If you’re searching for AAMC PREview questions and answers, you’ve come to the right place. In this exam, candidates rate proposed responses to scenarios, and their answers are compared with ideal ratings previously provided by medical educators.
In theory, as a situational judgment test, this exam assesses competencies not reflected in standardized test scores. By knowing these 8 competencies and using our strategies, you can improve your performance. As so many medical schools in the US and Canada use this exam, AAMC PREview prep is advisable.
In this article, we will cover the AAMC PREview exam, rating strategy, and several example questions, recommended answers, and rationales to ensure you get a great score.
Disclaimer: PREview is a registered trademark of the AAMC. BeMo and AAMC do not endorse or affiliate with one another.
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How to Answer AAMC PREview Questions
Let’s do a brief overview of what this test is and how it operates.
The AAMC PREview is an online exam designed to assess a candidate on eight core competencies:
1. Service orientation
2. Social skills
3. Teamwork
4. Cultural competence
5. Reliability and dependability
6. Ethical responsibility to self and others
7. Resilience and adaptability
8. Capacity for improvement
Therefore, much like the CASPer test, AAMC PREview is an assessment of your non-cognitive skills.
Want to learn how to prepare for your AAMC PREview? Watch this video:
PREview consists of 30 written scenarios, each followed by several possible responses which you must rate based on effectiveness (very ineffective, ineffective, effective, and very effective). The same effectiveness rating can be given to multiple responses to a single scenario.
You respond to each prompt as though you were a medical student, using only the information given. Make no assumptions beyond what you are told. So, if a scenario asks for a response to failing a test that you need to graduate, don’t assume that this cannot be the case and that there must be additional tests you could take to make up your grade. Only respond to the scenario as presented.
When scoring, don’t compare your rating for one response to your rating for another response. Each response item stands alone. In other words, you aren’t ranking the responses from least to most effective. You’re just rating how effective or ineffective each item would be.
The Four-Point Scale
If you're wondering how AAMC PREview is scored, it's based on how close your rating was to that of a medical educator. You get full credit for selecting a rating that is identical to the medical educator’s rating and partial credit if your rating is close.
Answer Strategy
Review the definitions of the AAMC 8 core competencies and make sure you understand them first before you attempt any PREview question. We recommend you review these every time you practice to internalize them and properly prepare for the AAMC PREview exam.
Steps
1. Read each scenario twice and pay attention to the specific wording of each scenario. Before you read the responses, identify the competencies highlighted in the scenario.
2. Identify the most pressing issue(s). Pressing issues are the problems that must be solved and the desired outcomes.
3. In so doing, you should also identify the parties who are involved and may be impacted by the situation and/or the response to the situation.
4. Read each response and rate the effectiveness using the BeMo diagnostics outlined below:
The response will cause additional problems or make the situation worse.
- You have demonstrated the opposite of the core competencies being highlighted in the scenario.
- Your approach does not address the pressing issue(s).
- One or more parties involved are negatively impacted.
Example AAMC PREview Questions with Rated Answers
The following are actual AAMC PREview questions and rated answers, with rationales based on our BeMo diagnostic. Our diagnostic will cover the core competencies, pressing issues, and parties impacted in order of priority.
PREview Question 1
You are pursuing a two-week volunteer opportunity at a well-regarded local clinic. When you receive your course schedule, you realize the volunteer opportunity would conflict with your weekly required lab. This is the only time that the lab is offered this semester, so you are not able to make up the lab. Participation in the lab will count toward your grade.
Core Competencies: Reliability and dependability, Resilience and adaptability
Pressing issue: 1) Fulfill your academic obligations and ensure your grades are not negatively impacted, 2) Give yourself valuable professional experiences.
Parties impacted: Yourself
Answers
- a.SKIP YOUR LAB FOR TWO WEEKS TO ATTEND THE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY.
Rating: Very ineffective
Why? You are demonstrating poor reliability and dependability by skipping out on an academic obligation to attend the lab you committed to when you registered for the class. This will hurt your overall grade and academic performance, resulting in a negative impact on you.
- b.ASK YOUR LAB INSTRUCTOR TO IDENTIFY A SOLUTION THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO ATTEND BOTH.
Rating: Ineffective
Why? You have recognized both the importance of your academic obligations and the value of attending the volunteer opportunity. However, you have demonstrated poor reliability and dependability because you are not taking responsibility for your performance. You are therefore not guaranteed a solution, and your lab instructor and potentially other students in the lab may be negatively impacted because you’ve put the burden on them to adapt to your needs.
