CASPer Exam Practice - The Ultimate Guide (2026)

Whether you're applying to medical school, dental school, PA school, or another people-centered program, chances are you've heard of the CASPer test. Unlike traditional exams, CASPer isn't about memorizing facts or solving equations—it's designed to measure your social intelligence and professionalism through tough, real-world scenarios.

Because of its unconventional format, many students find the CASPer test confusing and even stressful. That's why we created this in-depth guide. Our goal is to offer a clear, concise roadmap for success - breaking down what the CASPer test is, and most importantly, explaining exactly how to craft high-performing responses that stand out from the crowd and demonstrate the qualities the test is trying to measure. We provide detailed examples at every step so you know exactly what to expect on the real CASPer exam and so you can see the theory in action.

Throughout this guide, we also highlight common CASPer mistakes and questions, and will link to valuable prep resources so you don't need to waste time scouring the internet for answers or prep materials. We've written this guide to be accessible for complete beginners, but feel free to navigate directly to the sections that are most helpful to you if you're already familiar with certain concepts.

What Is the CASPer Test?

CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is a situational judgment test used by many medical and health science programs to evaluate "soft skills" - i.e. non-academic traits such as ethics, empathy, and communication. It was developed by Acuity Insights (formerly Altus Assessments) and is one component of the broader Altus Suite.

What Does the CASPer Test Measure?

According to Acuity Insights, CASPer aims to evaluate skills that demonstrate social intelligence and professionalism—traits needed to thrive in academic and workplace environments that involve frequent human interaction.

Specifically, CASPer assesses the following 10 competencies:

• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively with others, contribute to group goals, and respect differing perspectives.
• Communication: Conveying information clearly and respectfully while also being attentive to what others are saying.
• Empathy: Understanding and valuing others' emotions and perspectives.
• Equity: Recognizing and addressing disparities or unfair treatment.
• Ethics: Applying moral reasoning to make fair and responsible decisions.
• Motivation: Demonstrating commitment, drive, and a sense of purpose in your actions.
• Problem Solving: Analyzing complex situations to find effective, practical solutions.
• Professionalism: Acting with integrity, accountability, and respect in all settings.
• Resilience: Remaining composed and effective under stress, setbacks, or change.
• Self-Awareness: Understanding your own thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and how they affect others.

Each question on the CASPer test is designed to assess one or more of these 10 competencies. In general, a question will focus on a primary competency and one or more secondary competencies. It's crucial to have a strong understanding of what each competency means in order to effectively demonstrate these qualities in your answers to CASPer questions.

CASPer Test Format

First, it's important to understand the test format so you don't get caught off guard on test day. Before diving in, let's align on some basic terminology to avoid any confusion throughout the rest of the guide:

• Question: These are the building blocks of the CASPer test. They encompass the scenario, the prompts, and the responses. There are 11 questions in total, split into two sections (more on that later).
• Scenario: A description of a situation or problem that sets the stage for the question. Scenarios can be in video or typed format. Often, this will include your role in the situation.
• Prompt: A specific query that you will be asked to answer about the scenario. There are two prompts per scenario and they are always in typed format.
• Response: Your answer to the prompt. You will be asked to respond to both prompts in each scenario. The response can be either video or typed, depending on the scenario.

To illustrate, let's walk through an example question taken from our list of Casper practice questions:

Structure & Timing (2026 Edition)

The 2026 CASPer test consists of 11 total questions across two sections, grouped by response type:

• Section 1 - Video responses: 4 video-response questions, followed by an optional 10-minute break
• This section has 2 typed scenarios and 2 video scenarios
• Each question has 2 open-ended prompts shown one at a time
• You will have 30 seconds to reflect on the scenario, followed by 10 seconds to read each prompt and 1 minute to record each response
• Section 2 - Typed responses: 7 typed-response questions, with an optional 5-minute break after the fourth question
• This section has 3 typed scenarios and 4 video scenarios
• Each question has 2 open-ended prompts shown at the same time
• You will have 30 seconds to reflect on the scenario, followed by 3 minutes and 30 seconds to type both responses

Source: CasperPractice.org

Overall, the test takes approximately 65 to 85 minutes to complete, depending on break usage.

