Casper Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts

What Is Casper, Exactly?

Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is an open-response situational judgment test owned and administered by Acuity Insights, formerly Altus Assessments. It was originally developed at McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and launched in 2015. By August 2024, the test had passed 1 million registrations - a scale that tells you how deeply embedded it is in admissions pipelines across health professions and beyond. If you're arriving at this cheat sheet without prior context, start with What Is Casper? or Casper Meaning for the full background before using this page as a quick-reference review.

Casper is not a knowledge exam. There's no syllabus of facts to memorize, no formulas, and no academic prerequisites. Instead, it presents interpersonal and professional dilemmas and asks you to respond in writing or on video, in your own words, under time pressure. That format is exactly why generic exam advice falls flat here - the "content" is judgment, not information.

Format Snapshot: Scenarios, Timing, Tech

For the 2026-2027 admission cycle, Casper follows a fixed structure that every test-taker should be able to recite from memory before sitting down:

• 11 scenarios total, in a fixed order: 4 video-response scenarios first, then 7 typed-response scenarios.
• 22 questions total: 2 open-ended questions per scenario.
• Video section: 1 minute per question, recorded one at a time, with no going back.
• Typed section: both questions in a scenario are shown at once, with 3.5 minutes to answer the pair.
• Optional 30-second reflection period before each scenario begins.
• Breaks: a 10-minute optional break after the video section, and a 5-minute optional break after the first four typed scenarios.
• Total time: an estimated 65 to 85 minutes for the standard version. (The Australian teacher education version differs, running 8 scenarios in 45 to 65 minutes.)

Casper is delivered online with remote proctoring on scheduled sitting dates - there are no physical test centers. You'll need a desktop or laptop computer with a working webcam and microphone; smartphones and tablets are not supported, so plan your hardware well in advance. Once a scenario format is assigned, you cannot switch response formats, and speech-to-text tools are prohibited unless you have approved accommodations.

For a deeper breakdown of how demanding this pacing actually feels in practice, see How Hard Is the Casper Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

The 9 Domains, Fast

Casper scenarios are built to sample nine personal and professional characteristics. Nearly every scenario centers on an interpersonal or professional dilemma, which is why ethics and empathy carry the most practical weight in scoring - most prompts will touch one or both, even when the surface topic is something else.

For a full walkthrough of how each domain shows up across video and typed scenarios, with sample prompt patterns, read Casper Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.

Registration, Fees, and Deadlines

Casper fee mechanics are straightforward but final. For US Medicine, the registration fee is $85 USD. That single fee covers the Casper test itself, the Duet value-alignment assessment, and distribution of your results to 7 programs. Additional distributions beyond those 7 cost roughly $18 each. Other health professions programs pay a lower base fee, and pricing varies by country and test type, so always confirm the exact figure for your specific program type before paying.

• All fees are final and non-refundable.
• Fees are not transferable between admissions cycles.
• Applicants approved for AAMC or CASPA fee assistance can have the fee waived.

Because there are no academic prerequisites for sitting Casper, eligibility mostly comes down to program requirements and having the right equipment on test day. For a complete rundown of what "eligible" actually means, see Casper Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and for every fee tier and add-on cost, check Casper Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Test dates run on scheduled sittings rather than on-demand slots, so building your calendar early matters. A full list of upcoming windows and registration deadlines is maintained at Casper Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.

Scoring, Quartiles, and Retakes

Every single response you submit is evaluated independently by a different trained human rater, scored on a 1 to 9 Likert scale. There is no passing score - Casper is designed as a comparative, not a criterion-referenced, measure. Applicants only ever see their result as a quartile, while the programs they apply to receive the actual numeric score. Results are typically available 2 to 3 weeks after your sitting.

Retakes are only granted for verified technical failures reported within one week of the sitting - a poor performance alone is not grounds for a redo. Because scores never carry forward, reapplicants in a future cycle must retest from scratch, even if they scored well previously. For a full explainer of quartiles and what programs actually do with your number, see Casper Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for context on how outcomes vary across test-takers, read Casper Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

A Casper-Specific Prep Sequence

Rather than a generic study calendar, sequence your prep around Casper's actual structure: video first, typed second, ethics and empathy woven through nearly everything.

This sequencing matters because switching response formats mid-scenario isn't allowed on the real test, so your practice should mirror that rigidity rather than letting you default to whichever format feels easier. For a more detailed, structured approach to each week, see Casper Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also run realistic scenario drills anytime at our practice test platform.

Day-Of Checklist

• Confirm you're on a desktop or laptop - no tablets or smartphones.
• Test your webcam and microphone well before your scheduled sitting time.
• Remember the fixed order: 4 video scenarios, then 7 typed scenarios.
• Use the optional 30-second reflection period before each scenario to plan, not panic.
• Take the optional breaks after the video section and after the first four typed scenarios if you need them.
• Do not attempt to use speech-to-text unless you have approved accommodations.

Curious who's actually reviewing these scores on the other end, or what roles list Casper performance as a factor? Browse Casper Jobs and Is the Casper Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for the bigger picture, and if you want a refresher on the terminology programs use, What Does Casper Stand For? covers the acronym in plain language.

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