- c.STOP PURSUING THE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY SO THAT YOU CAN ATTEND THE REQUIRED LAB.
Rating: Effective
Why? You have demonstrated reliability and dependability by taking responsibility for your academic success, which is your main priority. However, you have not demonstrated adaptability by exploring options that also allow you to gain valuable professional experience. Therefore, you are potentially missing out on the benefits of having those opportunities.
- d.TELL YOUR LAB INSTRUCTOR IN ADVANCE THAT YOU WILL MISS TWO OF YOUR SCHEDULED LAB SESSIONS.
Rating: Very ineffective
Why? Same as (a). Informing the lab instructor does not change the results of this response.
- e.ATTEND THE LAB AND INVESTIGATE WHETHER SIMILAR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT ANOTHER TIME.
Rating: Very effective
Why? You have demonstrated reliability and dependability by attending the lab and ensuring your grades don’t suffer. You have also demonstrated the ability to adapt to challenging situations by seeking out other opportunities to volunteer and gain valuable professional experience. Given how many volunteer hours for medical school you need, this is an important consideration.
PREview Question 2
You are assigned to a small group in your clinical skills course. One of your group members has recently struggled with their assignments. The group member is often late to sessions, prepares materials of poor quality, and needs numerous reminders to complete tasks. Your group receives a new assignment that is due in three weeks and will be graded based on the group's overall performance.
Core Competencies: Teamwork, Service orientation, Reliability and dependability
Pressing issue: 1) Ensure your team collaborates and performs well on the assignment, 2) Help the struggling group member to succeed.
Parties impacted: Your team, the struggling team member
Answers
Why? You have recognized the source of the issue you are trying to solve and have taken steps toward aiding your group’s performance and the struggling individual. While this action could help, you are not taking responsibility for the outcome but rather, putting the onus on the struggling group member and your professor, thereby not fully demonstrating reliability and dependability. You’re not making the situation worse, but you're also not guaranteeing a positive outcome for your group or for the struggling team member. Why? This is a great demonstration of teamwork, as you are reaching out to collaborate with another person, and you are also demonstrating service orientation by using personal time to help a struggling group member. By taking this action, you are also fully accepting responsibility for your team’s overall success and the success of this team member. Therefore, you can be more certain of the positive outcome for all parties involved. Why? You are demonstrating teamwork by taking steps to ensure your group completes the assignment well, but the positive outcome is not guaranteed because you have not addressed the challenges faced by the struggling group member. The responsibility of completing the work is placed on each group member, and you have not stepped up to take responsibility for the group by personally ensuring each group member, particularly the struggling one, is able to meet the objectives you outlined. Why? By attempting to disengage from the struggling group member, you are demonstrating poor teamwork and poor service orientation. You have also offloaded the issue to the professor (and potentially another group), demonstrating poor reliability and dependability. If the professor agrees, your action will negatively impact the struggling group member and another group. If the professor does not agree, your action will negatively impact the struggling group member and your own group. In either case, a negative outcome is guaranteed for one or more of the parties involved. Why? Like (d), you are disengaging from one of your group members, demonstrating poor teamwork and a lack of service orientation. This action will make the group member feel ostracized and negatively impact them. Why? This request directly contradicts the assignment instructions and is an extremely poor demonstration of teamwork and service orientation. It will likely cause a negative impact on your group because the work produced will not be cohesive, and it will certainly not benefit the struggling group member. Why? Not only is this a perfect example of good teamwork, but by reviewing the work of each group member, you’re also taking responsibility for your team’s performance and ensuring a positive outcome for the assignment. Moreover, you would be able to reach out to the struggling group member and provide support when needed. Why? You have recognized the issue and are attempting to address it; however, the approach is not collaborative, and by being insensitive to the group member’s needs and feelings, you are demonstrating poor service orientation. You are not offering any solutions or aid, so you’re not improving the situation, and you may even have a negative impact on this group member.Rating: Effective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Effective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Ineffective
PREview Question 3
During class, your professor observes you participating in a role-play exercise with one of your classmates. You are acting as a doctor, and your classmate is acting as an angry patient. The role-play is tense but stays on course. You think you performed well, but after class, your classmate gives you unexpected negative feedback that you missed several opportunities to comfort the patient and calm the situation. You are now expected to attend a debriefing session with your professor.
Core Competencies: Capacity for improvement, Social skills
Pressing issue: 1) Constructively use the feedback you received to improve your clinical skills, 2) Maintain a positive and professional relationship with your classmate.
