How did the CASPer test come about, you ask?
In 2017, medical school admissions committees gathered at a mysterious conference and broadly concluded that:
- The application process was not time-consuming enough
- There should really be more ways to charge students money for applying to medical school
- Trying to evaluate a student’s writing and interviewing was too hard, and couldn’t there just be a test to simplify each applicant’s social skills into a single number?
We’re kidding, of course. We like to poke a bit of fun at the CASPer.
We think the real reason medical schools have started to require the CASPer is because it requires very little time and energy on their part and it gives them one more piece of data to help make an application decision.
Unfortunately, the CASPer probably here to stay, and more assessments like this might be created to help avoid candidates seeking an unfair amount of help on admissions components like essays and MCAT prep.
We’ve written extensively about the test, so we wanted to create a one-stop reference guide for our pre-med readers facing this step in the admissions process.
We hope this guide can decode what seems like a complicated, daunting test.
In truth, like the friendly ghost of the same name, the CASPer really isn’t that scary!
What do schools do with the results?
What’s a good score on the CASPer?
How can you prepare for the CASPer?
The CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is an admissions test developed by researchers at McMaster University. Several medical schools require it as admissions criteria alongside interviews, letters of recommendation, and essays.
According to the official CASPer site, it’s designed “to evaluate key personal characteristics” and serve as a “reliable measure of traits like professionalism, ethics, communication, and empathy.”
Check out The Skinny on the CASPer to gain a more comprehensive understanding.
Sign up to take it online here: www.takecasper.com
Double check the technical requirements and try out the sample test to ensure your computer and internet connection are suitable.
The CASPER costs $10 to take and another $10 each time you send it to schools on your list.
Error: Ask again later. No one knows exactly how much weight is given to the CASPer by the medical schools that use it.
Medical schools tend to be creatures of habit, putting the most weight on admissions factors that have proven to matter over the years. For example, many med schools still do not put much weight in the PSYCH section of the MCAT, since they have yet to see its predictive validity with their own students.
Raters are supposedly trained to ignore errors in spelling and grammar. Your responses are anonymous, so a rater does not know who you are, or how well you’ve done on any other section.
The CASPer writers claim, “You will NOT receive your CASPer score, in the same way you would not expect to get “results” from an interview, reference letter, or personal statement.”
Except the CASPer is a TEST, not an interview. You would expect to get your MCAT score, wouldn’t you?
At this point, we do know that the test is scored on a -5 to +5 scale, with the majority of pre-meds scoring between -2 and +2.
Savvy Pre-med Founder Rob Humbracht weighs in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2nRFOBucUU
You can’t prepare! At least, so says the company that makes it. “The general literature suggests that situational judgment tests (SJTs) are relatively immune to test preparation, i.e. that coaching is unlikely to provide benefit.”
Of course, the writers of the SAT and MCAT used to say that too, back when they were first created. It’s as if the CASPer writers are claiming, “We’ve created the world’s first standardized test where coaching will do no good.” Really?
We think this is poppycock. In fact, we’ve written several articles on CASPer prep::
How Should You Prepare for the CASPer Test?
3 Practice CASPer Questions and Best Responses
Sample CASPer Test Questions: Monty Python Style
Here are the current available CASPer test dates/times for participating MD and DO schools for the 2019-2020 cycle:
SCHOOLDISTRIBUTION DEADLINE (FINAL DATE THIS SCHOOL CAN BE ADDED TO YOUR CASPER DISTRIBUTION LIST)Albany Medical College
December 25, 2019
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
March 12, 2020
Central Michigan University
March 12, 2020
Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
March 18, 2020
Drexel University
December 25, 2019
East Tennessee State University
December 25, 2019
Hofstra University
October 10, 2019
Liberty University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
March 12, 2020
Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia
October 10, 2019
Medical College of Wisconsin
December 25, 2019
Mercer College
December 25, 2019
Michigan State University
January 23, 2020
New York Medical College
January 23, 2020
Northeast Ohio Medical University, College of Medicine
January 23, 2020
Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
April 16, 2020
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine
April 16, 2020
Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago Medical School
December 3, 2019
Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
December 26, 2019
SUNY Upstate
December 3, 2019
Stony Brook University
December 25, 2019
Temple University
January 23, 2020
Texas A&M University, College of Medicine
November 6, 2018
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine
December 3, 2019
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine NY
April 16, 2020
Tulane University, School of Medicine
December 3, 2019
University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine
December 3, 2019
University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine
November 19, 2018
University of Miami (Miller)
March 18, 2020
University of Michigan
February 15, 2020
University of Mississippi
December 25, 2019
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
October 10, 2019
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
March 12, 2020
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Long School of Medicine
January 23, 2020
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, School of Medicine
September 3, 2019
University of Washington, School of Medicine
December 3, 2019
Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine
October 10, 2019
West Virginia University, School of Medicine
May 18, 2020
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest
March 19, 2020
Was this guide helpful? What CASPer questions do you still have? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll respond personally!
Tagged: CASPer
.png){kind=spacer}
.png)
.png)
.png)
