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14 U.S. Schools Require PREview in 2026: AAMC List + Tracking

See which U.S. med schools require or recommend PREview in 2026. Verify the AAMC list, confirm deadlines, and track requirements to avoid incomplete AMCAS...

MedSchoolPilot editorial team

The AAMC’s official participating-schools list is the only source you should trust for the 2026 testing year, and it’s the first stop before you build a school list around PREview. For the 2026 cycle, roughly 14 U.S. medical schools require a PREview score and about 17 more recommend it, though those numbers shift as programs update their admissions policies. Confirm every target school individually in MSAR or on its own admissions page before you assume anything.

TL;DR:

  • About 14 U.S. medical schools require PREview scores for the 2026 cycle, and an additional 17 recommend or accept them for specific requirements.
  • Schools fall into four categories: require, recommend, accept PREview as an alternative SJT, or explore, influencing whether scores are mandatory or optional.
  • Confirm each school’s PREview status via the AAMC list, MSAR, and their official admissions pages to prevent incomplete applications or delays.
  • You can attempt PREview twice per year, but scores won’t be released immediately, requiring early registration and technical checks to avoid rescheduling.
  • Monitoring application portals and keeping a school-specific PREview requirement log helps prevent delays caused by missing scores or misinterpreted requirements.
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Table of Contents

Not every school treats PREview the same way, and that distinction changes what you actually have to do before you submit AMCAS. AAMC groups participation into four categories: require, recommend, accept PREview to satisfy a separate situational judgment test requirement, and “exploring,” meaning a school collects scores purely for internal research without using them in decisions this cycle.

Programs known for requiring a PREview score for the current cycle include the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, the University of Minnesota Medical School, and Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Recommended, rather than required, participation shows up at schools like the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Meanwhile, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine is one of several programs where the exact wording matters. Always check whether a listing says “required” or “recommended,” since those two words carry very different consequences.

A quick breakdown of how the categories function:

  • Require: Your application is not considered complete until AAMC sends your PREview score to the school.
  • Recommend: Submitting a score strengthens your file but a missing score won’t stall your review.
  • SJT accepted: The school has its own situational judgment requirement, and a PREview score satisfies it instead of a separate test.
  • Exploring: The school may ask for a score for research purposes only; it has no bearing on your admissions decision this cycle.
Participation Type What It Means for You Application Impact
Require You must test and release your score Incomplete file without it
Recommend Optional but can strengthen holistic review No penalty if skipped
SJT accepted Satisfies a separate SJT requirement Saves you a second exam
Exploring Score collected, not used for decisions No direct effect this cycle

Independent guides like Med School Insiders and the Accepted Admissions blog publish their own running lists, which are useful for cross-checking, but they update on their own schedule. AAMC’s list is the one schools themselves report to, so treat every other source as a secondary check, not a replacement.

How to Confirm PREview Requirements for Your Own School List

Verifying PREview status takes ten minutes if you follow the right order. Skipping steps is how applicants end up with an “incomplete” flag they didn’t see coming.

  1. Start with the AAMC participating-schools page. It’s updated for the current testing year and lists every participation type by name.
  2. Cross-check MSAR. The Medical School Admission Requirements database often includes program-specific notes that AAMC’s general list doesn’t spell out.
  3. Read the school’s own admissions page. Look for exact phrasing: “required,” “recommended,” “accepted in place of our SJT,” or “under consideration for future cycles.” Vague language like “may be requested” usually means exploring status, not a requirement.
  4. Check your AMCAS or secondary portal status. If a required score is missing, most schools mark the application incomplete rather than sending a separate notice.
  5. Email admissions if wording is ambiguous. A short note (something like: “Can you confirm whether a PREview score is required or recommended for the 2027 entering class?”) usually gets a same-week reply. Follow up after ten business days if you hear nothing.

Why PREview Scores Matter More Than You Might Think

PREview is a situational judgment test that measures professionalism-related competencies supported by structured feedback like empathy, resilience, and integrity, alongside your GPA and MCAT in holistic review. It’s not a knowledge test. There’s no content to cram.

Because the assessment is relatively new, schools weigh it inconsistently. Some use it as a genuine screening filter; others fold it quietly into an already-crowded file of essays, letters, and interview notes. That inconsistency cuts both ways: a strong score won’t guarantee anything at a school still calibrating how much weight to give it, but a missing score at a required school does guarantee a delay. AMCAS marks the application incomplete until AAMC transmits your score, and secondaries often sit untouched until that status clears.

