the Casper test differs greatly from the rest of your med school application rather than evaluating your academic ability or medical knowledge it's meant to help adcoms determine whether you have the personal qualities that would make you a great met student and future physician although you can study for Casper the same way you study for the MCAT there are still plenty of preparations you should make in order to score well after all you can only take Casper once per application cycle if you're looking for sample questions and answers for Casper check out our how to Ace the Casper test video but in this video we're going to do a deep dive into the Casper test format and scoring system as of the 2024 to 2025 application cycle keep watching to learn what to expect on test day how the test is structured how to prepare for the different types of question and answer formats and how your performance will be evaluated make sure you stay tuned till the end when I'll describe the differences between Casper and AMC preview the relatively new Casper competitor that's quickly gaining popularity in the Met School admissions world before we jump in don't forget to like this video And subscribe to our channel so you can be the first to see our new uploads with all the latest updates and guidance on met school admissions first let's quickly review the facts what is the Casper test exactly and what does Casper measure Casper stands for computer-based assessment for sampling personal characteristics it's a situational judgment test meant to evaluate you for the following qualities collaboration communication empathy Equity ethics motivation problem solving professionalism resilience and self-awareness to take Casper you first need to register for an account at acurity insights you can take it on any computer with internet access it's offered at least once a month but I recommend taking it in April or May of your application year ideally before submitting your amcast once you complete the test it usually takes around 3 weeks for the medical schools on your distribution list to receive your scores now that we've established the Basics let's get to the nitty-gritty of how Casper Works how long is Casper and how is it formatted the test takes between 90 and 110 minutes depending on whether you take the optional breaks more on that in a moment the Casper format is open response meaning there will be no multiple choice here most questions aren't related to medicine instead you'll be asked to respond to an open-ended question and then you'll be given a very limited amount of time to do so either in writing or by video recording the test is composed of two sections in each section you'll be presented with several scenarios and then asked to explain what you would do in a particular scenario and why section one is the video response section which has six scenarios in total two word-based scenarios and four video based scenarios section two is the type response section which has eight scenarios total three word-based scenarios and five video based scenarios let's break it down a little further so you can really get a feel for what to expect in each section of the test in section one the video response section after reading or watching each of the six scenarios you'll get 30 seconds to reflect then for each scenario you'll be presented with two questions you'll get 10 seconds to read each question and one minute to record each response you won't be allowed to re-record your response if you mess up or are unhappy with your answer because the test will automatically Advance when the timer runs out so make the best of those 60 seconds and keep moving forward as you prepare for Casper it's a good idea to practice responding to sample questions within just one minute it can take a lot of practice to learn to cut straight to the point and on test day you don't want the timer to run out just as you're getting to the good part if the thought of being on camera for your test still scares you though just know that this portion of the test was actually designed to help you not to trip you up Acuity insights the company that administers Casper ran experiments between 2022 and 2023 to evaluate how the video response portion of the test impacts the distribution of scores across different demographics after analyzing data from tests taken in every country and language where Casper is offered they confirm that the video portion of the test actually levels the playing field and leads to a more even distribution of scores across various demographics and remember the goal isn't ultimate Perfection here as long as you can clearly and naturally articulate your understanding of medical ethics and the other qualities being assessed you're likely to do very well avoid giving overly rehearsed answers that seem like they came from a script just speak in your own words that said First Impressions do matter there's no need to dress in a full suit and tie unless you feel most comfortable and confident that way but try to avoid looking like you just rolled out of bed too business casual is a safe bet a collared shirt or blouse will help you project professionalism and approachability you should also try to maintain good posture and eye contact with the webcam so your response feels natural if you're worried about feeling stiff or uncomfortable in front of the camera take some time to record yourself while answering practice questions and you'll begin to feel more at ease now let's move on to section two the typed response section you'll have the option of taking a 10-minute break before progressing to this section so feel free to use that time to stretch decompress and prepare for the remainder of the test you may wait until the 10-minute countdown runs out or click next to progress to the next section whenever you're ready after reading or watching each of the eight scenarios in this section you'll get 30 seconds to reflect then for each scenario you'll get 5 minutes total to read three questions and type your responses to all of them just like in section one the test will automatically progress to the next scenario when your 5 minutes are up except for an optional 5 minute break between scenarios four and five and you won't get a chance to reattempt any of your answers but if 5 minutes doesn't seem like enough time to answer all three questions per scenario don't worry too much your rating for this section will be based on your response overall not on whether you thoroughly answered each question so rather than rushing to answer all three questions poorly it's best to focus on thoroughly and clearly answering one question at a time time now that you've got a grasp on how the test is formatted and what you can expect let's discuss how the Casper test is scored the Casper scoring system is designed around Raiders each Raider is assigned to a specific scenario and in addition to being trained on how to evaluate responses to that scenario they also undergo implicit bias training for each of the 14 scenarios a different Raider will provide a numerical score for your responses on a scale from 1 to 9 nine being the best your official Casper score will be in the form of a zcore which reflects how many points your score deviates from the average score of other test takers on that test date for example a zcore of zero means your score is average compared to the other test takers on that date a score of plus three means that your score is three points above the average and a score of minus three means you are three points below the average the schools on your distribution list will receive your zcore around 3 weeks after your test date although you won't get to see your own zcore about a month after your test you'll receive your score in the form of a quartile this score is also based on how your score compares to that of other test Acres on the same date the fourth