Key Features
This CASPer exam will focus on each of the ten core attributes that the test is designed around: collaboration, communication, empathy, equity, ethics, motivation, problem solving, professionalism, resilience and self awareness. As the CASPer was originally designed for applicants to medical school (at McMaster University in Canada), you should not expect the test to in any way change from its original form, and it will therefore be comparable to the practise test on the CASPer website.
We know the following about the raters, from a CASPer update delivered by one of the founding team, Prof Reiter of McMaster: all raters will be localised, i.e. US raters will rate US healthcare program tests; the rating pool is demographically diverse; every rater has some form of interest in the future of the healthcare professions. We know also that CVs and resumes are assessed. 26% of CASPer raters, in general, work in healthcare, and 74% in other fields. However, we should note that this likely includes raters for CASPers aimed at the teaching profession as well.
Core Components
This CASPer test consists of 15 scenarios, broken down into two sections. The first section is 9 prompts, and you must write your answers – you have 5 minutes per prompt. In the second section, made up of 6 prompts, you must video record yourself answering through your webcam.
The exam has been designed to be completed online anywhere, meaning that you can sit it at home on your personal computer. As it stands, schools are not asking applicants to complete the ‘Snapshot’ or ‘Duet’ parts of the CASPer, but given their use in selection of applicants for residency programs they may make their way to undergraduate admissions in due course.