Casper Test: Format, Scoring, Sample Scenarios & How to Prepare

Casper is an online situational judgment test used by many professional schools and training programs to assess the people skills that grades and exam scores do not capture. It was created at McMaster University in Canada and is now run by Acuity Insights (formerly Altus Assessments). Programs in medicine, nursing, physician assistant studies, pharmacy, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy and other health and helping professions use it, with a growing number outside healthcare.

Unlike a numerical or verbal reasoning test, Casper has no right-or-wrong answer key. You respond to realistic scenarios in your own words, either by typing or by recording a video answer, and trained raters score how well your response reflects the professional characteristics a program cares about. If you have taken a multiple-choice situational judgment test before, the scenarios will feel familiar, but the open-ended answer format is very different.

The standard Casper test is made up of 12 sections: eight video-based scenarios and four word-based scenarios. Each section presents a short situation, then asks three questions about it, with a strict time limit per section. Programs can vary which sections are used, so always read your own test instructions and the Acuity Insights test guidance for the current structure and timing.

• Video-based scenarios: you watch a short clip of a situation, then record spoken answers to the questions using your webcam and microphone.
• Word-based scenarios: you read a short written scenario and type your answers into a text box.
• Time pressure: each section is timed, so you must think and respond quickly. Typing speed and clear, concise phrasing matter more than most candidates expect.
• Total length: roughly an hour or more including optional breaks, depending on how many sections your programs require.

The scenarios cover everyday dilemmas: a colleague who is struggling, a disagreement with a friend, a mistake someone hid, a request that conflicts with your own values. Many are not medical at all, because Casper is designed to measure transferable interpersonal judgment rather than clinical knowledge.

Each of your responses is scored by a different rater, so no single person judges your whole test. Raters are trained to apply a common scoring approach and are looking for evidence of the characteristics the test targets rather than for a particular conclusion. Your scores across responses are combined and compared with other test takers, and programs usually receive your result as a quartile rather than a raw number.

Because scoring is relative and each rater sees only a slice of your test, you cannot afford to leave a question blank or to give a vague response on one scenario and expect to make it up on another. Treat every question as an independent chance to show good judgment.

Programs decide how much weight Casper carries. Some use it as a screening threshold before interviews, some combine it with grades and other tests, and some use it at the interview stage. Check each program’s admissions page for how your result is used, and see how it fits alongside other pre-employment style assessments if you are also applying for jobs.

Acuity Insights describes Casper as assessing a set of personal and professional characteristics. Exact wording changes over time, but the themes are consistent across the test and across the programs that use it. Knowing them helps you see why one answer is stronger than another.

These overlap with the qualities tested in ethical dilemma interview questions, teamwork questions and conflict questions, so work you do on those topics carries over.

You cannot memorize answers, but you can memorize a process. A simple structure keeps you from rambling under time pressure and makes your reasoning easy for a rater to follow.

1. Identify the people and the dilemma

In one sentence, name who is affected and what the tension is. For example: a teammate is missing deadlines, the project is at risk, and the teammate may be dealing with something personal.

2. Consider each perspective

Briefly acknowledge what each person involved may be thinking or feeling. This is where empathy shows. Do not assume the worst about anyone.

3. Choose a concrete action and explain why

State what you would actually do, in order, and give the reason behind it. Specific actions (“I would speak with her privately and ask how she is doing”) beat abstract values (“I would be supportive”).

4. Consider the consequences and next steps

Mention what could go wrong and how you would follow up. Raters reward people who think beyond the first move.

The scenarios below are original practice items written in the Casper style. They are not real test content.

Sample 1: A friend’s shortcut

A close friend admits they copied part of a shared assignment and asks you not to tell anyone. Strong approach: acknowledge the friendship and the pressure your friend is under, but explain that you cannot ignore dishonesty. Encourage your friend to come forward themselves, offer to support them through that conversation, and be clear that you may need to raise it if they do not.

Sample 2: An overworked colleague

A coworker has been making small errors and seems exhausted. A manager has noticed and may take action. Strong approach: check in privately with kindness, ask what would help, and encourage them to speak to their manager or access support. Avoid gossiping or covering up errors that could affect others.

Sample 3: A disagreement about priorities

You and a teammate disagree about how to split a heavy workload. Strong approach: propose a direct conversation, listen to their constraints, find a fair split based on skills and availability, and agree on how to check progress together.

• Giving rehearsed, generic answers: raters can tell when a response is a template that ignores the specifics of the scenario.
• Leaving questions unfinished: every response is scored separately, so partial or blank answers cost points.
• Preaching instead of acting: long statements about values with no concrete step read as empty.
• Picking a side too quickly: showing no awareness of the other person’s view weakens empathy and ethics scores.
• Going straight to authority: escalating without first talking to the people involved usually looks like poor communication, unless safety is at stake.
• Ignoring the video or typing practice: candidates who have never recorded themselves answering aloud often freeze on the first video section.

Because Casper rewards reasoning and communication rather than knowledge, preparation is about habits. This plan assumes about 30 to 45 minutes a day.

It also helps to read widely about current issues in your field, and to rehearse staying composed under pressure. Our guides on interview nerves and video interview tips cover techniques that transfer directly to the video sections. Once you are admitted and job hunting, the same skills help in HireVue interviews.