Why PREview Scores Matter More Than You Might Think — overview diagram

PREview Registration, Attempt Limits, and Test-Day Rules

Registration happens through the AAMC’s own PREview registration page, and appointment slots during peak application months fill faster than most applicants expect.

  • You get up to two attempts per testing year, with a lifetime maximum of attempts limited by AAMC policies.
  • Scores release on AAMC’s published schedule, not immediately after you finish the exam.
  • You must test from an AAMC-eligible country using an approved room setup, stable internet, and browser settings that pass the pre-exam technical check.
  • Accommodations require advance approval through AAMC’s standard testing accommodations process, not a same-day request.

Pro Tip: Run the technical check the week before your appointment, not the morning of. A failed browser or connectivity check on test day can cost you one of your two annual attempts if you’re forced to reschedule late.

Your PREview Application Checklist

Work through these in order, ideally starting the summer before you submit AMCAS.

  1. Build your school list first, then flag which schools require, recommend, or accept PREview for an SJT. A tool for building your school list from MSAR data makes this faster than checking each site by hand.
  2. Register early for a testing window that leaves time for a retake if something goes wrong technically.
  3. Take the exam and release your score to AAMC well before your earliest required-school deadline.
  4. Monitor your AMCAS and secondary portals weekly for incomplete-status flags tied to a missing PREview score, and contact admissions immediately if one appears.
  5. Keep a running log of participation types by school, since a program listed as “exploring” this cycle could shift to “recommend” or “require” next cycle.

Why We Built PREview Tracking Into Application Planning

Most incomplete-application problems aren’t about ability. They’re about one requirement getting buried under a dozen others across ten different school portals. A student who is fully capable of a strong PREview score can still lose weeks of review time simply because nobody flagged that one required school needed the score released by a specific date.

That’s the operational gap Medschoolpilot’s readiness tracker addresses: school-specific requirement flags, deadline reminders, and a scoring system that surfaces weak spots in your application before a school does it for you. It won’t take the exam for you, and it doesn’t replace verifying requirements directly with AAMC or MSAR. What it does is keep every school’s PREview status, deadline, and score-release step in one place instead of scattered across browser tabs.

— MedSchoolPilot

Track PREview Deadlines Alongside Every Other Requirement

Juggling PREview deadlines against MCAT dates, secondary essays, and letter submissions across a dozen schools is exactly the kind of tracking that falls apart in a spreadsheet. The platform centralizes school-specific requirement flags, clinical and research hour logs, and a readiness score that shows where your application actually stands before you hit submit.

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If you’re deciding between schools like the University of Michigan Medical School or the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, School pages show admissions data alongside your own progress, so you’re not cross-referencing multiple browser tabs to figure out what’s still missing. The iOS app puts deadline reminders on your phone, which matters most during the exact weeks PREview appointments book up. Start building your readiness tracker now, before your first secondary deadline hits.

Where to Verify PREview Requirements Yourself

Where to Verify PREview Requirements Yourself — overview diagram

Confirm participation status directly on the AAMC participating-schools list, and read the PREview Essentials guidance for attempt limits and scoring rules. MSAR and each school’s own admissions page remain your final check before you finalize a list.

FAQ

Do I need to take PREview for medical school?

Only if at least one school on your list requires or recommends it. Check the AAMC participating-schools page for each target school individually, since requirements vary widely.

Does a PREview score actually matter to admissions committees?

Yes, at schools that require or recommend it. PREview measures professionalism competencies used in holistic review alongside your GPA and MCAT, though schools still weigh it inconsistently since the exam is relatively new.

What is the easiest medical school in the US to get into?

There’s no single “easiest” school. Acceptance odds depend on your specific GPA, MCAT, and experience relative to each program’s average admitted profile, which you can compare using MSAR data or a readiness tracker built around your own numbers.

Do any U.S. medical schools not require the MCAT?

A small number of programs offer MCAT waivers or alternative pathways for specific applicant categories, but the vast majority of U.S. MD programs still require it. Check each school’s admissions page directly, since exceptions are narrow and program-specific.

What happens if I skip PREview at a school that requires it?

Your AMCAS application stays marked incomplete until AAMC transmits your score to that school, which can delay secondary review and push you behind applicants who submitted on time.