Mastering the Casper Situational Judgement Test: Tips and Strategies

Mastering the Casper Situational Judgement Test: Tips and Strategies

Preparation Strategies

With the correct methods, you can excel in the CASPer test. Here are some of the most important components of your preparation:

First off, focus on typing practice - since CASPer is a computer-based exam requiring responses to be typed within a five-minute timeframe, comfort and proficiency in typing can be beneficial. While you don't have to be the quickest typist, the ability to swiftly and clearly express your thoughts is advantageous.

Secondly, it's important to familiarise yourself with common ethical or moral dilemmas, as CASPer frequently introduces scenarios needing ethical judgement. Enhancing your grasp of fundamental ethical principles in healthcare can be useful. This doesn't imply memorising ethical guidelines, but rather understanding and applying ethical notions in different scenarios.

Additionally, hone your critical thinking abilities - CASPer assesses your problem-solving skills and sound judgement.

Make sure to use a mix of online resources and practice tests - this includes official materials on the CASPer website, and high-quality resources from admissions agencies. We recommend Blackstone Tutors for their comprehensive range of resources and individualised guidance, which can help you grasp the subtleties of the test and polish your answers.

Finally, consider your personal experiences - CASPer is about individual attributes. Reflect on your history, including triumphs and setbacks, and identify what they taught you.

Casper Test format

The updated CASPer test has a structure similar to its older version. A comprehensive breakdown of the new structure can be found on the BlackStone Tutors website, but in brief, the test now includes 14 scenarios, down from the previous 15. Video response scenarios now have just two questions each, compared to the previous three. You have one minute to answer each video response question, after a ten-second reading period.
The test is now divided into eight typed response scenarios and six video response scenarios. Unlike before, the video response section comes before the typed response section.
With two breaks - a 10-minute break between the video and typed sections and a 5-minute break - the total test duration is about 110 minutes. Without breaks, it's around 90 minutes.

Behavioural competencies

Communication: This competency examines your ability to interact effectively, overcome communication challenges, and demonstrate the traits of a good communicator. Reflect on your experiences where communication has been key.
Collaboration: The test evaluates your teamwork and leadership skills. You should understand and exhibit the characteristics of a good team player and leader.

Empathy: This distinct attribute from sympathy and compassion involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others. Reflect on your empathetic interactions in daily life and previous healthcare roles.

Equity: Different from equality, equity involves fair treatment based on individual needs. For CASPer, consider diversity, aiding the less fortunate, and understanding your privilege.

Ethics: Ethics are moral principles guiding behaviour. Reflect on personal and professional ethics, understand the ethical expectations of your future profession, and demonstrate nuanced ethical judgement.

Motivation: This refers to a general drive to succeed, rather than career-specific motivation. Show your motivation throu

gh past experiences.
Problem Solving: The focus here is on your approach to finding solutions to conflicts or disagreements rather than solving complex puzzles.

Professionalism: Reflect on professional behaviour, consider potential professional challenges like conflicts of interest, inappropriate relationships, or unprofessional conduct.

Resilience: Your ability to persevere through difficulties is tested here. Have examples ready of overcoming failure or adversity.
Self-Awareness: This competency assesses your awareness of your own emotional state and health, and your ability to manage stress.

Situational Judgement Scenarios

The CASPer test presents a range of situational judgement scenarios, designed to assess a candidate's soft skills and personal attributes vital for a medical career.

These scenarios often place the candidate in a hypothetical medical or interpersonal situation where they must navigate ethical dilemmas, team dynamics, or patient interactions. For instance, a scenario might describe a situation where a patient refuses treatment due to cultural beliefs, or where there's a disagreement among healthcare team members. The candidate will be asked to respond to these situations in a manner that aligns with the principles of patient autonomy, team collaboration, and professional ethics.

Other scenarios could relate to academic integrity issues, like witnessing a fellow student cheating on an exam, or interpersonal conflicts, such as dealing with a roommate who consistently breaks house rules. These scenarios assess the candidate's ability to handle conflict, maintain integrity, and demonstrate empathy.

Ultimately, the aim of these situational judgement scenarios is not to test medical knowledge, but to gauge the candidate's problem-solving skills, ethical judgement, communication abilities, and other competencies crucial for a successful medical career.