OBJECTIVES Eliciting preferences has become increasingly important in health care. Several methods are available to evaluate the relative importance of different aspects of health and health care. In this study, we aim to examine the difference between a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) and a rating scale exercise (RSE) to determine the most important attributes of undergraduate students when selecting a study specialization. METHODS First-year health sciences students were asked to complete a questionnaire that included a DCE and a RSE. Six attributes were identified in focus groups: “possible acquainted masters”, “job opportunity”, “scope of specialization”, “quality of education”, “hours self-study” and “personal interest”. Fourteen unlabeled choice tasks were constructed using a statistically efficient design and a mixed multinomial logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis. In the RSE, attributes were rated on perceived importance using a 7-point Likert scale. Two versions of the questionnaire were distributed in which the RSE was put before and after the DCE. RESULTS A total of