The company Acuity Insights (previously known as Altus assessments) distributes the Casper exam. It is used by medical schools to assess how well a candidate fits into their curriculum and to provide a comprehensive picture of each student. Medical students can showcase their non-cognitive talents, such as communication, during this exam. Usually, the Casper is given as part of the secondary application process before a medical school’s in-person or virtual interview. Some medical schools could allow you to retake the exam later.
To learn more about Casper tests and how to get ready, continue reading.
What is the test for Casper?
Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics is what Casper stands for. Before 2023, the Altus Suite, a multi-part assessment used in medical school admissions cycles, consisted of three tests, one of which was Casper. The situational judgment test (SJT) Casper is open-ended and assesses professionalism as well as non-cognitive abilities including teamwork, empathy, ethics, and problem-solving.
Acuity Insights was formed in 2023 by the merger of Altus Assessments and One45. Acuity Insights decided to combine the scores for textual and video replies in order to improve admissions equity after conducting extensive study on the Casper exam.
Is passing the Casper exam a requirement for admission to medical school? Only if you are applying to a medical school that demands it, will you need to take the Casper exam in order to attend medical school?
Originally implemented in Canada, its use has already spread to over 60 medical schools in the United States as well as over a dozen residency programs. As part of the admissions process, Casper assists institutions with application screening.
The Casper exam is used by medical schools and residency programs either in place of or in addition to the customary medical school interview.
Format of the Casper Test
Following the merger of One45 and Altus, the Casper test was modified in the start of 2023. While webcam replies are still included, this area appears before the written portions to avoid any typed responses being lost because of problems with video uploading. There are fourteen situations or dilemmas in Casper, then two questions with five minutes to answer each. Consider Casper as a series of automatic one-minute interviews.
How does the Casper test look like?
The Casper test structure consists of:
- Five scenario based on words and nine scenario based on videos
- Eight scenarios—two word-based and six video-based—require written replies.
- Video replies are needed for six instances. Four are video-based, and two are word-based.
Is the Casper exam duration? It takes 90–110 minutes to finish the Casper exam.
Which types of questions are included in the Casper exam? A variety of ethical, behavioral, and medical situations are frequently included in Casper questions. The majority of queries are behavioral in nature rather than medical in nature.
A MODEL SCENARIO
Think about this statement: “We deal with conflict in some manner on occasion.”
Open-ended inquiries for the candidate:
- Tell about a situation where you had to handle disagreement and how you handled it.
- If the same circumstance arose again, how would you respond to it differently?
- If you were presented with a problem that was really hard to resolve, how would you approach it?
Casper Exam – Get Ready
Unlike the MCAT, you don’t always need to prepare for the Casper exam by taking practice exams. Actually, it’s not intended to be studied for. It’s an assessment of your critical thinking and situational awareness. To have a sense of what to expect, we do advise you to walk through a few Casper scenarios or sample Casper instances. However, it is still better to go through CASPer practice questions to make yourself familiar with the type of questions expected on the exam day.
The Medic Mind US Casper Prep curriculum is ideal for that. It includes coaching from a doctor and will walk you through every component of the test that you need to comprehend.
Additional suggestions from Je Suis Banane on Student Doctor Network are included below:
Reading Philip C. Hébert’s “Doing Right”: This is a fantastic introduction to medical ethics. If you have the time to read through all of the many scenarios in the book, it will provide you with a great deal of knowledge.
Check out Casper’s biography and frequently asked questions: Gain a thorough grasp of the test methodology, use the Medic Mind US Casper Prep Program, and take the TakeAltus.com exam. Learn the background information and accept that studying won’t help you score higher on the test.
Utilize sample exam questions that you may get on many websites to your advantage: If you quickly search for “Casper sample questions,” “medical interview questions,” or “medical ethics questions,” you’ll discover a ton of information on YouTube.
Take notes on videos and sample questions to ensure you understand the scenario correctly. You only get one chance to see the video on exam day; you cannot go back and watch it again. Make it worthwhile. Practice taking notes in advance.
When to administer the Casper exam
When is the best time to take the Casper test? Since colleges now need the Casper score in addition to the main application, you should take the test while you’re getting ready for the AMCAS application. It is advisable to register for the exam in April or May of the application year.
Set a test date while you’re accumulating data for your medical school application, such as your pre-med GPA, MCAT, LOR, post-bacc, etc. Make sure you provide adequate time for yourself to study for the test.
It should be noted that schools will get scores in two to three weeks, so make plans ahead of time.
What is the price of the Casper test? The Casper exam typically costs $10 to take, plus an extra $10 for each institution that gets your results.
Casper Ratings
Test raters that have been hired separately and individually score each of the 15 situations. Raters are told to disregard typographical and grammatical errors and concentrate only on the substance.
Testers with slower typing speeds should be aware that raters will attempt to decipher your thinking process if you do not complete your response in the allocated five minutes. The number of bullet points and incomplete phrases will be added to your score.
Test-takers should be sure to constantly justify their positions since raters are supposed to assess your purpose rather than your particular position on an issue.
Before the test update for 2022–2023 was released, Altus revealed that every scenario was given a score ranging from 1 to 9. Altus has not revealed how test results are calculated for the revised exam. Only schools chosen to be part of the early adopter program will get test results from the video answer segment during the first application cycle of this new exam.
