Adopt the PREview® Exam and Get Applicant Scores

The PREview exam is open to MD- and DO-granting medical schools and other postgraduate degree programs in the health professions. Adopting PREview scores as part of your admissions process is easy. Please follow the steps below to get started. 

Step 1. Select How the PREview Exam Will Be Added to Your Admissions Process

Before adding the PREview exam to an admissions process, each medical school should determine what type of adoption is the best fit for achieving their holistic admissions and institutional goals. 

Medical schools can integrate the PREview exam into their admissions processes in four ways:

1. Require PREview Scores: Your medical school will require all applicants complete the PREview exam to be considered for admission. An application that does not include a PREview score will be considered incomplete. PREview scores will be factored into evaluation of applicants for admission.
2. Recommend PREview Scores: Your medical school does not require a PREview score for an application to be considered complete and eligible for review; however, your school values inclusion of the PREview scores in the admissions process. Although applications will be considered complete and reviewed without a PREview score, completion of the exam could strengthen an application – even if the applicant does not receive a high score – because it can demonstrate an applicant’s commitment to showcasing all their strengths during the admissions process.
3. Accept PREview Scores to Fulfill an SJT Requirement: Your medical school requires a situational judgement test (SJT) as part of the admissions process, and the PREview exam is an acceptable option to satisfy the requirement. If the school accepts other SJTs in addition to PREview, each applicant will choose which SJT to complete.
4. Exploring PREview for Future Use: Your medical school is evaluating the PREview exam for potential future inclusion in admissions, but is not requiring or recommending that applicants take the exam as part of the application process. During this phase, your medical school will be gathering data to determine how the PREview scores might be implemented into admissions in the future.

Note: All medical schools that adopt the PREview exam will receive scores for their applicants as they are released throughout the admissions cycle, regardless of whether the school requires, recommends, accepts to fulfill a SJT requirement, or is exploring for future use. It is each medical school’s responsibility to work with its IT administrator to configure how and when scores appear to reviewers during your selection process, per stated usage policies. 

Step 2: Notify the AAMC of Your Decision to Use the PREview Exam

Please note that schools finalize their decisions about requiring, recommending, or accepting PREview scores for their SJT requirement prior to the start of each admissions cycle.

However, the AAMC recommends making this decision as early as possible to allow applicants sufficient time to prepare and register for PREview exam dates, which typically begin in April of each year.

There is no deadline to sign up to explore the PREview exam for future use. The AAMC PREview team encourages you to consider this status if you have missed the deadline for other adoption methods, so that your medical school gains access to real-time PREview scores for research purposes, even though they will not be used in student selection. Contact preview@aamc.org with questions. 

Once you have decided how you will incorporate PREview scores into your admissions process, please go to the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) AMCAS for Schools platform to configure your PREview adoption method by posted AMCAS deadlines. These changes will automatically update in the Medical School Admission Requirements™ (MSAR®) system, but all schools are encouraged to verify their MSAR information after changes are made. 

If your medical school does not use the AMCAS system, notify the AAMC of your decision to adopt the PREview exam by contacting preview@aamc.org. The PREview team will send you a data agreement to sign, as well as instructions for accessing the AAMC PREview Portal for scores. Medical schools not participating in AMCAS will also need to update their MSAR status manually.

Beginning on February 1 of each year, the AAMC PREview team will also begin posting your medical school’s name on our AAMC PREview webpage that lists all schools that have adopted the PREview exam along with the adoption method – require, recommend, accept for fulfillment of SJT requirement, or explore for future use. 

Step 3: Educate Your Admissions Staff and Committee About the PREview Exam 

The AAMC recommends that you educate everyone on your staff, admissions committee, and leadership team about how the PREview exam works and your intended use of PREview scores. We encourage you to explore the admissions resources available on this webpage or review a free PREview practice test. The PREview team is also available to meet with your staff or committee at any time to answer questions about use of the PREview scores in admissions. Please email preview@aamc.org to schedule a presentation. 

Step 4: Access PREview Scores

For participating schools using AMCAS.

After you have confirmed your decision to use the PREview exam in the AMCAS for Schools platform, PREview scores will automatically transmit with other student application data from AMCAS to your application management system. This applies to all participation levels: require, recommend, accept as an SJT requirement, and explore for future use. It is each medical school’s responsibility to work with its IT administrator to regulate how and when scores appear to reviewers during your selection process, per stated usage policies. 

For participating schools not using AMCAS.

After you have confirmed your decision to use the PREview exam with the AAMC and have signed the AAMC data agreement, you will have access to PREview scores through the AAMC PREview Portal (click "Log In To The AAMC PREview Portal"). This system allows you to download batches of score reports with custom date ranges or search individual examinee score reports. It also allows students to send score reports to your school at any time.