Casper
What is Casper?
In the words of Altus Suite, the company that is in charge of overseeing the Casper exam, Casper is:
“an online, open-response situational judgment test (SJT). It asks what you would do in a tough situation, and more importantly, why. This helps determine behavioral tendencies of applicants pursuing people-centered professions.”
This exam is quickly becoming a requirement for many schools across the country. To be clear, this is a completely separate exam from the MCAT; it requires a separate registration through the Altus Suite website, and they send your scores independently to medical schools that ask for them.
What medical schools require casper?
Allopathic (MD) Medical Schools:
American University of The Caribbean School of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine
Howard University College of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Meharry Medical College
Mercer University School of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
New York Medical College
Northeast Ohio Medical University Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Penn State College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
State University of New York Upstate Medical University
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso
Tulane University School of Medicine
University of Colorado Denver Medical School
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School
University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Long School of Medicine
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Osteopathic Medical Schools:
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine NY
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine– Nevada
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Allopathic (MD) Medical Schools:
American University of The Caribbean School of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine
Howard University College of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Meharry Medical College
Mercer University School of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
New York Medical College
Northeast Ohio Medical University Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Penn State College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
State University of New York Upstate Medical University
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso
Tulane University School of Medicine
University of Colorado Denver Medical School
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School
University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Long School of Medicine
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Osteopathic Medical Schools:
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine NY
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine– Nevada
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
What's on the casper exam?
What is the format for casper?
- The Casper exam is similar to an MMI style interview, only it is strictly one-way of you responding to a prompt for five minutes
- The purpose of Casper is to take into consideration your personal values and personality, and seeing how you apply them to various different scenario prompts. These prompts involve some form of problem-solving, conflict resolution, or ethics during a challenging situation. The prompts require reasoning and justification for whatever decisions you say.
- Casper is completed online through your own personal device.
- Casper is made up of 12 sections. 8 of them are video scenarios in which you watch actors describe a situation. 4 of them are passage-based scenarios.
- You have five minutes to type a response for every scenario! After five minutes, you are automatically forced into the next scenario. Typing speed is important for this exam, to give a thorough and in-depth response that explores fully the scenario.
- You are unable to view the video or see the text-based prompts again after the initial viewing. Be sure to pay attention or take light notes (You are permitted to take notes during Casper)
- After 6 of the 12 sections, there will be an optional 10-minute break
How to prepare for Casper
- Be sure to read up on the exam through their official website and FAQ’s
- Be aware of the format of the Casper exam and also practice typing quickly. Check out the official website for a practice test you can complete to get a feel of it
- Read up on conflict resolution, mediation, and finding ethical solutions in workplace environments. Reading up on medical ethics through sources like the UW Medicine Ethics page can help as well.
- Common scenarios involve confronting authority figures, or dealing with uncomfortable situations from coworkers or friends fighting.
- A good mentality to have when answering questions is: PPRDJ
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- Problem, Perspective, Responsibility, Decide, Justify
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- For each question, try to implement these tenants to really show how you are offering a nuanced, balanced perspective on whatever the scenario is.
- Overall, the key is to just be understanding, mindful, sensitive, and thorough in all of the responses.