All About the CASPer Exam

Written by: Darby Durrant, Pre-Health Peer Advisor 

What is the CASPer exam?

CASPer is a two-hour situational judgment test required for many professional schools that evaluates your behavioral tendencies and assesses how you may act in realistic hypothetical scenarios. It is often a part of the secondary application or the interview process and can only be taken once per admission cycle. Typically, studying is not required for this test, but it is strongly suggested, and this blog should help break down how to prepare for the exam and also will provide some helpful tips to utilize while taking the exam.

Preparing for CASPer:

• Schedule a day to take your exam and make sure you can take it in a quiet and private environment.
• Check with all the schools you are applying to and make sure to complete all parts of the exam, if necessary (CASPer, Snapshot, and Duet).
• Practice your typing speed and aim to type around 80+ words per minute.
• Become familiar with the test format and length.
• Review common scenario questions. 
• Find a format for answering questions and stick to it (see below)
• Make a list of your own meaningful activities, conversations, situations, group experiences, and try to connect these to the core qualities that the evaluators are looking for (see below).
• Take at least one full length practice exam on the Altus Website: https://takealtus.com/

Common formats for answering questions:

While taking CASPer, you do not have much time to plan answers before you start typing. With the limited time, it is essential to go into each question with a “game plan” and how you choose to format your answers may be unique to you. Below are some potential formats that I found to be helpful in organizing my thoughts while providing a clear and cohesive answer. Plan to use these formats when answering situation type questions, ethical questions, and policy type questions.

1. PPRDJ:
   1. Problem: there could be many minor problems in a given scenario, so make sure to find the main problem and directly state it.
   2. Perspectives: who is the most vulnerable person in the situation and who is directly and indirectly affected by the problem you stated? Consider the bigger picture and think beyond the people listed in the scenario. 
   3. Responsibility: given your role in the scenario, what actions should you take to allow for the best outcome for all parties involved. 
   4. Decision: make a clear decision using all the information you collected. State the thought process that led you to that decision and stick with it. 
   5. Justification: list out all the pros and cons of your decision and justify why you made the right choice given the situation and your role. You earn points for thoughtful and complete answers based on how you would truthfully act in a situation, so be your genuine self.

2. STAR:
   1. Situation: describe the situation and how you interpreted it. What is the problem you wish to address? 
   2. Task: what are things you need to consider, who is involved, and what actions could you take given the situation? 
   3. Action: pick a side, make a decision, and take action. It is important to clearly state what you would do and the consequences of your actions as well as why you made the choice. 
   4. Result: who would be affected (directly and indirectly) and what would be the consequences of your actions. Using statements like this, “if __ happens, then I would__” are helpful for organizing your thoughts and plans of action.

Core qualities evaluators are looking for:

There are a few main qualities the CASPer evaluators are looking for and you should aim to display these qualities in your answers through your thought process, interpretation of the situation, and the actions you would take. You should also think of meaningful experiences in your own life where you displayed such qualities. 

1. Collaboration 
2. Communication
3. Empathy 
4. Equality 
5. Ethics 
6. Motivation
7. Problem-solving 
8. Professionals 
9. Resilience 
10. Self-awareness

Answering personal type questions and example questions:

Using the qualities listed above, you should plan to answer personal type questions based on your own life and experiences. It would be beneficial to list out situations you have experienced so you do not have to think on the spot during the test. Here are some common personal type questions you should prepare for.

• Describe a time where you intervened on behalf of someone else in a public space.
• Describe a time when you made a critical error. How did you overcome it?
• Describe a time where you had to make a challenging decision, or you made a decision you regret.
• Describe a time when you openly criticized a superior or an authority figure. What were the results of your actions?
• Describe a time when you witnessed unethical behavior. What did you do? 
• Describe a time you witnessed an unfair situation.

Helpful resources:

These are great resources that I found extremely helpful when preparing for the CASPer exam. 

• Typing practice game: https://play.typeracer.com/
• Another typing practice game: https://10fastfingers.com/typing-test/english
• https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/casper-prep-tips
• https://www.caspertest.com/casper-sample-questions/
• https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/free-sample-casper-questions
• https://caspertestprep.com/CASPer-Sample-Questions.html
• https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/casper-test-question-categories-and-types