The Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal characteristics (CASPer) is an online situational judgement test which assesses interpersonal skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism, ethics, and empathy. It has been adopted by 20+ allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and 20 physician assistant programs to help schools assess applicants. It is meant to complement other evaluative tools and provide programs with a more holistic assessment of their candidates.
Structure & Format
The CASPer test consists of 12 sections (8 videos, 4 non-video) lasting a total of 90 minutes. Each section contains either a short 1-2 minute video or a short prompt, followed by three open-ended probing questions. The test-taker is allowed five minutes to answer all three questions for each section. There is an optional 15-minute break halfway through.
Test-takers do not see their scores once they complete the test. The scores are directly distributed to selected programs within 3 weeks.
How to Prepare
The CASPer is not a pass/fail test, nor are there right or wrong answers to the questions. It is designed to assess how examinees respond to an ethical dilemma on the spot.
- Familiarize with the format of the test by completing the system requirements check on takecasper.com ahead of your test date and time.
- Review sample CASPer content
- Find a comfortable and quiet space to take the test on test day, as this will help you stay focused for the duration of the test.
- Register at takecasper.com, sign up with an email address and create a password.
- Pay the fee to schedule a test date and time ($10 to take the test for US programs, $10 to distribute results to each program). Note: different dates and times are offered for different institutions and you should check well in advance to see when test dates are offered for the programs you wish to apply to.
- Test-takers must have a working webcam and a valid government photo ID
