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CASPer

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Students that are applying to various professional programs in different areas of healthcare (medical, dental, veterinary medicine, optometry, etc.) may be required to take the CASPer test.  Click here for a list of programs requiring CASPer.

CASPer is a situational judgement test (SJTs) which healthcare programs are increasingly adopting as an additional way learn more about their applicants. The purpose of this test is to give insight into an applicant’s non-cognitive skillset, e.g. inter- and intrapersonal skills, empathy, and professionalism.  These are skillsets which are critical to working in a healthcare setting and providing quality care to patients.  However, it can be difficult to evaluate if an applicant possesses these skills early in the admissions process from the traditional application alone.

The CASPer test is comprised of realistic, hypothetical scenarios/dilemmas (aka ethical questions) meant to assess how you will behave in certain situations. The test lasts approximately 90 minutes, which includes the introduction, 65 minutes of questions and an optional 10-minute break halfway through the exam. It is comprised of 12 sections (8 video-based scenarios and 4 word-based scenarios) that are presented in randomized order. Each scenario is followed by an answer section (set of 3 questions) and you have 5 minutes to type your responses before you are automatically directed to the next scenario. Your typed responses are automatically saved even if you do not press the “Submit” button. A webcam is required for this test, and you are highly encouraged to test your configuration prior to your exam date.

This is not a pass or fail test and it is up to each individual program to determine how they will incorporate the CASPer score into their admissions decisions. This means that the same score may be competitive for one program but less competitive for another. Your CASPer score is a single numeric value and it is not broken down into individual scores. You will not receive results for this test nor feedback on your answers. The exam is scored by 12 unique raters to dilute any bias.  Raters only receive your typed reply and are not provided with any personal information. Raters will accept any typed answer, whether that be in bullet points or complete sentences and will disregard spelling mistakes when evaluating responses.

In order to prepare for the exam, you should practice with ethical questions and time yourself to get a feel for the 5 minutes response window allotted for each scenario. You will want to make sure that you focus on the content of your responses and use all of the time provided to you.

Make sure to register for your test a least three days before your preferred test day. Click here if you require testing accommodations. Below you will find resources to help you prepare for the CASPer test.

Test Preperation:

Your CASPer score will be made available only to the programs on your distribution list and will be sent out approximately 3 weeks after taking your test. You will not receive an email that your score has been delivered, but you can look in the “Past Tests” section of your account to see if the program is highlighted in green which indicates your score has been delivered. If your score in highlighted in grey, this means your score is still pending. You will not be able to take the CASPer test for the same test type (e.g. US Medicine) more than once per admission cycle. The results are only valid for a single admissions cycle, which means you will need to take a separate CASPer test for future admissions cycles.

Please note that your application to any professional program that requires the CASPer exam is not complete without your score. Therefore, you need to make sure that you monitor your account to ensure that the programs to which you applied show that your score has been delivered. Once you’ve taken your test, you cannot cancel or withdraw the distribution of your score to programs.

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