How I Prepared For CASPer to Score in the 4th Quartile!

How to Prepare for the CASPer Test

Research was the cornerstone of my CASPer preparation journey. Before delving into practice sessions or crafting responses to CASPer questions, I needed to understand the intricacies of the test – its structure, purpose and significance in the admissions process. At its core (and like the MMI), the CASPer test is an online situational judgment test (SJT) claimed to evaluate an applicant’s qualitative or “soft” skills, such as professionalism, maturity, and communication. Often, CASPer is used as an intermediary or additional step between application and later in-person interviews, allowing the admissions committee to determine a candidate’s suitability for the course of study and profession, prior to extending an invitation to meet in-person.

Many first-time applicants, however, have no idea what the CASPer test is or what it’s about. 

As many schools and programs now engage in “holistic review” – that is, review of a candidate’s personal, professional, and scholastic competencies – evaluations like the CASPer test are intended to allow students to provide crucial insights into their own priorities, values, and interpersonal skills, so that these can be considered alongside their academic achievements. In fact, CASPer has been shown to count for up to 1/3 of an applicant's pre-interview score, meaning that effective CASPer test prep is absolutely crucial for performing well and getting an interview!

CASPer Test Format

In taking the CASPer test, you will be presented with a series of prompts and you will have to respond to follow-up questions. The prompts are often based on thought-provoking, real-life situations, professional ethics, and hot topics in your field, and the associated questions offer you the opportunity to demonstrate key qualities sought in professionals in your discipline.

Here are the details of the CASPer test format:

• The CASPer test is made up of 2 sections with a total of 11 scenarios.
• In the first part of the test, you will need to video record your answers. You will face 4 scenarios in total, 2 text-based and 2 video-based, and articulate your answers while being recorded. You will have 1 minute to record your answers to 2 follow-up questions.
• In the second section of CASPer, you will be presented with 7 scenarios, both text-based and video-based scenarios. You will be given 2 follow-up questions and have 3.5 minutes total to type up your answers. Each of your answers is scored individually.
• It will take you about 65-85 minutes to complete the entire test. Keep in mind that once your allotted time to answer questions runs out, the next scenario will appear automatically.

Here are some tips for mastering CASPer's format!

Learn How the CASPer Test is REALLY Evaluated

Additionally, I familiarized myself with how the CASPer test is scored, gaining clarity on the qualities evaluators seek to assess, such as empathy, professionalism, and ethical decision-making.

You might hear that there are no right or wrong answers on a CASPer test. Is it really that ambiguous? Not really. CASPer raters do not have an answer key, so there is technically no single “right” answer and there are an infinite number of possible responses. However, there are responses that are inappropriate or reflect poor personal or professional qualities. If you would not share your answer in a face-to-face interview, you are on the wrong track with your response; if you cannot imagine a professional saying it, don’t say it. Answers that are poorly composed or demonstrate limited understanding and reasoning will score poorly. Answers that are unprofessional can be flagged by the reviewer and jeopardize your entire test.

The CASPer test is scored on a numerical scale that reflects how well your response either meets, does not meet, or exceeds the assessors’ expectations. The first section has 2 follow-up questions and is rated on a scale of 1 to 9. The second section has 3 follow-up questions, also rated on a scale of 1 to 9. Average scores for all your responses are not enough to succeed. To exceed expectations, you will have to demonstrate good decision making and excellent communication. It’s not impossible to score well, and this can be done with preparation and practice. Follow this link to find out exactly how CASPer is scored.



How to Prepare for CASPer Questions

As I was navigating my CASPer test prep, I realized that learning what type of CASPer questions to expect should become the most important part of my test preparations. So let’s dig into what CASPer question categories I prepared for and how I practiced!

You have probably heard that it is impossible to prepare for CASPer. How can you prepare for a million different scenarios and questions you might have to face in your test? It is indeed difficult to prepare for CASPer, but I found that identifying CASPer question types was the most effective way to prepare! I researched what categories of questions are typically included on a CASPer test and used solid strategies (almost templates!) for each question category. This means that even though I did not know the exact questions I am going to get on my test, I will had an approach for answering any questions that may come my way. So what are these CASPer question categories that I prepared for?

Most CASper questions typically fall into 3 major categories:

1. Situational or scenario questions
2. Policy questions
3. Personal questions

There are some other question types, like quirky questions, but these can still be tacked by using personal questions answer template I will outline below.

You should also know that a CASPer scenario can be followed up with two or even three question categories! That is, after you are given a scenario the follow-up questions may include a scenario question (what would you do in this situation?), a policy question (what do you think about a certain policy or law), and a personal question (have you ever had a similar thing happen to you?). It is rare, but I have seen this happen!

Having answer strategies for each question category really put me ahead. I was ready to face any given prompt and was ready to structure my answer quickly and succinctly. Here’s my quick rubric for answering the 3 most common CASPer question types:

How to Prepare for Situational or Scenario CASPer Questions

Here's a quick rundown of the steps I took to answer scenario CASPer questions:

• When I am faced with a CASPer scenario follow-up question, I immediately try to understand my role and what kind of issue I am being presented with, i.e. autonomy support, informed consent, professional boundaries, conflict resolution, etc.
• I identify the most vulnerable party in the situation, but I also remain objective and non-judgmental to all parties involved in the situation.
• I start "gathering information" by considering all sides of the scenario. The most vulnerable party should be considered before anyone else in the scenario, but I reserve judgment and try to stay objective.
• I think of several practical solutions, then choose the most rational, ethical, legal, and scientifically sound decision that causes the least amount of harm to everyone involved or indirectly involved.

My hot tip for you: a good way to structure your answer to scenario questions is to use if/then sentence structure. This way you demonstrate that you have considered multiple points of view and have included all the parties in your consideration.

