The CASPer test is becoming more and more popular, and if you are reading this post, it’s probably because you have to write it soon! For those of you who don’t know – Here is a bit of background from the official CASPer Test website:

There are two sections on the CASPer Test. The Video-Response section (with 6 scenarios) and the Typed-Response Section (with 8 scenarios) for a total of 14 scenarios. Each of the 6 video-response scenarios 2 questions that you need to answer on camera, while each of the 8 typed-response scenarios are followed by 3 questions that you need to type your answers to.

One of the most common questions asked is “how is the casper test scored?”. Instead of giving you some basic-level explanation how how the scoring works, we really want you to first understand:

a. Why is the CASPer test being used?

b. What they are really looking for?

Once you understand these two concepts, you will then be able to understand how the CASPer test is scored.

Why do I Have to Take the CASPer Test?

Since the “invention” of the MMI (multiple mini interview), schools have been much more focused on identifying candidate’s soft skills before acceptance to healthcare-related programs. It is clear that having good grades means that you study well and can absorb large amounts of information – and believe us this is definitely important in the first few years of your professional school program (where you learn page upon pages of new info a day)!

But, with technology improving year by year, and answers being at the tip of your fingertips if you know where to search, healthcare is focusing more and more on patient-centred care.

What does this mean?

It means that schools are focusing on the skills that make great healthcare professionals in general, as identified by patients and other healthcare professionals. If you search the CANMeds roles (see and learn more here), you will see exactly what the college of physicians is expecting from physicians, as an example.

We are expected to be: Leaders/Managers, Communicators, Collaborators, Scholars, Health Advocates, and Professionals.

All of these skills come together to make a healthcare expert! The MMI was introduced to assess for these skills prior to getting in to medical school, and now the CASPer test is used to test for these skills even before the interview process to further select for these skills.

Which Skills do they look for on the CASPer Test?

Now that you understand the CANMEDs roles, you now understand what they might be looking for on the CASPer test – someone who is highly insightful and experienced when it comes to these skills.

Each scenario on the CASPer test will touch on these skills in some way or another. They are looking for people who can understand the mindset of others, who can remain professional in awkward situations, who can be creative when trying to figure out solutions to uncertain situations, etc.

Take for example a video of two people arguing, and they turn to you and ask you what you think. This is your chance to type out what you would do in real life and demonstrate how you first analyze the situation before acting.

How is the CASPer Test scored?

So now that you have a bit more background about the CASPer test itself and what it tests for, let’s take a look at the scoring.

There are 14 scenarios in each CASPer test, with timed questions to answer. You can see how the timer works by trying one of our CASPer tests.

Evaluators can receive a series of responses from one scenario. These evaluators can be anyone, and specifically anyone hired by the official CASPer Test company, who are trained to read your answers and identify key skills in your answers. So lets say they are responsible for marking question number 5, they would get all the background information for that question and many different responses for question number 5 from various candidates, and they would be marking just that scenario. The evaluator is not given any identifying information and does not know what you wrote in other sections. It is done this way for the same reason we have different evaluators in every MMI station – to eliminate bias and provide the applicant with a more objective score.

Scores are based on your insight and depth of your answers. Red flags would include things like lack of professionalism.

Just like the MMI, there is technically no right answer, but only soft guides such as “rating a students communication skills” or seeing how much in detail you can analyze a situation before making a judgement.

Your evaluator will assign you a score. All of your scores are added up (for all 14 scenarios) and then compared to the group of candidates who took the test at the same time as you. So your score is presented as a percentile score rather than a raw score.

The CASPer test is weighted differently for different programs, but in general, your goal is to achieve the highest percentile possible!

How do we mark practice CASPer Tests at MedCoach?

All of our MedCoach CASPer tests with feedback come with full scores, feedback and our marking key as well – so you can really see what is expected from the candidate on our tests. Evaluators are trained to ignore test-taker errors in spelling and grammar.

Similar to the CASPer test, we will mark each section of your test out of 9: 1 being unsatisfactory and 9 being superb. Your score is then averaged and given back to you along with your MedCoach’s feedback. On average, students get 6.5-7.5 on our tests – averaged across all sections. If you are interested in practicing some CASPer test questions and seeing some answers, check out our Practice CASPer Tests with feedback!

More Resources to prep for the CASPer Test

• Check out our best-selling book on Amazon, available in English and in French.
• Check our our AI CASPer Test Question Generator