quartile is the highest score you can receive and the first quartile is the lowest the Casper test scoring system is somewhat complicated but it's designed to prevent scoring bias as each test taker's overall score is composed of ratings from 14 different Raiders you might be wondering though what exactly will the Raiders rate me on it's a great question and we can only answer based on the limited information Acuity insights has revealed what we do know is that each Raider will consider all of your responses to the questions in a given scenario as a whole this means that if you response to the first question and a set of three is really strong but you don't have time to thoroughly answer the other question you could still get a high score from the Raider evaluating that scenario rather than utter Perfection strive to demonstrate the following qualities that accurity insights has named as most relevant to your rating effort meaning you've done your best to answer the question thoughtfully and a Li mited amount of time empathy meaning you can understand and fully consider other people's perspectives even if they're different from your own Equity meaning you show an equal level of respect and care for other people regardless of their status or background communication meaning you're proficient at respectfully articulating your ideas and opinions and familiarity with the medium meaning you prepared for the test ahead of time and you how to navigate both the video and type response sections it's important to note that perfect spelling and lack of type won't get you any bonus points here you'll be rated on the substance of your response so don't sweat minor spelling or grammar errors as long as your responses are legible and not negligent your Raiders will know you're on a time crunch they won't expect you to have time to proofread in fact if you prefer to respond in bullet points and you could do so without compromising the thoroughness or Clarity of your answer feel free to do so just do what you can to convey your main ideas as clearly as possible and they'll fill in the gaps as best they can and if you're still recording or typing your responses when the timer runs out don't panic your responses are automatically saved and submitted when the test advances to the next scenario Raiders also will not Factor your accent grammar or use of slang into your ratings but of course you should keep things respectful so what's the best method for preparing for a test with completely open-ended questions we recommend thoroughly reviewing medical ethics so you can clearly identify the issues that arise in the scenarios you're presented with then spend plenty of time responding to practice questions in video and written format don't forget to set a timer for yourself learning to produce a quality response under a strict time constraint is one of the most important skills to master before taking Casper it's also a good idea to work on improving your typing speed and if you're looking for topnotch practice questions check out our Casper Mastery video-based training course where you'll learn all of the strategies you need to achieve your maximum score and gain access to fulllength practice tests you'll also be able to anal Anze examples of excellent average and poor sample responses for every scenario so you can see how yours measure up in addition to practicing your responses with practice scenarios here are some logistical preparations you should make to ensure things run as smoothly as possible on your test State at the technical level you'll need a working microphone and webcam to verify your identity during the test your webcam must be turned on uncovered and facing you directly for the entire test as there are no testing centers for the Casper test you'll also need to choose a quiet place where you can take the test alone free of distractions and noise once you've got your testing equipment and location figured out double and triple check your test time including the listed time zone for peace of mind you can find the countdown timer to the time of your scheduled test by visiting the test page of your Acuity insights account on the day of your exam you should perform the system requirements check on the Casper website well before your scheduled test time Acuity insights recommends logging in at least 30 minutes before your test to perform the check but we recommend giving yourself more time in case there actually is an issue additionally to get your computer Casper ready you'll need to disable firewalls pop-up blockers browser extensions plugins vpns and more when it's time to begin the countdown timer on your test page will disappear and be replaced with a start button keep a close eye on the clock because if you don't press start within 15 minutes after your scheduled test start time you'll have to reschedule for another test date assuming there's availability now that you're in the know about Casper let's take a moment to talk about aamc preview what is aamc preview anyway AMC preview was introduced as a small pilot program during the 2020 to 2021 application cycle as of the 2023 to 2024 cycle it was only required by eight medical schools though another 17 recommended or claimed it would be used for quote research only also in 2023 it was announced that scores from every aamc preview exam you've ever taken will be available to all the schools you apply to through mcast even if they don't require or recommend the exam that said we don't recommend taking it if it's not required by any of the schools on your list and if it's only recommended but not required by at least one school on your list you should probably only take it if you're scoring well on practice exams in a few ways Casper and AMC preview are similar they're both situational and judgment tests meant to screen applicants for how suited they are to a career as a physician by looking at factors that reach Beyond academics both are offered only online and both take around the same amount of time to complete however the format of the two tests varies quite a bit here are the five main ways that preview differs from Casper preview tests the following core competencies for medical students service orientation social skills cultural competence teamwork ethical responsibility to self and others reliability and dependability resilience and adaptability and capacity for improvement preview is also a 100% written exam with no video scenarios or video response portions preview can be taken twice in an application cycle whereas Casper can only be taken once preview has no breaks you must remain seated for the entire duration of the exam and remain completely silent otherwise the Proctor could terminate your test and preview doesn't follow Casper's open-ended question and response format instead you're presented with 30 word-based scenarios for each scenario you'll be asked to rate a few different potential behavioral responses to the scenario on a scale of 1 to four with one being very ineffective and four being very effective in theory this might be meant to eliminate some of the subjectivity from the scoring process but some applicants may find that the open-ended nature of Casper allows them to explain the nuances of their own unique answers rather than boxing themsel into a limited number of choices as preview continues to gain prevalence in the Met School missions world only time and data will tell which of the two tests is a better predictor of successful medical students and Physicians well that covers everything you need to know about the Casper test format scoring system and what to expect on your test day as you prepare for Casper check out our Casper Mastery course to access highquality training videos several fulllength practice exams that will prepare you for just about anything the real test could throw at you and oneon-one feedback on a practice exam