Prove You’re a Professional with the AAMC PREview Exam (3 part post) 2/3
Part 2/3: Example Scenario and Response
Let’s take a look at an example to really understand what the PREview tests. There are approximately 30 scenarios on the exam, each consisting of short descriptions of moral or professional dilemmas that a medical student might face. Here’s one example of a potential scenario:
You have an important exam in your biochemistry class tomorrow that has a significant impact on your grade and that you currently feel unprepared for. However, you agreed last week to work a colleague’s shift this evening at the local clinic that you both volunteer at, after that colleague took one of your shifts earlier in the month.
And here’s an example of one of the responses you might see:
Apologize and promise to pick up a different shift later but explain to your colleague that you cannot help tonight because of this important test.
Your task for this example response, as well as for every response on the exam, is to assign one of the following ratings:
- Very Effective
- Effective
- Ineffective
- Very Ineffective
To a lot of people, the example might seem like a pretty reasonable response. Your colleague helped you out earlier by picking up your shift, so surely they’ll be able to help you again given how much your biochemistry grade depends on that test. It’s not a perfect solution, to be sure, but it seems to solve your problem by freeing up some much-needed study time. Thinking this way, a lot of people might rate this response effective.
But just because a lot of people might behave that way doesn’t mean that’s how a medical professional should behave. The AAMC holds a higher standard. In this hypothetical, you made a promise to a colleague a week ago, well before this biochem exam. The fact that you still feel unprepared the day before is not your colleague’s fault, and they should not have to pay a cost for your lack of preparation. The mature and responsible thing to do is to fulfill your promise and accept the consequences of your mistake: work the shift, even if it means you fail the test.
The AAMC would instead rate the example response very ineffective for demonstrating poor competency in two areas: Reliability and Dependability, because you would be abandoning your responsibility to the clinic by not working the shift, and Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others, because you would be breaking a promise that you made to your colleague.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and watch for the final post to discuss how you can prepare for the Preview!