AAMC PREview cheat sheet

PREview measures pre-professional competencies via a situational judgment test: examinees rate the effectiveness of response options to written scenarios rather than choosing a single best answer.

Competency domains assessed include ethical responsibility, empathy and compassion, resilience and adaptability, teamwork, communication, and thinking and reasoning skills.

Ethical reasoning items test recognition of conflicts of interest, confidentiality obligations, honesty, and appropriate boundaries with peers, patients, or supervisors.

Empathy items target perspective-taking: identifying others' emotional states, validating feelings, and responding in ways that preserve dignity and trust.

Resilience items involve responding to setbacks, feedback, failure, and stress with constructive coping rather than avoidance or blame.

Teamwork items test collaboration, giving and receiving feedback, managing disagreement, and prioritizing group goals over personal credit.

Communication items test clarity, active listening, audience-appropriate tone, and disclosure of information to the right parties.

Reliability of rater-style formats depends on consistent application of a shared effectiveness scale; responses are scored against consensus judgments of effectiveness, not personal preference.

Scores are reported as a total scaled score with confidence bands; the exam is not pass/fail and no single competency is scored in isolation.

No domain weights are published in the source; treat all competencies as equally weighted when allocating preparation time.

Item formats described in the source are effectiveness ratings (most to least effective) and, where applicable, importance or likelihood ratings; no free-response scoring is specified.

Response strategy rule: judge an option by whether it addresses the immediate issue, respects all parties, and is feasible within the stated role - not by whether it feels idealistic.

Rank-ordering rule: the 'most effective' option typically combines direct action with communication; the 'least effective' option typically ignores the problem, defers indefinitely, or oversteps authority.

Context rule: the examinee's stated role (student, volunteer, employee, peer) constrains acceptable actions; actions outside that role are usually rated less effective.

Time rule: scenarios with deadlines reward options that act promptly while still informing relevant parties.

Distractor pattern: plausible-but-passive options (wait, hope, avoid) and plausible-but-overreaching options (bypass the supervisor, break confidentiality) are commonly rated low.

Self-contained scenario rule: all needed facts appear in the scenario text, so no outside clinical or policy knowledge is required to answer.