What Resources Does AAMC Students & Residents Offer at Each Stage of Medical Training?

The AAMC Students & Residents site organizes its resources around the medical training timeline, from premed exploration through residency and fellowship. If you know which stage you're in, you can go directly to the tools that apply to you: premeds use the MCAT exam, MSAR, and the Fee Assistance Program; applicants use AMCAS and PREview; medical students use VSLO and Careers in Medicine; residency applicants use ERAS and the Residency Explorer tool. The site also publishes stage-specific calendars so you can plan around deadlines rather than discover them late.

Premed: Exploring a Career in Medicine

This stage is about deciding whether medicine fits and building the foundation to apply.

• Choose a Medical Career — the site's section for exploring career options, ways to get experience, and advice from people already in the field. The stated goal is to surface options "you didn't know existed."
• MCAT® Exam — the entrance exam resource for preparing and registering.
• MSAR® (Medical School Admission Requirements) — for applicants researching which schools fit their needs.
• Fee Assistance Program — listed among AAMC services for applicants who need financial support through the application process.
• Premed Calendar — a planning tool for this stage.

Applying to Medical School

Once you're ready to apply, the site points to a defined set of application services.

• AMCAS® (American Medical College Application Service) — the application system used to apply to medical schools.
• PREview® Professional Readiness Exam — a situational judgment exam listed alongside the MCAT and AMCAS.
• MSAR® — continues to be relevant here for comparing schools before submitting.
• Fee Assistance Program — also applies at this stage.

The site frames this section as covering how to prepare for the MCAT, decide which schools fit, understand the application process, and use AMCAS to apply.

Attending Medical School

The focus shifts from getting in to navigating the degree itself.

• Careers in Medicine (CiM) — resources for choosing a specialty.
• VSLO® (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities) — the application system for away rotations, which the site explicitly ties to deciding whether to do one.
• Medical and Graduate Student Calendar — the planning tool for this stage.

The site notes that during medical school you'll choose a specialty, take the USMLE exams, decide on away rotations, and use VSLO to apply for them.

Applying to Residency

This stage has its own dedicated toolset.

• ERAS® (Electronic Residency Application Service) — the application service for residency.
• Residency Explorer™ Tool — data to help you find programs that fit your career goals.
• Interview preparation — tips drawn from current residents, per the site's description.
• Timelines — step-by-step guidance through the residency application process.

Training in a Residency or Fellowship

The final stage covered on the site addresses the transition into graduate medical education and the practical side of a new life stage.

• Graduate medical education resources — background on GME issues.
• CV preparation tips — guidance on preparing your CV.
• Loan repayment guidance — information on managing medical school loans, including loan repayment options.
• FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) — listed among AAMC services and relevant to financial planning at this stage.

How to Use This Map

The through-line is that each stage has both a core application or exam service and a planning calendar. If you're unsure where you fall, the site's own framing is the simplest test: are you exploring, applying to medical school, attending medical school, applying to residency, or training in residency or fellowship? Pick the matching section and work from its tools outward.