. Others require a “Situational Judgment Test” (SJT), but a PREview score would satisfy that requirement (as would the Casper exam).
| Schools That Require PREview | Schools That Recommend PREview | Schools That Require a Situational Judgement Test — The PREview Will Suffice |
| Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Alice L. Walton School of Medicine | Michigan State University College of Human Medicine |
| Mercer University School of Medicine | Cooper Medical School of Rowan University | Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School |
| Saint Louis University School of Medicine | Des Moines University Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program* | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine* |
| Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah | Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | |
| Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University | George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine | Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans | |
| University of California, Davis, School of Medicine | Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | |
| University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine | Morehouse School of Medicine | |
| University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine | Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine | |
| University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan 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 Pittsburgh School of Medicine | ||
| University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine | ||
| University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health |
Also, some institutions use PREview scores for research but not for evaluating applications. This means that if you take the PREview, your application will not be impacted when reviewed by these schools, but the programs will retroactively see how the test may have impacted their admissions decisions. For 2025/26, research-only schools include:
Preparing for the PREview exam is vital to your success. For many schools, your PREview score is a crucial component of your overall medical school application. But since it’s not an informational test like the MCAT, you’ll need to prepare differently than just studying facts.
Here’s how to prepare for the PREview exam:
If you have any questions, you can email the AAMC: askPREview@aamc.org
As with any standardized test for your medical school application, we recommend not waiting until the last moment. If possible, take the PREview no later than the August date so you can submit your score early enough in the application cycle so as to not disadvantage your application.
| Test Dates | Registration Closes | Score Release Date |
| April 2 & 3 | March 19 | April 29 |
| May 6 & 7 | April 22 | June 12 |
| June 4 & 5 | May 21 | July 9 |
| June 24 & 25 | June 10 | July 29 |
| July 22 & 23 | July 8 | Aug. 26 |
| Aug. 13 & 14 | July 30 | Sept. 16 |
| Sept. 17 & 18 | Sept. 3 | Oct. 23 |
You have to register for the AAMC’s PREview exam about 2 weeks before exam day.
Make sure you have an AAMC account, log in to your AAMC PREview Portal, navigate to the “Products” tab where you can select "AAMC Professional Readiness Exam (PREview) 2025", and schedule your test day through AAMC’s scheduling system called Meazure. You will pay for your exam when you schedule it.
Read Next: How to Successfully Reapply to Medical School and Get a “Yes!”
Taking the PREview exam is almost never free. Below are the costs and fees, including if you’re in the AAMC Fee Assistance Program:
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