How To Ace The Exam

Casper: it is touted as an exam you can’t study for by its administrator, Acuity Suite. However, similar to your preparations for the SAT or ACT, that doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare. Having a strategy to approach this situational judgment test can improve your performance and score in the top percentile against your peers.

Required by many medical, dental, and BS/MD programs, the Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for … [+] Sampling Personal Characteristics) is designed to assess what type of student you are beyond your resume and transcript.

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Required by many medical, dental, and BS/MD programs, the Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is designed to assess what type of student you are beyond your resume and transcript. According to the Acuity Insights website, “it asks what you would do in a tough situation, and more importantly, why.” CASPER evaluates you on the following skills:

Collaboration
Communication
Empathy
Equity
Ethics
Motivation
Problem Solving
Professionalism
Resilience
Self-Awareness

Students applying to medical school, dental school, or direct medical programs can only take the exam once per application cycle. Because of this restriction, you’ll want to be prepared by understanding what the exam is testing you on, how it is evaluated, and how to develop strategies to approach these challenging situations.

Casper Format

Casper is split into two sections: a video response section and a typed response section. In total, it will take between 90-110 minutes, if you take advantage of the 20 minutes of optional breaks, to complete the entire exam.

In the video-based section, you will be presented with ten video scenarios. After you watch the brief scenarios, you’ll have one minute per each of the three questions to answer. Six of the ten scenarios will require you to type a response, and the other four will require you to record a video response.

In the typed response section, you will read five scenarios and have to answer three questions per scenario. This time, you will have five minutes to answer all three questions. In this section, three scenarios will require a typed response, and the renaming two will require a recorded video response.

Because you are under a time constraint, it is recommended to be able to type a minimum speed of 40 words per minute.

You will get 15 minutes of optional breaks during the test, which you can use to grab a snack, stretch, or relax for a few minutes. It’s important to note that Casper will automatically restart once the break time expires, so keep track of the time carefully.

The exam is administered online, so you can take it from the comfort of your own home. We recommend that you take the exam in a quiet place with headphones to reduce any distracting background noise. However, you have to take the exam all at once, so plan to dedicate two hours to finish the exam.

How Is Casper Scored?

Your scenario responses are rated on a scale from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 9 (superb). Your final score is a culmination of all your answers. Each section is scored by a different rater, which helps reduce the exam’s subjectivity or biases.

You will not be penalized for grammar or spelling mistakes, so it is more important to focus on the content of your answers while still making sure it is comprehensible. You also won’t receive a lower score if you run out of time before finishing a sentence. The raters will look at your response as a whole and will rate you based on that.

Approximately two to three weeks after you take the Casper, your score will be sent automatically to the programs you selected when registering.

7 Tips To Score Higher On Casper

Consider multiple facets. As you prepare your response to the ethical questions, remember: there is often no one true “right” answer. Instead, the raters want to see your ability to consider multiple perspectives, show empathy, and ultimately commit to a course of action while discussing its pros and cons. You should display that you come from a place of understanding and compassion while maintaining your ethical values. When answering each question, you must show your thought process rather than solely choosing the “right” answer.
Learn the basics of common ethics and medical ethics. Because you are being tested on how you would respond to ethical dilemmas, you should have an understanding of what your ethics are before you tackle Casper. While you won’t be explicitly tested on your knowledge of medical knowledge or ethics, having a basic understanding can guide you in your responses.
Use personal examples to help convey empathy and respect. While you likely won’t be asked specific questions about your own experiences, you might have to discuss when you faced a similar situation as the scenario. You won’t be able to prepare for every question you might encounter, but it can be helpful to start to create a story bank of ideas to use during the exam. Remember, a different rater will evaluate each scenario, so reusing stories or examples as you see fit is okay. As you reflect on stories you can use, think about how you approached the situation and how you want to improve.
Use “If/then” statements. Because the Capser raters want to see you considering multiple perspectives, using “if/then” statements can be more effective in helping you in these hypothetical dilemmas. For example, if this is true, then I would react this way. However, if this alternative is true, then this is how I would respond.
Avoid making assumptions. What can make these ambiguous scenarios difficult is that there is often a lot of missing information. You might want to automatically fill in some of the gaps by making assumptions. It’s essential to remember that in the Capser, what is unsaid is often more important than what is said. The different scenarios try to trick you into making assumptions and going down the wrong path to answering the questions. By remaining non-judgmental in your response, you can give people the benefit of the doubt and allow them to express their thoughts.
Make a firm judgment. You are also being tested on your ability to pick a path and stick to it. In some scenarios, you may be faced with making tough decisions where you want to make exceptions to the rules for the person. However, this won’t make you look empathetic; it will just make you look like you are unable to make difficult choices. As a future doctor, veterinarian, dentist, etc., there might be similar situations where you have to make a choice that won’t be well-received by everyone. Casper is testing you on those skills.
Practice! Preparing for a situational judgment exam can be challenging, but it is not impossible. By understanding the questions you will face, you can formulate a more proactive strategy to improve your chances of scoring high on Casper. You’ll also want to emulate testing conditions and try to answer the responses within the time limits. That way, you can figure out what realistically you could say or write in each scenario, helping you budget your time wisely.