PREview and Casper: Which Med Schools Require Them

PREview and Casper: Which Med Schools Require Them

For fall 2027 entry, Acuity Insights lists 29 MD and 4 DO schools in the US, each marked "Required assessment: Casper", with last test dates from May 14, 2026 to February 9, 2027. For fall 2028 entry, no list exists yet: on November 7, 2026 Acuity offered no 2027–2028 cycle.

The number that matters on this page is not how many schools use Casper. It is each school's last test date, because that is the date your file stops being complete. Last cycle, 6 of the 33 schools had a last test date before November 7, 2026. Test in June or July of the year you apply, after your school list is set, and on last cycle's list you clear every school except Drexel, whose last date was May 14.

Acuity's Dates & Fees page was checked on November 7, 2026 (US, "Allopathic Medicine" and "Osteopathic Medicine", 2026–2027 cycle, all schools selected). AAMC's PREview pages refused automated retrieval the same day, so this page quotes no PREview school list, level or date. Read AAMC's PREview participating schools page directly.

Do you need Casper, PREview, or both?

• Casper: each school decides. Acuity: "Each individual program determines how and when to use Casper scores as part of their admissions process." The table below is Acuity's own list for last cycle.
• PREview: AAMC publishes the list of schools and the level each one uses. We could not retrieve it on November 7, 2026, so check it there.
• Both: a school can appear on Acuity's list and also accept PREview. Read each school's admissions page for "either" wording before you book two tests.

To practise the format itself, see our Casper test examples with typed and video answers.

Our view: build your school list first, then check each school against both lists in one sitting, and book only what the list requires. Casper bookings are tied to one cycle and one test type and cannot be refunded.

The countercase: if your list is long and still moving in spring, booking Casper early with your likely schools is reasonable, because Acuity says "You can add a program to your distribution before or after you have taken the Casper test." The base fee covers nine schools, and each school after that is one more distribution fee.

Casper schools for the 2026–2027 cycle (fall 2027 entry)

Acuity's list, sorted by the last test date it shows for each school. The distribution deadline is the date by which the score must reach that school; test dates carry a time on Acuity's page, so check yours in your account.

Two notes from Acuity's own rows. Drexel's row lists four test dates and adds "PLEASE NOTE - For DPMS applicants, May 15, 2026 is the last test date opportunity." Michigan State's row adds "Please note your specific deadlines based on your application type: Combined Medical Degree/Ph.D: August 25, 2026 Combined Medical Degree/Graduate (OMFS): November 12, 2026 Regular MD: November 12, 2026". Read the school's own note in your Acuity account before you pick a date.

What the list tells you, by our count: the first test date for the cycle was March 19, 2026; 17 of the 33 schools had last test dates in November or December 2026; 10 schools had last dates in January or February 2027. Every school accepted the same test: "Medicine (CSP-10111) - English, 2026-2027 cycle". The page lists no MD or DO school requiring Duet; it says "The test taking fee includes Duet."

What changes for the 2028 cycle

On November 7, 2026, Acuity's admissions cycle menu for the United States offered "2026-2027" and "2025-2026". A fall 2028 start is the 2027–2028 cycle, and it was not there. Four rules on the same page decide what you do when it appears:

• "Casper scores are only valid for a single admissions cycle"
• "A separate Casper test is required for future admissions cycles"
• "Applicants are not permitted to take a Casper test type more than once per admissions cycle"
• fees are "final, non-refundable, and valid only for the current admissions cycle"

Acuity's help article adds: "We do not offer refunds for tests reserved for the wrong cycle." TMDSAS says the same about validity: "CASPer test results are valid for one admissions cycle. Applicants who have already taken the test in previous years will therefore be expected to retake it."

So a 2027 test for the 2026–2027 cycle does nothing for you if you apply in 2027 for fall 2028. Our 2028-cycle timeline explains the naming.

When to test so your file is complete

These schools use the score at the interview step. On the TMDSAS after-submitting page, Baylor says "A CASPer score is required in order to be considered for an interview."; McGovern: "A CASPer test score is required in order to be considered for an interview."; UT Southwestern "requires that the CASPer score be reported/on file by an applicant's interview date". UVM's application timeline for 2026–27: "Completion of Casper is mandatory to receive an invitation to interview."

A missing score does not hold your primary at TMDSAS, which says "Missing letters and scores do not cause a delay to the primary application processing time." It holds the interview invitation.

