Pre-Health Prep Series: What is CASPer?

Application season is upon us! It's the time of year when students are finishing up polishing their personal essays, making sure their letter-writers are getting all of their materials submitted, and working their way through the rest of the application process, which varies a lot between different professions. As you move forward, you may find a reference to something called CASPer, which is an acronym for the Computer Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (don't ask me where the "C" went or why there's an "er" on the end of it...). CASPer is a type of situational judgement test, which can help admissions committees understand your behavioral tendencies and assess how you would behave in certain situations. It is designed to help schools select applicants with developed soft skills that are often difficult to assess from traditional application features, such as GPA or MCAT scores.

CASPer assesses your abilities and competencies in:

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

Who requires that I take the CASPer?
There are a wide range of programs the currently require applicants to take the CASPer. Some programs require that you take the test as part of the primary application, which others will only require you to take the test as part of the secondary application process. There are many MD, DO, and PA schools that require CASPer, along with a few Anesthesiologist Assistant, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Nursing programs as well. You can use this website to help you determine if a program you are interested in applying to requires applicants to take the CASPer: https://takecasper.com/dates-times/

How is the test structured?
CASPer takes about 60-90 minutes and offers one, optional 15 minute break halfway through the exam. There are 12 sections, each containing a video or written scenario and three open-ended questions for each scenario. You will have 5-minutes to respond to these questions.

How is the test scored and when will my scores released?
The exam is scored by a group of human raters. Each section is rated by different people with extensive training and investment in the future of the profession. This takes about 3 weeks to process and your results will be released directly to your designated programs. The scores are only valid for one application cycle.

When/where can I take the test?
The exam is only offered on select dates/times. If a program where you are planning to apply requires applicants to take the CASPer, you'll need to register at least 3 days prior to your preferred test date.

How much does the test cost?
The exam currently costs $10 to take and an additional $10 for each program that you will need to send your scores to after you complete it.

How do I prepare for the test?
This isn't the kind of test that you can study for. To be prepared, you need to make sure that you have all of the necessary hardware for the test and that your computer can run the tests effectively (or schedule time with our testing center here on campus). When you run the CASPer Systems Requirements Check, you'll be able to run through a practice test to help you gain a better sense of the timing for the test. You can also review some sample scenarios/questions and read about other test prep activities by going here.

How do I maximize my chances of success on the test?
Start by not worrying or becoming overly anxious about the test. This isn't a "make or break" part of your application, it just gives admissions committees more information about who you are as a person and contributes to their overall understanding of how you react in different situations. Here's a few quick tips to help you do the best that you can:

• Make sure that you have a quiet place, free of distractions, where you can take the test. If needed, you can work with our testing center on campus to schedule a space.
• Do the systems check early so that you don't have an unnecessary stress on test day.
• Read all three questions and take a moment to reflect before you respond. This will help you to avoid repeating yourself as you move through the questions and will reduce the chances of you completely forgetting to address a question fully.
• Try to cover the issue from the broadest perspective that you can. Be sure to consider all aspects of the dilemma.
• Take the full five minutes to develop and review your responses. If you finish before the time is up, review your answers to see if you can add or clarify anything that may be unclear about your response.
• Don't panic if you aren't able to finish your thought. Because you'll only have 5 minutes to answer 3 questions, it is likely that you may have a few scenarios for which you are not able to finish typing in all of your thoughts before the system moves you to the next section. The raters are used to seeing unfinished responses and are explicitly trained to ignore spelling and grammar issues. The raters will be focusing on your content, so just do your best to make your point quickly.
• Remember that each section is graded by a different rater, so don't get hung up on a response that you weren't satisfied with from a previous section. Use the few seconds between sections and the 15 minute break to mentally reset for the scenarios that are yet to come.
• Keep in mind that there aren't "right" and "wrong" answers on the CASPer. Just be yourself and answer honestly!

Other FAQs regarding the CASPer can be found here.