Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 1;99(2):183-191.
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005548. Epub 2023 Nov 16.

Evaluating a Situational Judgment Test for Use in Medical School Admissions: Two Years of AAMC PREview Exam Administration Data

Halle B Ellison, Christina J Grabowski, Michelle Schmude, Joseph B Costa, Bobby Naemi, Martin Schmidt, Dimple Patel, Marjorie Westervelt

Evaluating a Situational Judgment Test for Use in Medical School Admissions: Two Years of AAMC PREview Exam Administration Data

Halle B Ellison et al. Acad Med. .

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the relationship between the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Professional Readiness Exam (PREview) scores and other admissions data, group differences in mean PREview scores, and whether adding a new assessment tool affected the volume and composition of applicant pools.

Method: Data from the 2020 and 2021 PREview exam administrations were analyzed. Two U.S. schools participated in the PREview pilot in 2020 and 6 U.S. schools participated in 2021. PREview scores were paired with data from the American Medical College Application Service (undergraduate grade point averages [GPAs], Medical College Admission Test [MCAT] scores, race, and ethnicity) and participating schools (interview ratings).

Results: Data included 19,525 PREview scores from 18,549 unique PREview examinees. Correlations between PREview scores and undergraduate GPAs ( r = .16) and MCAT scores ( r = .29) were small and positive. Correlations between PREview scores and interview ratings were also small and positive, ranging between .09 and .14 after correcting for range restriction. Small group differences in mean PREview scores were observed between White and Black or African American and White and Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin examinees. The addition of the PREview exam did not substantially change the volume or composition of participating schools' applicant pools.

Conclusions: Results suggest the PREview exam measures knowledge of competencies that are distinct from those measured by other measures used in medical school admissions. Observed group differences were smaller than group differences observed with traditional academic assessments and evaluations. The addition of the PREview exam did not substantially change the overall volume of applications or the proportions of out-of-state, underrepresented in medicine, or lower socioeconomic status applicants. While more research is needed, these results suggest the PREview exam may provide unique information to the admissions process without adversely affecting applicant pools.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Association of American Medical Colleges. 2022 Fall Applicant, Matriculant, and Enrollment Data Tables. Accessed September 18, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/media/64176/download?attachment Published October 31, 2022.
    1. Kennedy AB, Riyad CNY, Gunn LH, et al. More than their test scores: redefining success with multiple mini-interviews. Med Sci Educ. 2020;30(3):1049–1060.
    1. Sackett PR, Shen W. Subgroup Differences on Cognitively Tests in Contexts Other than Personnel Selection. In: Outtz JL, ed. Adverse Impact: Implications for Organizational Staffing and High Stakes Selection. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis; 2010:323–346.
    1. Association of American Medical Colleges. Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. Accessed September 18, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/services/admissions-lifecycle/competencies-entering... .
    1. Lynagh M, Horton G, Nair BK, Walker M, Kelly B, Powis D. Student selection for medicine: still a “thorny” issue. Arch Med Health Sci. 2018;6(1):147–151.

LinkOut - more resources