Casper + PREview

Each cycle, many schools will request some additional assessments to round out their picture of you as an applicant. These are typically situational judgement tests, meaning a “type of psychological test which presents the test-taker with realistic, hypothetical scenarios and may ask the individual what they would do in the dilemma and why they would do it. Situational judgement tests tend to determine behavioral tendencies, assessing how an individual will behave in a certain situation” (About CASPer).

As of May 2026, 14 schools require a PREview test, and another 16 recommend it. In comparison, Casper is currently required by 33 medical schools.

To confirm which schools require additional assessments, you can check their specific program website, refer to this list of CASPer schools, or refer to the AAMC MSAR Report about Additional Required Assessments.

Casper

Casper

The most common of these additional assessments is known as the Casper exam, a situational judgement test offered as a part of the Altus Suite. Casper test questions are based on nine competencies that test a student’s soft skills.

The nine Casper competencies are:

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Fairness
  • Ethics
  • Motivation
  • Problem solving
  • Resilience
  • Self-awareness

While this is a test, it is one that applicants don’t generally need to study for because there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. Applicants should make sure to prepare themselves by being aware of the format and technical requirements of the exam, and can take a practice test offered by CASPer, if they wish.

Test Cost: $85 USD, which includes distributing scores to 7 schools. Any additional school will cost $18.

Casper Test Format

The Casper exam includes two sections:

  • Video Response Section: Respond verbally to 4 scenarios (a mix of video- and text-based). Each scenario includes 2 questions, and you have 1 minute per question to record your response.
  • Typed Response Section: Respond in writing to 7 scenarios (also a mix of video- and text-based). Each scenario includes 2 questions, and you have 3.5 minutes total to answer both.

Responses are automatically submitted when time expires, and you cannot return to previous questions or edit your answers.

Including the introduction and scheduled breaks, the Casper exam takes approximately 65–85 minutes to complete.

Casper Scoring

Each Casper response is evaluated by a different trained rater, so no single person scores your entire exam. Raters assess qualities such as communication, professionalism, empathy, ethics, and problem-solving rather than whether you arrive at a single "correct" answer.

Score Reports: Approximately one month after completing Casper, you will receive a quartile ranking indicating how your performance compared to other applicants who took the same version of the exam. A 4th quartile score represents performance in the top 25% of test takers, while a 1st quartile score represents the bottom 25%. Admissions programs determine how they use Casper results as part of their holistic review process.

Some programs may also require Duet, a short values-alignment assessment administered through Acuity Insights. Be sure to review the requirements for each program you are applying to. To learn more about Duet and how to take the assessment, go to Altus’s site here.

For more information about the exam, explore the CASPer website. Some helpful resources of note are the Dates and Fees page, the  FAQ page, and the How to Maximize Your Chances of Success on CASPer article.

AAMC PREview

AAMC PREview (formerly named AAMC Situational Judgement Test)

Another exam that some schools have begun requiring--very similar to CASPer--is the AAMC’s PREview. It is described as “a standardized exam designed to help admissions officers assess your readiness to learn about issues related to professionalism in medical school.” (AAMC). To learn more about the PREview, visit this webpage.

PREview Test Format

The PREview exam consists of 30 hypothetical scenarios that students may encounter in medical school. The scenarios are based on real-life situations in healthcare, education, and other settings. The questions are developed for premeds, so no healthcare or clinical experience is required to score well on the test.

Students are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral responses to each of these scenarios in a multiple-choice format.

Each scenario is a short paragraph that outlines a potential problem students may face. The scenario is followed by a list of potential items (responses) that describe the actions you could take in response to the dilemma. Students must rate the effectiveness of each response using a 4-point scale:

1 = very ineffective, 2 = ineffective, 3 = effective, and 4 = very effective.

While the number of items (responses) that follow each scenario will vary, the test contains a total of 186 questions.

Test Cost: 1-time cost of $105. Unlimited distribution of scores to medical schools.

To find all the information you’ll need about when the PREview is offered, how to prepare for the exam, and more, visit the AAMC’s website here.

The AAMC’s PREview exam is based on their new and improved premed competency model. It includes professional, science, and thinking and reasoning competencies.

Professional Competencies:

  • Cultural Awareness
  • Cultural Humility
  • Commitment to Learning and Growth
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Empathy and Compassion
  • Resilience and Adaptability
  • Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
  • Reliability and Dependability
  • Interpersonal Skills

The Science Competencies:

  • Human Behavior
  • Living Systems

Thinking and Reasoning Competencies:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • Scientific Inquiry
  • Written Communication

AAMC’s PREview exam covers a broader range of personality traits and skills, including commitment to growth, human behavior, quantitative reasoning, and scientific inquiry. The scenarios you encounter on the test will have a broader range of circumstances and will require test-takers to apply interdisciplinary thinking.

Receiving Your PREview Score: Approximately one month after completing the AAMC PREview exam, you and the medical schools you selected will receive your score. Scores range from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) and reflect how closely your responses align with the judgment of medical educators who developed the exam’s scoring key.

Your score report also includes a confidence band, which shows the range where your true score likely falls and helps account for the natural variation in performance on situational judgment questions. A percentile rank is also provided, showing how your performance compares with other PREview test takers.