What Is the Casper Test? Format and How It Works
A plain-language guide to the Casper test: what it measures, the current format and timing, who requires it, and how to get ready.
Quick answer
Casper is an online situational judgment test from Acuity Insights: 11 scenarios (4 video, 7 typed) about everyday ethical and interpersonal dilemmas, taking 65 to 85 minutes total. Trained human raters, not AI, score your responses for empathy, ethics, communication, and professionalism, and hundreds of medical, PA, nursing, and other health-professions programs require it.
If a school on your list just told you to complete the Casper, you probably have two questions: what actually is this test, and how worried should you be? Casper presents you with everyday dilemmas, like a coworker cutting corners or a friend asking you to bend a rule, and asks what you would do and why. There are no medical knowledge questions and no multiple choice. Trained human raters score your typed and video-recorded responses for qualities like empathy, ethics, communication, and professionalism.
Casper stands for Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics. Hundreds of programs across medicine, physician assistant studies, nursing, dentistry, and other people-centered fields use it to see the side of applicants that grades and test scores can't show. This guide walks through the current format, what the test measures, who requires it, what it costs, and how to get ready, with links to deeper guides on each piece.
The Current Casper Format
Casper was shortened and restructured in recent cycles, and many older guides still describe the longer version, so here is the format as Acuity Insights currently administers it: 11 scenarios split into two sections, taking about 65 to 85 minutes total.
Section 1: Video Response (4 scenarios)
The test opens with four scenarios answered on camera. After each scenario (which may be a short video clip or a written prompt), you answer two open-ended questions, with one minute to record each answer. There are no re-dos: once the timer starts, whatever you say is what raters see. Our video response playbook covers how to structure a clear answer in sixty seconds.
Section 2: Typed Response (7 scenarios)
The remaining seven scenarios are typed. For each one you get two questions on the same page and 3.5 minutes total to answer both. The test auto-advances when time expires, and each question is scored individually, so budgeting time across both questions matters more than polishing the first one. This is also where typing speed quietly becomes a factor: slow typists routinely run out of room to express perfectly good ideas.
Timing at a Glance
| Section | Scenarios | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video response | 4 | 2 per scenario | 1 minute per answer |
| Optional break | N/A | N/A | 10 minutes |
| Typed response (first half) | 3-4 | 2 per scenario | 3.5 minutes per scenario |
| Optional break | N/A | N/A | 5 minutes |
| Typed response (second half) | 3-4 | 2 per scenario | 3.5 minutes per scenario |
Scenarios themselves can be video-based (you watch a short clip of actors in a dilemma) or word-based (you read a prompt), in both sections. The presentation format and your response format are independent.
What Does Casper Actually Measure?
Acuity Insights describes Casper as a measure of social intelligence and professionalism. In practice, raters evaluate how well your responses demonstrate a set of core qualities: collaboration, communication, empathy, equity, ethics, motivation, problem solving, professionalism, resilience, and self-awareness. We break each one down with examples in our guide to the 10 competencies Casper measures.
The scenarios deliberately avoid technical content. You might be a shift manager whose employee keeps arriving late, or a student who notices a classmate submitting someone else's work. What raters want to see is whether you consider multiple perspectives, propose fair and practical actions, and communicate with maturity. It's not about knowing the "right" answer, because there isn't one.
Who Requires Casper?
Casper requirements shift every cycle, but the broad picture for 2026-2027:
- US medical schools (MD and DO): roughly a third of programs, around 50 schools, require Casper. See the complete list of medical schools requiring Casper.
- Canadian medical schools: most MD programs require it, and several weight it heavily in interview selection.
- PA programs: dozens of programs in the CASPA cycle require or recommend it. Our Casper for PA school guide has the details.
- Nursing programs: required by several Canadian BScN programs (McMaster, Western) and a growing number of US BSN/ABSN programs, covered in our Casper for nursing school guide.
- Other fields: dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, teacher education, and some residency programs, across the US, Canada, Australia, and beyond.
Always confirm on each program's admissions page. Schools add and drop the requirement every year, and registering for the wrong test type is a surprisingly common, and avoidable, mistake. When you register, Acuity's dates-and-fees page shows which test type each program accepts.