If you want to see what this looks like in an example practice test, check out our Free Casper Practice Tests - where you can find two full-length example practice tests in the 2026 format.

Scenario Format

CASPer scenarios are delivered in either video or typed format. While there are differences between the two, they aren't so significant that you should be spending too much time worrying about them. In both cases, you should be trying to understand what competency the question is about and convey those qualities in your responses.

In general, video scenarios are more detailed and depict real-life situations, while typed scenarios are more vague and even abstract. Video scenarios are almost always associated with situational questions, while typed scenarios can be situational, personal, or opinion questions (see the Question Types section for more).

Response Format

Responses can also be in video or typed format. While the actual content of your answer shouldn't differ based on the format, each medium has its own unique considerations and tips for effective delivery. Naturally, video responses require attention to verbal and non-verbal communication, while typed responses focus more on writing speed and clarity.

Video Responses

Video responses are recorded using your computer's webcam. Communication is one of the competencies assessed by the CASPer and this is partly measured by how well you communicate your ideas in video answers. Here are some important considerations for video responses:

• Stay calm and composed. Practice video responses with a webcam so you're not phased by the experience on test day. We offer a practice question simulator to do just this, although video responses are only available in paid plans.
• Speak clearly and confidently. Speak quickly enough to convey the necessary information in the 1 minute time limit, but slow enough to be understood easily. Avoid using filler words like "um" or "like."
• Use professional body language. Sit up straight, maintain eye contact (look into the webcam), and avoid fidgeting.

Typed Responses

Written communication is also an important aspect of communication, and you should be able to convey your thoughts clearly and concisely. Here are some important considerations for typed responses:

• Use simple, easy to understand langauge. The graders of the test come from a wide range of backgrounds, so you should avoid using jargon or complex words that may not be familiar to them.
• Convey as much relevant information as possible. While quality is more important than quantity, the time limit is very short, so you should aim to write as much as possible in the time you have. Use a free typing practice tool like this one to improve your speed and accuracy.
• While it's important to be structured and clear, spelling mistakes are not an important aspect of your grade, so don't pay too much attention to them (source: Altus Assessments).

In both cases, it's important to simulate the real test environment as much as possible in your prep so that you're familiar with the format and time limits on test day.

How to Answer CASPer Questions

Before diving in, it's important to note that there is no such thing as a perfect answer to a CASPer question. Given the short time limit, it is entirely possible for two completely different answers to address the same question in completely different ways and receive a top score. This is part of what makes the CASPer so tricky, and is also why there is so much conflicting advice about how to answer CASPer questions online.

Frameworks like the ones shown below are like training wheels: they are systematic, repeatable ways of demonstrating basic ethical reasoning and the qualities that CASPer tests for. However, as you answer more and more practice questions, you will naturally expand your CASPer toolkit, and you should eventually feel free to add to or modify the frameworks wherever you see fit to adapt to the specific question you're answering.

Question Types

CASPer test questions come in three main types: situational, personal, and opinion. Situational questions present specific real-life situations and ask how you would respond. Personal questions explore your experiences and values. Opinion questions ask you to take a stance on an ethical or policy question - this type includes quote prompts, policy debates, and philosophical questions. Since CASPer is designed to assess professional judgment and interpersonal skills, situational questions are the most frequent, followed by personal questions, with opinion questions appearing less often. To maximize your preparation, focus your practice on situational and personal questions first - but be ready for all three.

Below is a summary of the question types:

Below is a side by side comparison of two example practice questions of each type from our comprehensive list of Casper practice questions:

Situational Questions

When answering situational questions on the CASPer test, graders are looking for two things above all: whether you recognize what each person in the scenario is going through, and whether you commit to specific, defensible actions that account for everyone involved. The situational framework - Empathize, Act, Explain - structures your answer around exactly those signals.

• Empathize - Consider every person's perspective and the reasons behind their reactions
• Act - Lay out exactly how you would respond, step by step
• Explain - Clarify the reasoning behind your response and the outcome it is intended to achieve

Let's break down each step in more detail and apply it to the first prompt in the example situational practice question above:

1. Empathize

Start by naming what each person involved is experiencing and why - not just the central figure, but everyone the situation touches. Identify the core tension (a useful test: "what will happen if I do nothing?") and anchor your response to the most vulnerable person in the scenario, whether that vulnerability is physical, emotional, social, or professional.

