How PREview-Style Ratings Work
A AAMC PREview-style scenario usually gives you a situation involving teamwork, ethics, communication, reliability, empathy, or accountability. Then it asks you to rate several possible responses independently. Do not rank the answers against each other. A scenario can have more than one effective response, and two responses may both be weak for different reasons.
Use the scale this way:
- Very Ineffective: worsens the problem, ignores a serious responsibility, violates trust, or creates avoidable harm.
- Ineffective: has a reasonable intention but misses the main issue, delays action too much, or handles the situation poorly.
- Effective: addresses the issue in a professional way, but may be incomplete or less proactive than the best response.
- Very Effective: directly addresses the concern, protects people involved, uses appropriate resources, and preserves professionalism.
That distinction matters for scoring. PREview scores are based on alignment with a consensus key developed with medical education subject matter experts. Full credit comes from matching the consensus rating. Partial credit may be possible when your rating is one step away on the same side of the scale, such as Effective instead of Very Effective. Crossing from effective to ineffective, or the reverse, is the bigger mistake to avoid.