How Much Does Casper Cost?
For US applicants, Casper costs $85 USD, which includes score distribution to a set of programs, with a fee (around $18-20) for each additional program. Canadian test types are priced separately in CAD at a lower base fee. Fees vary by test type and cycle, so treat Acuity's own registration page as the source of truth. Fee assistance is available: for example, AAMC Fee Assistance Program approval can cover the cost for US medical applicants. Rescheduling close to your test date can incur an extra charge; the rules are collected in our Casper policies guide.
How Is Casper Scored?
Every response is scored by a trained human rater, not AI, and a different rater scores each scenario, so no single person's impression follows you through the test. Raters are instructed to ignore spelling and grammar and focus on the substance of your reasoning.
Your ratings are combined into a single overall score, standardized against other applicants who took the same test type around the same time. Programs receive that standardized score; you receive only a quartile (1st through 4th, with 4th being the top 25%). The full mechanics, including the 1-9 scale, red flags, and how quartiles are calculated, are in our complete guide to Casper scoring, and what your result actually means for your application is covered in What Is a Good Casper Score?
When Do You Get Results?
Schools get your score before you do. Programs typically receive results two to three weeks after your test date, while your quartile appears in your Acuity Insights account roughly four to five weeks after the test. Scores are valid for one application cycle and one test type only. If you reapply next year, you take Casper again. You cannot retake it within the same cycle, which makes your single sitting genuinely high-stakes. Plan your date using the 2026-2027 Casper test calendar so results reach schools before their deadlines.
Casper vs. PREview vs. Duet
Casper is one of three assessments you might encounter. AAMC PREview is a multiple-choice situational judgment test used by some US medical schools; Duet is a free values-alignment survey from Acuity that some programs pair with Casper. They test different things and are scored differently. Our Casper vs. PREview vs. Duet comparison explains which to prioritize if your schools require more than one.
Can You Prepare for Casper?
Acuity's official position is that you only need to familiarize yourself with the format, but "familiar" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. The test's difficulty is mostly logistical: sixty-second video answers, 3.5-minute typed windows, and no chance to review anything. Applicants who have rehearsed under those exact constraints consistently report feeling less rushed and more coherent (see our honest take on whether Casper is hard).
Effective preparation looks like:
- Learning the competencies. Know what raters look for so your instincts map to the rubric. Start with the 10 competencies guide.
- Practicing timed scenarios. Work through the official practice scenarios with model answers, then drill under real time pressure with StudyCasper's practice scenarios and AI feedback.
- Checking your typing speed. Take the free StudyCasper typing test. If you're under about 40 words per minute, typing drills may raise your score more than anything else.
- Rehearsing test-day logistics. Webcam, microphone, quiet room, stable internet. The test day guide has a full checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Casper test?
About 65 to 85 minutes, including optional breaks: 4 video-response scenarios followed by 7 typed-response scenarios.
Is Casper multiple choice?
No. Every answer is open-ended: typed text or recorded video. That's what makes it different from most situational judgment tests, and why human raters score it.
Can you fail Casper?
There's no pass or fail. Results are reported as quartiles comparing you to other test takers. A low quartile can hurt at schools that weight Casper heavily, but most programs treat it as one data point among many.
Do spelling and grammar count?
No. Raters are explicitly instructed to ignore typos and grammatical slips and to focus on the substance of your reasoning. Bullet points are officially acceptable in typed responses.
Can I retake the Casper test?
Not within the same application cycle. Scores expire after one cycle, so reapplicants take it fresh the next year.
What if my internet fails mid-test?
Acuity has a technical-issue process, and interrupted tests can often be resumed or rescheduled. Complete the system requirements check in advance and use a wired connection if you can. The test day guide covers the full setup.
The Bottom Line
Casper is a 65 to 85 minute online test of judgment and communication, scored by humans, required by hundreds of health-professions programs. It isn't a knowledge test, but it is a performance under time pressure, and that part responds well to practice. Start with the preparation guide, drill the official scenarios, and book your date from the 2026-2027 calendar early enough that your scores arrive before deadlines.
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