Key Features
The CASPer Test Physician Associate is shared with applicants to various other healthcare fields, and you therefore should expect it to be a rounded test that does not require any specialist knowledge. Your test will differ depending on whether you are applying to a program in the US or Canada.
The people that are responsible for marking the CASPer are known as ‘raters’ and your raters will be a demographically accurate portrayal of the country that you are applying within – i.e. if you are applying to a US school the raters will be a mix of people from across the US, who should be a fair representation of the patients you will one day be expected to treat. Your raters will not be majority healthcare professionals – although all should have an interest in healthcare and education – so do not expect to have to use or understand any healthcare terminology.
You should expect your CASPer exam to feature each of the ten core competencies in an equal amount – i.e. it will not focus on one particular area over another. These core competencies are collaboration, communication, empathy, equity, ethics, motivation, problem solving, professionalism, resilience and self awareness. They were developed, as was the CASPer test itself, by a team at McMaster University who sought to use the CASPer initially as an adjunct to their admissions process when choosing medical students. Since then the test has gone on to be used by dozens of different types of healthcare programs at universities around the world.
Core Components
The CASPer exam for Physician Associate applicants will feature the core CASPer test, and may also use Snapshot, depending on the school that you are applying to. The total exam takes 100-120 minutes, depending on whether you take breaks, with there being an optional 10 minute break between sections and a 5 minute break halfway through the first section. Snapshot will add to this, if it is used.