Parties impacted: Yourself, your classmate
Answers
Why? Although you know the professor’s feedback is important, you are also dismissing your classmate’s feedback, which is not a good demonstration of your capacity to improve since you are denying yourself the opportunity to learn from this individual. This response is also confrontational, which might make it difficult to collaborate with them in the future, thereby demonstrating poor social skills. It is possible that you and your classmate could be negatively impacted. Why? You have demonstrated a strong capacity for improvement by acknowledging the value of your classmate’s feedback and seeking out your professor’s advice on how you should use that feedback to do better. Taking steps to learn from your errors will have a positive impact on your future performance and chances of success. Why? Skipping the meeting with your professor is a poor demonstration of reliability and dependability (an additional core competency introduced in this response) since you are not fulfilling an academic obligation. You are also denying yourself a valuable opportunity to learn from your professor and improve your clinical skills, which also demonstrates a poor capacity for improvement. The greatest negative impact will be on you because your academic performance will suffer, and the way you handled this will likely have an adverse effect on your relationship with your professor as well. Why? By welcoming your classmate’s criticisms and seeking out even more feedback, you are demonstrating openness to feedback and a desire to improve your performance in the future while strengthening your relationship by validating their input. You will therefore both benefit from this response. Why? By taking a defensive approach, you are not demonstrating receptivity to criticism or capacity for improvement. However, this response does not necessarily make things worse and could lead to further discussion. Why? As in (d), you demonstrate strong social skills by validating your classmate’s feedback and showing a desire to improve your performance by proposing to continue practicing with them. If they agree, it will have a positive impact on your relationship and your learning. Why? Trying to keep your classmate’s comments from your professor is dishonest and detrimental to your development as a doctor. It is therefore a poor demonstration of ethical responsibility to yourself and others (a new core competency introduced in this response) and capacity to improve. As a result of this action, both you and your classmate will be negatively impacted. * Learning how to prepare for ethical questions in a medical school interview will help when these questions come up. Why? You recognize the potential value of your classmate’s feedback, which is a start to demonstrating capacity for improvement, but you do not go further to explore ways to use that feedback to improve your clinical skills. There is a possibility the professor may offer additional feedback, which would allow you to reap the benefits, but you are not guaranteeing this outcome.Rating: Ineffective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Ineffective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Effective
PREview Question 4
For the past few days, you have been checking up on several patients, including one who is recovering from surgery. The patient has been in the hospital for a week and has not received any visitors. The patient is friendly, cheerful, and enjoys sharing stories about their career as a photographer. However, you are finding it difficult to politely end your conversations so that you can spend enough time with other patients with whom you were assigned to meet.
Core Competencies: Service orientation, Reliability and dependability
Pressing issue: 1) Ensure that you meet the patient’s supplementary need for company, 2) Ensure that other patients receive sufficient care.
Parties impacted: Patient (photographer), other patients, yourself
Answers
Why? Given that the patient hasn’t had any visitors, spending more time with them shows empathy and sensitivity to their needs, aspects of a service orientation. By ensuring your other patients continue to receive care, you demonstrate reliability and dependability. This will have a positive impact on everyone under your care. Why? By displaying a lack of emotional intelligence and dismissing the patient’s emotional needs, you show a lack of service orientation and poor social skills. Overall, the risk of a negative outcome is high for the patient without visitors, who is the most vulnerable individual in this scenario. Why? While you are demonstrating some reliability and dependability by recognizing your responsibilities to the other patients, this is a poor demonstration of service orientation, which is the primary core competency being evaluated in this scenario. Not only are you not offering to help a patient in need, you have placed an extra burden on another student. While each patient in this scenario is being taken care of, your response could negatively impact a party that was not initially involved. Why? Exploring ways to spend more time with the patient while still completing the task shows that you are trying to be service oriented and reliable in your work. However, it is not certain that you will be able to attend to the patient since that will depend on your schedule. While this approach could result in a positive outcome for this patient, it is not guaranteed. Why? The outcome of this response to the situation is exactly the same as that of (b). You are demonstrating a complete lack of service orientation, and the patient will certainly be negatively impacted. Why? As in (d), you have made an attempt to care for this patient, but it is dependent on factors beyond your control. You have therefore shown service orientation (as well as reliability and dependability by ensuring your other patients are taken care of), but you are unable to guarantee a solution for this patient in need. Why? This response demonstrates an additional core competency – capacity for improvement – because you’re seeking out advice from a senior who has more experience managing patients. They are likely to give you a solution that will enable you to attend to all your patients effectively, so you will be able to serve the patient without visitors while upholding your responsibilities to the other patients you need to see. All parties will benefit, including yourself, as you become better equipped to handle similar situations in the future. Why? Although you are demonstrating a willingness to help a patient with a specific need, you are sacrificing the work you are doing with other patients, thereby demonstrating extremely poor reliability, dependability, and service orientation overall toward those under your care. The patients you decided not to visit will definitely be negatively impacted.Rating: Very effective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Ineffective
Rating: Effective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Effective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Very ineffective
PREview Question 5
While viewing a classmate’s social media profile, you notice that your classmate has made negative comments about treating a recent patient. Your classmate describes the patient and the patient’s condition in detail, which violates patient privacy regulations.