Reading the human dimension of the scenario accurately - including the perspectives that are easy to dismiss, like a frustrated bystander or the person causing the problem - is one of the strongest drivers of high scores. Every person you name should come with a reason: what they are feeling, and why that feeling makes sense.

2. Act

Next, describe the specific actions you would take - concrete, realistic steps a person in the scenario could actually carry out. Name the conversation you would have and where you would have it (sensitive conversations happen privately), the change you would make, the person or channel you would involve. Generic intentions ("I would address the situation") earn nothing; specifics are what graders reward.

If a genuinely unknown fact would change what you do, handle it with a conditional: "if the situation is temporary, I would...; if it's ongoing, I would..." That way you cover the uncertainty and still commit to action on every branch. Where it fits naturally, include a step that prevents the problem from recurring, not just a fix for today.

3. Explain

Close by explaining why your approach matters and what it accomplishes. This is where you make your reasoning visible: the values your actions protect, the harms they prevent, and how the outcome serves everyone you named at the start. A plan without a "why" reads as improvised; the same plan, justified, reads as judgment.

Together, those three excerpts make one complete answer - close to what you can realistically type in the time limit. The structure is the point: people, plan, why.

Hallmarks of the Best Answers

• Names what every person involved is experiencing and why - including the perspectives that are easy to overlook
• Specific, concrete actions a real person could carry out, not generic intentions
• A clear thought process explaining why the approach matters and what it accomplishes
• Demonstrates traits associated with the primary competency the question is assessing
• Reporting unsafe or unethical behavior to proper authorities when appropriate (unless doing so would cause more harm than not doing so)
• Systemic solutions that prevent similar problems from occurring in the future

Common Mistakes

• Leaving "I would gather more information" as the answer. If an unknown matters, say what you would do in each case and commit to both branches
• Describing what should happen without acknowledging what anyone is feeling
• "Breaking the rules" - never knowingly recommend violating the rules or procedures that apply to the situation
• Empathizing with only one party while ignoring everyone else the situation affects
• Providing generic responses without specific, actionable steps (e.g. "I would talk to them" instead of "I would meet privately with my team member, acknowledge how difficult their situation must be, and work out a schedule around their constraints")
• Leaving your actions unjustified - if you never explain why your approach is the right one, the grader has to guess at your reasoning
• Failing to report unethical or unsafe behavior to proper authorities

Personal Questions

Personal CASPer test questions invite you to reveal who you are, not just what you'd do. Graders are looking for honest, grounded self-awareness rather than a polished narrative. The personal framework - Share, Reflect, Evolve - helps you describe a specific moment, what you felt and discovered, and how it changed the way you think or act.

Framework

For personal questions, structure your response using this approach:

• Share - Walk through the experience, including your emotional response (or how you would expect to feel)
• Reflect - Identify the lesson or insight you gained from the experience
• Evolve - Describe how the experience influences your future decisions or behavior

Let's break down each step in more detail and apply it to the first prompt in the example personal practice question above:

1. Share

Begin by briefly describing a real, specific moment - who, what, when, where - so the reader immediately understands the context. If an obstacle or setback was involved, explain it clearly and show you took ownership of the situation. Crucially, include how you actually felt: naming the embarrassment, doubt, guilt, or pride honestly is what separates a lived story from a rehearsed one, and it's something graders consistently reward. If the question is hypothetical ("how would you feel if..."), be equally honest about the feelings it would stir up.

2. Reflect

This is the heart of your response. Discuss the concrete lessons you extracted and the competencies you developed - resilience, adaptability, empathy, problem-solving, or communication. If you're highlighting a personal mistake or weakness, show how you overcame it and what you did differently as a result. Use active language ("I learned," "I applied," "I improved") to demonstrate growth.

3. Evolve

Close by showing how the experience changed the way you think or act going forward. This goes beyond naming the lesson - show the lesson operating in your life now, in a concrete habit or choice. If it flows naturally, connect the change to your future profession, but don't force a rehearsed career tie-in: graders are listening for genuine transformation, and an authentic "here's how I operate differently now" beats a formulaic "this will make me a great doctor" every time.