How to Prepare for Policy CASPer Questions

Follow-up questions from the policy category are typically included to assess your awareness of the local and global issues facing your profession and your ability to remain objective and non-critical of all sides of an issue. Again, consider the themes that the policy question is asking about, i.e. current social events awareness, rural vs. city practice, ethical/moral dilemma, etc. Follow this general structure to answer CASPer policy questions:

1. Opening sentence. In your opening sentence shortly summarize the policy to demonstrate your awareness of the policy and its context.
2. 2 or 3 points about the policy. List a couple of advantages and disadvantages of the policy. Not only will this show your awareness of the problem, but it will also demonstrate your ability to stay objective, informed, and open-minded.  
3. Last sentence. The last part of your answer should include your personal opinion about the policy and the reasons behind your stance. If you disagree with the policy, write down a short sentence with an alternative solution to the problem.

To prepare for questions in the policy category you should become familiar with current events, hot topic social and political issues, and challenges facing your profession. To practice answering policy questions, you can write down a list of most important and interesting policies you encounter, write down their pros and cons, and try to formulate your own informed opinion.

How to Prepare for Personal CASPer Questions

I had lots of follow-up personal CASPer questions that asked me to talk about times when I had to deal with similar issues that are presented in a scenario. They are meant to assess how you react in certain situations. The question may deal with professional boundaries, ethical/moral dilemmas, conflict resolutions, and other issues. Your answer should demonstrate to the evaluator that you know how to handle yourself in a situation.

When you answer personal questions remember these steps:

• Provide a very short context about the situation you are writing about.
• Write one or two sentences demonstrating specific actions, behaviors, or tasks you performed to deal with the situation. What did you do to fix the problem? How did you overcome a challenge? Use concrete examples.
• Write one sentence about what you learned from dealing with this situation. 

Top 10 Tips for Acing Your CASPer Test

1. Learn to identify and have a strategy for each CASPer question category. Feel free to use the ones I share above!
2. Read all questions twice and answer the easiest question first.
3. Take time to consider your answer.
4. Identify the most pressing issue.
5. Figure out who is directly and indirectly involved.
6. Gather as much information as possible. Do not make any assumptions.
7. Provide the most rational and common-sense solution that causes the least amount of harm to everyone involved using the “if/then” sentence structure.
8. Pay attention to your spelling and grammar. While you are not penalized for errors, you will make a much better impression if you express yourself without obvious mistakes.
9. Read your answers over when you’re finished. You might have time to catch those mistakes!
10. Don’t rush. Your aim is to answer all the questions in a given scenario, but rushing can lead to a lower score.

Sample CASPer Test Questions & Expert Responses

Below, you will find 4 sample stations, one for each station type identified earlier: scenario, policy, personal, quirky. Each of the answers is specifically designed to demonstrate strategies you can use for effective CASPer test prep. What is important about the answers here is less what is said, but how it is said and structured. See if you can identify the techniques and structures provided earlier in the answers offered here. Once you’ve done this, you can use this as a practice set to compose your own responses.

Sample Scenario CASPer Question and Expert Response

Prompt: You are at the airport with your family, preparing to board a plane to your favorite vacation destination. The flight attendants prepare to begin calling passengers for boarding. Prior to calling for passengers in first class, the attendant asks for any passengers with disabilities to come forward for priority boarding. A couple, a young man and woman in their mid-to-late twenties, begins moving toward desk; the man is carrying all of their carry-on baggage, and they are smiling and laughing, with no visible complications with movement in either of them, and neither has any kind of visible mobility device (e.g., a cane, crutches, wheelchair, etc.). As they move past you, the woman in line behind you sighs loudly. You turn to look at her, and she is glancing around at your fellow passengers, visibly annoyed. She loudly proclaims, “This is unbelievable! Look at them!” She notices you looking at her, catches your eye, and looks at you expectantly. “You know what I mean, right?” she says to you, gesturing toward the couple, who have overheard this and look visibly upset.

Questions:

1. What would you do in this situation?

2. To use accessible parking spaces, people with disabilities must display a special placard, or have special license plates on their car. Do you think similar documentation should be required for accommodations like the one posited in the scenario (priority boarding on a flight)? Why or why not?

3. Can you describe a time when you intervened on behalf of someone else in a public space?

Sample Policy CASPer Question and Expert Response

Prompt: On the heels of the recent legalization of recreational cannabis (marijuana) in Canada and several U.S. states, debates around full decriminalization or legalization of illicit substances have been renewed in some medical, legal, and political circles.

Questions:

1. What is your opinion on legal recreational cannabis?

2. What is your opinion on legalizing or decriminalizing other illicit substances, such as cocaine, heroin, or MDMA?

3. What do you think is the key driver of illegal drug consumption, and what can be done to address this?

Sample Personal CASPer Question and Expert Response

Prompt: From time to time, we all make decisions we regret. Whether bound by less-than-ideal circumstances, lack of resources to make the best decision, or a lack of foresight or maturity, everyone has made a bad or unfortunate decision in their lives.

Questions:

1. Can you reflect on a decision you’ve made that you later regretted?

2. How can one move past, or learn from, such regret?

3. Did you ever make what seemed like a bad decision, only to later learn that it was still the best decision at the time? Reflect on this.

Sample Quirky CASPer Question and Expert Response

Prompt: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Questions:

1. What does this quotation mean to you?

2. Can you reflect on a time when this quotation was relevant in your own life?

3. How does this question relate to your desired field?

Want to see a mock CASPer test session? Here you go!

FAQs

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

Disclaimer: CASPer is a claimed trademark of McMaster & Acuity Insights. BeMo does not recommend, endorse nor affiliate with CASPer, Acuity Insights or McMaster and vice versa.