For medical school applicants, the summer after you submit your primary application is busy. Secondaries arrive, situational judgment tests need scheduling, and interview invitations can come any time from late summer to spring. Here’s what to expect at each step.

Secondary applications

After your primary application is verified and sent to schools, most schools send a secondary application with school-specific questions and a fee. Some send secondaries to every verified applicant; others screen first.

Common prompts

  • Why this school? Specific programs, patient populations, curriculum features and mission, not rankings.
  • Diversity and perspective: what you’ll bring to the class and to patient care.
  • Challenge or adversity: a difficulty you faced and what you learned.
  • Gap year or plans: what you’re doing between now and matriculation.
  • Anything else? An optional space to add context not covered elsewhere.

Tips

  • Pre-write. Many schools reuse prompts, so draft core essays before secondaries arrive.
  • Return them quickly, ideally within about two weeks. Many schools review on a rolling basis.
  • Tailor every answer. Reusing an essay is fine; reusing it without adapting it to the school is not.
  • Budget. Secondary fees add up quickly. AAMC Fee Assistance Program recipients often have secondary fees waived.

Situational judgment tests

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) present realistic scenarios and assess how you think about professionalism, ethics, teamwork and empathy. Schools use them alongside interviews to understand qualities that grades and test scores don’t capture.

 CasperAAMC PREview
Run byAcuity InsightsAssociation of American Medical Colleges
FormatOnline scenarios with open-ended typed and recorded video responsesOnline text scenarios where you rate the effectiveness of possible responses on a four-point scale
Who uses it (2027 cycle)Many MD schools and other health programs; some accept PREview instead73 participating schools, which require it, recommend it, accept it for a required SJT or are exploring it
TimingTaken once per application cycle; results apply to that cycleScheduled on set test dates

Requirements change every year and vary by school, so check each school on your list, and register early so your results arrive with your application.

Preparing

  • Learn the format with official practice materials, so the timing and interface don’t surprise you.
  • Think in principles: patient welfare, honesty, fairness, respect for others and seeking more information before acting.
  • Consider every perspective in a scenario before deciding what to do.

Interviews

An interview invitation means a school sees you as a serious candidate. Many schools now interview virtually, and formats vary:

  • Traditional interviews: one-on-one or panel conversations with faculty, physicians or students. Some interviewers see your full application; others see little or none of it.
  • Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI): a series of short stations, each with a scenario, ethical question or task, scored by a different rater.
  • Group activities at some schools, to see how you work with others.

How to prepare

  1. Know your application. Be ready to discuss anything in it, in depth.
  2. Know the school. Its mission, curriculum and community, and why you fit.
  3. Practice out loud, including ethical scenarios and questions about current issues in health care.
  4. Prepare your questions. Thoughtful questions show real interest.
  5. Test your setup for virtual interviews: camera, lighting, sound and a quiet space.

Waitlists and updates

Many applicants who are eventually admitted spend time on a waitlist. If you’re waitlisted, follow each school’s instructions. Where updates are allowed, a brief note with meaningful news, such as new responsibilities or achievements, and a sincere statement of interest can help. Don’t send more than a school invites.

Holding and choosing acceptances

The AAMC’s application and acceptance protocols set expectations for MD applicants:

  • Until April 15, you may hold multiple acceptances while continuing to interview and remain on waitlists.
  • By April 15, you’re asked to narrow your acceptances to three and release the rest.
  • By April 30, you’re asked to choose the one school you plan to attend.
  • The Choose Your Medical School tool lets you indicate “Plan to Enroll” (non-binding) and “Commit to Enroll” (your final decision). It doesn’t withdraw your other offers, so contact those schools directly.
Release offers promptly. Each acceptance you release becomes an opportunity for someone on a waitlist.

Our medical school page covers the full cycle, and Application Review includes fast-turnaround secondary reviews and interview preparation, including MMI practice.

Corrections, October 15, 2026. We previously said about 30 MD schools require Casper and more than a dozen require PREview for the 2027 cycle; we could not confirm those counts from official sources, so the guide now cites the AAMC’s list of 73 schools participating in PREview and asks you to check each school’s requirement.

Sources

  1. 2026 Schools Participating in the AAMC PREview® Exam, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
  2. Test Format (AAMC PREview), AAMC.
  3. Casper, Acuity Insights.
  4. Fee Assistance Program, AAMC.
  5. Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants, AAMC.
  6. Managing Acceptance To Medical Schools & Traffic Rules, Duke University Advising (explains the AAMC Choose Your Medical School tool).