Casper: 4th quartile please and thank you (pt. 1)

This post comes right after writing the Casper test for the second time. We're talking general information and resources!

Welcome back (or hello if this is your first time here)!

This is going to be a guide to the Casper where I do a tell-all of my (second) experience with the exam.

As always, let’s start with a little bit of my background in relation to the Casper test: as of Oct. 20, 2023 this is my second time taking the Casper, having taken it once before in 2022. The difference between the two times? Worlds apart let me tell you.

Now will this be reflected in the score I receive this time? I hope so (I won’t know until my results come out in 2-4 weeks—will update!). But whatever happens, it’s all part of my learning experience. I’ve talked enough—let’s jump into the Casper information!

What is the Casper exam?

“You are more than your grades.”

-Acuity website on the “open-response, situational judgment Casper test that evaluates your social intelligence and professionalism such as ethics, empathy, problem-solving and collaboration.”

I think the website sums it up pretty well: Casper is basically an exam that judges how you act in various social situations based on select criteria. Now, you might be wondering, “excuse me why do I need this?” If you’re like me and applying to medical school in Canada, certain schools require the Casper: Queens, Ottawa, Manitoba, McMaster, etc. Additionally, other programs such as dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy might require the Casper as well.

How is Casper scored?

From my knowledge, you get your Casper results in quartiles: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Your answers are rated and compared among your cohort—ie. everyone who took the Casper on the same day as you. Quartiles tell you how your answers are compared to others: if you get 4th quartile, this means you ranked higher than 76-100% of your cohort.

What’s the format of Casper?

Casper is broken down into two sections: a video-based response section, and a typing-based response section. For each section, you get a prompt/scenario and 2-3 questions to respond to. Let’s walk through the process (in order):

Video Section:

The first section involves your responses in video format—this means recording yourself verbally answering the questions.

There are two types of prompts/scenarios they can give you: a video-based scenario or a written prompt. For example, a video-based scenario might show you two co-workers talking about their boss’ actions. A written prompt might ask you: “Think of a time where you had to be brave” or “Your neighbour, Mike, had just come home from the hospital. He’s disorientated, but insists that he’s okay.” You will get a mixture of both types of prompts/scenarios.

There will be a total of 6 scenarios/prompts, each with two follow up questions. The questions are pretty open; for example, they could ask you “How would you handle the situation?” or “If Mike was previously hostile towards you, would that change your answer?”

For video scenarios, you get 30 seconds to reflect after the scenario. For written prompts, you get 30 seconds to read and another 30 seconds to reflect. Following that, the questions are then displayed one at a time. You get 10 seconds to read the question, and 1 minute to record your response. The timer will be displayed at all times within your visual field. If you finish early, there is an option to submit your video response early; however, if you don’t finish within 1 minute then it will automatically submit your response.

After you’ve completed the video section, you get an (optional) 10 minute break before starting the typing section.

Typing Section:

The second section involves typing down your responses. Once again, you will get a mixture of the two types of scenarios/prompts. This time, there will be a total of 8 scenarios/prompts, each with 3 follow up questions.

For video scenarios, you get 30 seconds to reflect; for written prompts, you get 30 seconds to read and 30 seconds to reflect.

Following the reflection period, you get 5 minutes to type down your responses to the 3 questions. You can see all three questions at the same time, as well as the timer. Once again, if you finish early you submit early; otherwise, it will automatically submit your responses after 5 minutes.

You also get another (optional) 5 minute break after the first four typed responses.

How do I prepare for Casper?

This is a very broad question, so let me approach it from a couple of different angles (which I will go over below)! First thing’s first: MythBusters.

“You can’t study for the Casper!”

Wrong.

At least in my opinion, you can absolutely study for Casper! Even if the core of your answers don’t change, studying and practicing for Casper can help you package your answers in a Casper-approved way.

“Your friend, who is a native French speaker, tells you that she wants to take an introductory French class. You know that she’s been struggling with her academics, and taking this French class would boost her GPA. However, native French speakers are not allowed to take this class; she plans to fake not knowing the language in order to take the class.”

Question 1: What are you going to suggest to your friend?

Core, non-Casper answer: I would tell my friend that it’s not fair to other people taking the French class, so she shouldn’t take the class. Also, she shouldn’t lie in this situation. Instead, we could work together to help her.