Core Competencies: Ethical responsibility to self and others
Pressing issue: 1) Correct the error, protect the patient’s privacy, fulfill your legal obligations, 2) Educate the classmate about the privacy violation.
Parties impacted: The patient, the medical school, your classmate
Answers
Why? Your response indicates that you are aware of the significance of privacy laws but also the value of teaching your peers about the need for patient privacy. However, notifying an authority about the violation of patient privacy is also your responsibility, so you have not fully demonstrated ethical responsibility to others. This approach reduces the negative impact on patients, but further action needs to be taken. Why? This response shows a strong sense of ethical responsibility to others as well as a clear awareness of the most appropriate action to take to protect the patient who’s privacy was violated as well as other patients who are at risk. Your action will ensure the least amount of negative impact possible for the most vulnerable parties impacted. Why? Reading through the classmate’s social media comments is ineffective because you have not addressed the violation at hand. It is therefore not a good demonstration of ethical responsibility to others. While you have not provided solutions, you also have not caused additional harm to the parties involved. Why? This response does nothing to address the violation of privacy and harm done to the patient, so it is a poor demonstration of ethical responsibility to others. Turning others against this classmate is also a poor demonstration of social skills and further shows your lack of concern for others’ well-being. Not only does this action allow the patient to be negatively impacted, but you have also caused a negative impact on your classmate. Why? As in (a), this response shows a good sense of ethical responsibility to others, but to fully demonstrate ethical awareness, it would be important to educate the classmate on the severity of the violation so they do not do this again, and report the violation to authorities so that further action can be taken to ensure the patient’s privacy is maintained. Your action has helped to protect the patient, but you have not escalated the incident enough, and your classmate may not have learned from the experience.Rating: Effective
Rating: Very effective
Rating: Ineffective
Rating: Very ineffective
Rating: Effective
Source: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Check out this video for more tips!
1. Are SJTs good tests?
Not particularly. In theory, situational judgment tests assess competencies not reflected in standardized test scores, but they cannot truly assess your potential to become a physician. This is because many such tests make various assumptions: they are not coachable, there are no right or wrong answers, and they assess “inherent” traits. While they claim to help eliminate bias, the very idea that certain individuals have innate qualities that cannot be learned points to the expectation that some candidates will “not have what it takes.” At BeMo, we believe the opposite and have the receipts to back it up; our students consistently perform better on the AAMC PREview using our strategies. We even provide a Score Increase Guarantee.
2. Is the PREview test effective for determining who will make a good physician?
Not really. There is more to being a physician than rating possible responses to scenarios. Being able to develop your own response, for example, would already be more effective, as that would test your actual responses, not your evaluation of a given set of possible responses.
3. Is this test important?
Yes and no. The AAMC PREview exam is considered important for admissions purposes and might determine entry into your institution of choice. However, it will not decide whether you are a good physician or have potential in health care.
4. Can I explain my answers on the test?
No. You just rate the responses; you don’t justify them.
5. How long does the PREview test take?
The actual AAMC PREview exam lasts 75 minutes, and if you require more time, you must apply for accommodations from the AAMC.
6. Does it cost money?
There is a $100 flat fee.
7. Can I retake the exam?
Only if there was a technical problem. You are only allowed one PREview testing in a year.
8. What are the system requirements for taking the test?
AAMC PREview is compatible with most desktop and laptop computers. You need an internet connection with recommended download speed of 1.5 Mbps and upload speed of 1 Mbps, webcam with at least 640 x 480 resolution, Windows 10 (10 S mode is not supported) or Mac OS 10.13 (or higher). For full specifications, be sure to read the instructions sent to you once you have registered.