Hallmarks of the Best Answers

• Describes one specific moment in real detail, not a montage of achievements
• Names honest feelings, including the uncomfortable ones - embarrassment, doubt, guilt
• If discussing a weakness or mistake, demonstrates how you learned and grew from it
• Shows the change operating in how you think or act today, not just as a stated lesson
• Demonstrates traits relevant to the theme of the question

Common Mistakes

• Not being specific enough about the context for the personal experience. If a personal experience is asked, always describe the personal experience
• Narrating events without ever saying how you felt - skipping the feelings makes even a true story read as rehearsed
• Showcasing yourself in a negative light, unless you're trying to highlight how you learned from a mistake
• Admitting to having done something unsafe, unethical, or illegal, unless you're trying to highlight how you learned from a mistake (but even then, proceed with caution)

Opinion Questions

Opinion questions ask you to take a stance on an ethical or policy question - a quote to agree or disagree with, a controversial policy, a values trade-off. Graders are not scoring which side you pick; they're scoring whether you can hold the tension between the options honestly before landing on a position. The opinion framework - Frame, Assess, Conclude - structures exactly that.

• Frame - Define the core conflict and what makes the decision difficult
• Assess - Compare the available choices by considering both their benefits and drawbacks
• Conclude - Justify the option you would choose - or explain why multiple responses could be reasonable

The excerpts under each step below build one answer to this example question:

1. Frame

Open by naming the dilemma - not just the topic, but the tension inside it. Show that you understand why reasonable people disagree by identifying the legitimate value each side is protecting.

2. Assess

Give each option a fair hearing - the benefits and the costs of each side, stated in their strongest form. The best answers make the case for the position they won't ultimately choose almost as convincingly as for the one they will.

3. Conclude

Land on a position and defend it in terms of fairness - or explain why more than one approach has merit and under what conditions each would be right. Both are legitimate endings; what you cannot do is refuse to engage.

Hallmarks of the Best Answers

• Names the tension explicitly - what legitimate value each side is protecting
• Presents the strongest version of both sides, including the one not chosen
• Lands on a position defended in terms of fairness, or explains why more than one approach has merit
• Acknowledges the conditions under which the other side would be right

Common Mistakes

• Picking a side instantly without acknowledging that a real tension exists
• Fence-sitting - refusing to land anywhere without explaining why multiple approaches genuinely have merit
• Dismissing the opposing view as simply wrong or foolish instead of engaging with its strongest form
• Turning the answer into a passionate argument for your personal beliefs rather than a balanced evaluation

How Is CASPer Graded?

Unlike traditional exams, the Casper test evaluates your performance relative to your peers who took the same version of the test at the same time you did. Each of your answers is reviewed by a different grader to eliminate bias and is evaluated on a 1-9 Likert scale. Then, your answer scores are averaged and your overall score is expressed as a percentile (source: Acuity Insights). This percentile score is delivered to the institutions you're applying to, but you as the test taker will only ever see your quartile score, that is:

• 1st Quartile: 0–24th percentile
• 2nd Quartile: 25–49th percentile
• 3rd Quartile: 50–74th percentile
• 4th Quartile: 75–100th percentile

Casper quartile results give institutions a window into applicants' non-cognitive strengths—qualities rather than a fixed pass/fail mark. Because each program values different attributes, there is no universal "passing" score - different institutions weigh the CASPer differently, so it's important to know the importance of the CASPer for the programs you're applying to and to prepare accordingly.

What Schools Require CASPer?

Many health-profession programs now require Casper as part of their admissions process, mostly in Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This includes nearly all Canadian medical schools (e.g., University of Toronto, McGill, UBC), a growing number of U.S. MD programs, and numerous nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, physician-assistant, social-work, and education graduate programs. To see a full list of institutions that require the CASPer, check out our list of Schools That Require CASPer, where you can see all the different schools and programs that require the CASPer in 2026.

Final Thoughts

CASPer can feel daunting - but with the right prep, it's very manageable. Practice with realistic questions, get detailed feedback, and understand the grading criteria.