Casper-ified answer: This is a tough situation, as I can see from my friend’s perspective: she’s struggling academically, and taking this class would likely alleviate some stress by helping her GPA. However, I also recognize that she would have an unfair advantage over the other students in her class as a native speaker. Additionally, lying about her fluency would be unethical and unfair to others. I would first privately approach my friend and without assuming anything, ask her why she wants to take this class. After empathetically listening to her, I will express my perspective regarding fairness and ethics. To support her, I’ll suggest working together to help her increase her academics in other ways: perhaps we can study together, or I can help her find resources such as informational videos or tutoring.

As you can see from the example above, there are certain ways to word ideas that hit upon key concepts Casper raters want to see. Speaking of key concepts, let me introduce you to the 10 Casper competencies:

1. Communication

2. Collaboration

3. Ethics

4. Equity

5. Empathy

6. Professionalism

7. Motivation

8. Self-awareness

9. Problem-solving

10. Resilience

Apparently the Casper raters (those who evaluate your responses) look for these 10 concepts in your answers. And I think it makes sense—we want the best of us to be empathic, resilient, effective communicators, problem-solvers, etc. Take a good look this website—it has a great overview of the 10 competencies, as well as how to demonstrate them. I’ve included some key points of each competency below:

1. Communication:

   1. Consider perspectives of others

   2. Share sensitive information in quiet, private environment with respect and compassion

2. Collaboration:

   1. Work effectively with others: respectful, shared decision-making

   2. Make sure other perspectives are heard and considered

3. Ethics:

   1. Autonomy: Respect others’ beliefs and decision-making

   2. Beneficence: Do good

   3. Non-maleficence: Do the least harm

   4. Justice: Balance the needs of one group with the needs of others (fair)

4. Equity:

   1. Respect diversity + seek inclusion for excluded groups

   2. Empower members of marginalized groups

   3. Make sure people have access to opportunities, resources, networks, supports

5. Empathy:

   1. Be attentive to the needs and feelings of others

   2. Tailor your interactions with other to meet their needs

6. Professionalism:

   1. Integrity, altruism, excellence, respecting boundaries, confidentiality

   2. Be socially accountable: fulfill your obligations

   3. Recognizing and addressing unprofessional conduct in others

7. Motivation:

   1. Constantly improve personal practice

   2. Be a life-long learner

   3. Use support networks to accomplish aims

8. Self-awareness:

   1. Take a mindful and reflective approach: develop insight

   2. Open yourself up to a diverse range of perspectives

   3. Be willing to adapt

9. Problem-solving:

   1. Understand, simplify, determine the cause of problems

   2. Choose between multiple solutions

10. Resilience:

    1. Constructively engage with difficult challenges (rather than withdrawing)

    2. Lean on others when you need to

When practicing your answers, try to integrate as many of these concepts as you can!

Additionally, I’ve heard some people use a couple resources to learn more about ethics (specifically medical ethics). For example, you might hear about the book, “Doing Right.” My opinion? I don’t think such resources are necessary. Now before you point your pitchforks at me, let me explain: Casper focuses on situational judgment tests, meaning typically encountered situations in everyday life (ex. conflicts with a boss, group member that isn’t pulling their weight, funding going to one party or another, etc.). In the two times I’ve done the Casper test, I’ve never encountered anything even remotely close to medical ethical dilemmas. Ultimately, it’s your choice to read these ethics resources or not, but I didn’t personally didn’t find them very useful.

What resources should I be using to prepare for the Casper?

I feel like there is an infinite amount of resources for Casper prep, whether this is Casper practice site, practice questions, friends, stories, or Casper-specific tutors. There’s no right answer on which resources to use or not use, but here are a couple I used:

Typing Test: Key Hero

-This is a free typing test that tells you your WPM (words per minute) ie. how fast you’re typing. Since the typed responses are a big part of the Casper test, I recommend practicing to increase your typing speed. I’d aim for 70-90 WPM, but I found that it doesn’t translate exactly to the Casper—you’re going to be thinking rather than mindlessly typing words on the screen, so naturally your typing pace is going to slow down. Don’t worry!

Casper practice questions: PrepMatch

-Chef’s kiss, dare I say my favourite Casper resource! PrepMatch is a free website that contains tons and tons of practice Casper questions. What’s great about PrepMatch is that they incorporate the element of peer review and feedback: you get the choice to submit your answers for peer review, where others can give you feedback. Additionally, you can also peer review others’ answers. One downside I’d say is that they only have written prompts—no video-based scenarios. Regardless, I genuinely think PrepMatch is one of the best (if not the best) free resource out there.

This brings me to the end of part 1 of my Casper guide! Keep an eye out for part 2, where I go over specific strategies, structures, and frameworks for tackling the situation judgment test known as the Casper.