Our test-date rule for the 2028 cycle:

1. Set your school list (April–May 2027). Check both Acuity's list for 2027–2028 and AAMC's PREview list.
2. Book Casper once the 2027–2028 cycle appears, at least three days ahead. Acuity: "Ensure you register for your Casper test at least three days before your preferred test date and time".
3. Request accommodations early: Acuity requires forms "four weeks prior to the time of your scheduled test."
4. Sit in June or July 2027, before your secondary writing peaks. On last cycle's list, a June or July test clears every school's last date except Drexel's May 14.
5. Send the score to every school on your list before its distribution deadline.

The test itself, per Acuity: "Casper takes approximately 65–85 minutes to complete", with 4 video-response scenarios and 7 typed-response scenarios. How Casper and PREview answers relate to the MMI is on our Casper, PREview and MMI page.

Fees and fee assistance

Acuity's fee for the medicine test last cycle: "Test taking fee: $85 (USD) includes distribution to 9 schools of your choice." and "$20 (USD) per additional distribution to the school(s) of your choice."

Our arithmetic: Casper sent to 15 schools costs $85 + 6 × $20 = $205. Sent to 9 or fewer, it costs $85.

Acuity: "applicants who have been approved for a participating U.S. or UK Fee Assistance Program (e.g., AAMC, AACOMAS, CASPA, ADEA, or UCAS bursary, etc.) may be eligible to have their Casper test fees waived or reduced." AAMC's own PREview fee and fee-assistance terms were not retrievable on November 7, 2026. For the whole budget, see our cross-system application cost guide.

Do these tests affect your secondaries?

They are separate files. Casper scores go to schools through Acuity: "Casper scores are automatically made available to the programs you select for distribution." Your secondary essays go through each school's portal. No page we checked says a school reads the two together.

What they share is subject matter: both ask how you handle people, ethics and setbacks. Do not paste Casper-style answers into a secondary. A Casper response is a timed reaction to a stranger's scenario; a secondary answer is your own experience, with room to show what you did. Start your secondaries from the MD secondary prompts by school and our system for pre-writing secondary essays, then run the secondary essay checklist before you submit.

Questions about PREview and Casper

Which medical schools require Casper for 2028?

No list exists yet. On November 7, 2026, Acuity offered no 2027–2028 cycle. For fall 2027 entry, Acuity listed 29 MD and 4 DO schools; that is the closest guide to the 2028 list.

Which medical schools require PREview?

AAMC publishes the list on its participating schools page. We could not retrieve it on November 7, 2026, so this page does not repeat it.

When should I take Casper for medical school?

In June or July of the year you apply, once your school list is set and the right cycle is open. Last cycle the first test date was March 19, 2026.

Can I use last year's Casper score?

No. Acuity: "Casper scores are only valid for a single admissions cycle".

Do I need Duet?

Acuity's 2026–2027 list shows "Required assessment: Casper" for all 33 MD and DO schools, and none lists Duet. If a school asks for it, Acuity says "there are no additional charges to take Duet".

Review the writing you send next

After Casper, the next thing schools read from you is the secondary. Get a free Quick Review of your secondary essay against GradPilot's optional "anything else" secondary rubric, which reads whether the answer adds something your primary does not and how clearly it is told.

More planning guides for the 2028 cycle:

• Med school application timeline for the 2028 cycle: what is posted, what is not, and a December-to-June plan.
• MCAT date vs med school application timing: what each test month does to your file.
• Casper, PREview and the MMI: one answer framework for all three.

Browse all medical school essay guides.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• Acuity Insights, Dates & Fees (United States; Allopathic Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine; 2026-2027 cycle): school list, required assessment, test dates, distribution deadlines, fees, Duet, validity rules, cycles offered, registration and accommodation lead times.
• Acuity Insights, What Is Casper?: program discretion, format and length, score distribution, fee assistance.
• Acuity Insights, Admissions cycle article (dated March 3, 2026): wrong-cycle refund rule.
• TMDSAS, After Submitting (Entry Year 2027): school Casper statements, one-cycle validity, primary processing not delayed by missing scores.
• University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Application Timeline 2026-27: Casper required for interview invitation.
• Not retrieved: AAMC's PREview participating schools, registration and about pages, and the AMCAS PREview scores chapter refused automated retrieval on November 7, 2026. No PREview list, level, date or fee is quoted here.