With the rising amount of applicants to medical school, there needed to be a more efficient way to screen applicants prior to the interview stage. That is where the CASPer test comes in, which is a situational judgement test which assesses your responses to hypothetical scenarios. The focus of the test is on your thought process and action when faced with a dilemma. This is a huge component of the medical school application process in Canada, and your performance on this test heavily impacts whether you receive an interview.
The questions on the test range from conflict resolution, ethical dilemmas, professionalism, critical thinking ability and personal questions. Imagine being placed in a behavioral interview, but having to type out your responses to 3 questions in 5 minutes. It was one of the most difficult tests to prepare for, as synthesizing thoughts and typing them at the same time requires very specific practice. As you only have 5 minutes, it is hard to make your answers stand out when compared to the other applicants. Unfortunately, the very first time I wrote the CASPer test it did not go well, and probably led to me not getting an interview in the first cycle. However, the second time around after making some of the changes mentioned, it seems to have worked!
In order to better prepare for the time frame I would find a variety of different practice questions on the internet and practice for 4 minutes and 30 seconds, knowing that my nerves would attribute to the other 30 seconds the day of the test. I did this continuously for a month prior to the test. Secondly, I realized that having a structured answer was one way to differentiate myself from an applicant who would type their brainstormed ideas. I hence developed a structure depending on every style of question, and organized my thoughts accordingly. I found that this not only helped me create more structured answers, but I also was thinking more logically than before. If you would like to learn more about this test and how else I prepared for it, leave a comment below.
