If you’ve ever watched The Office, you’ve likely cringed your way through certain scenes (for me, it was Scott’s Tots). Even if you typically enjoy awkward, dry humor, the show’s oblivious characters and their socially obtuse actions can make anyone a bit uncomfortable.
If you’ve ever watched The Office, you’ve likely cringed your way through certain scenes (for me, it was Scott’s Tots). Even if you typically enjoy awkward, dry humor, the show’s oblivious characters and their socially obtuse actions can make anyone a bit uncomfortable.
But in all honesty, those scenes are no more cringe-worthy than some of the video prompts you see on the CASPer test. The CASPer video prompts often look like stock photos that have come to life: generic settings, low-budget production, and contrived acting. I mean, it makes sense; they’re not exactly going for style points.
But we are!
Since there aren’t that many practice tests out there, we wanted to provide more sample prompts, and we figured using our favorite TV shows would make the process more fun and bearable. We chose The Office based on our last reader poll.
We’ve done this before with Monty Python and Flight of the Conchords, so check those out if you enjoy our sample prompts from The Office.
If you’re approaching this blind, we recommend reading some of our other resources to get a better sense of how the CASPer test works:
The Skinny on the CASPer: the Unfriendly Medical School Testing Ghost
A thorough breakdown of the test’s philosophy, format, timing, etc.
3 Practice CASPer Questions and Best Responses
A guide on how to approach certain types of prompts, including tips and formulas that can apply to any kind of question.
Application Dates 2019-2020 for AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS and CASPer
Includes all schools that require the CASPer and a comprehensive list of test dates.
As absurd as these videos are, we believe the questions accurately reflect the open-ended nature of CASPer questions and can serve as good additional preparation material for the test.
A warning: some of the videos are PG-13, so if you don't like innuendo and a little violence, you might want to use the actual CASPer site to prep for the exam.
NOTE: If you submit your responses to us, you’re giving us permission to anonymously post and critique your responses on our blog (hopefully, that’s what you want!).
We’ll only be able to critique a certain number of responses, so take the test now and be the first in the queue!
But if you don’t want to submit your responses, you can still view the test prompts below:
Rose, the CPR instructor, is leading a demonstration, where Michael, the branch manager, is performing CPR on a dummy. As he tries to follow her instructions, a large number of office employees sit and watch the demonstration in the conference room. Rose recommends using the rhythm of a popular song, “Staying Alive,” but Michael and the rest of the staff interrupt and speak over one another during the mock rescue scenario. Michael ends up “losing” the dummy patient during the demonstration. Another staff member, Dwight, gets caught up in the chaos of the room and decides to maim and destroy the dummy, causing distress to other employees present.
Watch the video below, then answer the three follow-up questions.
Use no more than 5 minutes to answer all three questions.
Michael (the one performing CPR) is a boss who wants to make the workplace fun. In what professional contexts is that achievable and appropriate?
What could Rose (the CPR instructor) have done differently during the presentation to make it run more smoothly or help the staff retain the lesson?
Dwight (the one who destroyed the dummy) is reprimanded by his boss David Wallace at the very end of the video. Other than loss of company money, how could David help Dwight see the problem with his actions?
As a way of settling an office conflict,, Michael (the boss) is running a roleplay phone-call exercise between two of salesmen, Jim and Dwight. Dwight is playing the role of salesman, and Jim is pretending to be the customer. During the call, Jim gives himself a lewd, juvenile character name, puts Dwight on pretend hold, and acts like he’s severely hard of hearing, to the point where Dwight is shouting. Michael encourages Dwight to improvise and secure the sale, but Jim’s antics make it nearly impossible. When Michael takes over the pretend call, Jim suddenly calms down and agrees to a large sale, which seems to satisfy Michael.
Watch the video below, then answer the three follow-up questions.
Use no more than 5 minutes to answer all three questions.
Do you feel like Jim’s (white shirt) roleplaying is fair? Should the training simulate a realistic or a worst-case scenario?
How could Michael (the boss in the middle) improve this roleplaying exercise?
Discuss the ethical implications of Michael’s (the boss in the middle) reaction to and participation in his employees’ roleplaying scenario.
After Dwight claims to have never used work time for personal business, Jim starts using a stopwatch to carefully monitor and record any time Dwight does something “personal” during company hours, even including small things like conversations and yawning. Jim uses his breaks to provoke Dwight and lure him into distractions, presumably so that he can prove a point to Dwight that everyone deserves a little leeway.
Watch the video below, then answer the three follow-up questions.
Use no more than 5 minutes to answer all three questions.
How closely should workers be monitored to make sure they’re using their time efficiently and appropriately?
What types of actions constitute “personal business” on company time, and what actions should be given leeway?
Discuss the implications of close employee surveillance within a corporate environment. Would it decrease or increase the morale and productivity?
Read the written prompt and answer the three follow-up questions.
Use no more than 5 minutes to answer all three questions.
Every year, your branch gets together to give out special company awards called “The Dundies.” As manager, you’re driving home after the event and realize you forgot to give an award to Toby, an HR worker. You have a lukewarm relationship with Toby, and your conversations haven’t gone well in the past.
Discuss a time when you made an oversight or a mistake. How did you react?
In your opinion, what’s the best way to give an apology? How would you approach Toby?
As manager, what would you do differently moving forward?
Stay tuned next week for example responses to these prompts, as well as critiques with helpful tips!
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