How to Prepare for the Casper Test (2026): Format and Timing

For the 2026 to 2027 admission cycle, Casper is 11 scenarios in two sections: 4 video-response scenarios first, at 1 minute per question, then 7 typed-response scenarios at 3.5 minutes per scenario. Total time is 65 to 85 minutes including two optional breaks, a 10-minute break after the video section and a 5-minute break partway through the typed section.

Preparing well is mostly format familiarity plus timed practice. Acuity Insights, the company that builds and scores the test, says its own research shows third-party coaching can hinder a score compared with using its free prep resources, so the money question matters less than the rehearsal question.

Key takeaways

• Casper is an open-response situational judgment test. It is not pass/fail and there is no content to memorize.
• The 2026 to 2027 format is 11 scenarios: 4 video-response, then 7 typed-response, 2 questions each.
• Video gives you 1 minute per question. Typed gives you 3.5 minutes for both questions together.
• Each question is scored independently by a trained human rater who never sees your name and is told to ignore grammar and spelling.
• Programs get your score in about 2 to 3 weeks. You get a quartile in about 4 to 5 weeks.
• A Casper score is valid for one admissions cycle and one test type, and you cannot retake the same test type in a cycle.

What is the Casper test format in 2026 to 2027?

Two sections, 11 scenarios, every scenario carrying 2 open-ended questions. Acuity's format and length page, updated in March 2026, sets it out by admission cycle:

The order is fixed: all four video scenarios come first, then all seven typed ones. Total estimated time is 65 to 85 minutes.

That timing is tighter than it looks on paper. The typed section gives you 3.5 minutes to answer two questions, not 3.5 minutes per question, which works out to about 105 seconds each if you split it evenly.

The break schedule

Two optional breaks are built into the test, and they are not evenly spaced:

What happens inside a single scenario?

Each scenario follows the same sequence, and knowing it removes most test-day surprise:

1. A role prompt tells you who you are in the situation, for example "you are a friend" or "you are a co-worker".
2. The scenario is presented, either as a short video or as text.
3. An optional 30-second reflection period runs before the questions.
4. You answer on the response page. Video scenarios add a 10-second countdown before recording starts, with your role prompt shown again during it.

Use the 30 seconds to decide what you would do, not to draft sentences. The clock on the response itself is short enough that starting without a position costs you most of the first answer.

Video-based and word-based scenarios are not the same thing as video and typed responses

This is the part that catches people. A scenario can be presented as a video or as text, and that is independent of how you have to answer it. A word-based scenario can require a video response, and a video-based scenario can require typing. The icon at the top of the screen tells you which presentation you are looking at, and the response page tells you which mode is required. Switching between response formats is not allowed.

One more rule worth knowing before test day: speech-to-text tools are not permitted unless they have been pre-approved under testing accommodations.

Does every program get the same Casper?

Mostly, but not entirely. Australian Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teacher's Education programs use a shorter version: 8 scenarios, made up of 2 video-response and 6 typed-response scenarios, with a single 10-minute optional break and a total estimated time of 45 to 65 minutes. Everything else in this guide still applies to it.

If you are applying to health sciences programs in North America, you are taking the 11-scenario version.

How is the Casper test scored?

This is where most prep advice is wrong, so it is worth being precise. Acuity's scoring and evaluation page describes the mechanics:

• Your typed and video responses are combined into one overall score.
• Both questions in a scenario go to the same rater, who can see the full scenario context, but each question is scored independently. There is no single score for a scenario.
• Your responses are anonymized first. Raters do not see your name, age or photo.
• No rater scores the same applicant more than once, so no one person's reading of you carries through the test.
• Raters are told to focus on the substance and quality of your reasoning, not on grammar or spelling.
• All individual question ratings are averaged, then standardized to show where you rank against the applicant pool.

Scoring is done by certified human raters rather than AI, and every rater has to complete a training program and be accredited first.

Two practical consequences follow. First, a weak answer on one question does not drag down the rest of the scenario, so a question that goes badly is not a reason to spend the next one recovering. Second, polishing prose is wasted time. Complete, reasoned thoughts beat clean sentences, because the thing being rated is your judgment.

Note also that once the test has started, all sections must be completed.

When do you get your Casper results?

Two different timelines, and applicants routinely confuse them:

The quartile timing comes from Acuity's quartile score page, and the distribution timing from its score distribution page, which adds two details worth planning around. Programs you add to your distribution list after that first 2 to 3 week window receive your results within 1 business day. And Acuity does not email you when results are delivered to programs, so the only way to check is your account dashboard: the Reservations section shows either "Completed - Results delivered" or "Completed - Results pending".

You do get an email when your own quartile is ready.

What does your Casper quartile actually mean?

Casper scores are grouped into four quartiles that compare you with other applicants who took the same test type. The same quartile score page is blunt about what a low quartile is and is not: placing in the first quartile does not mean you failed, it means other applicants' responses were rated more strongly, and most programs consider all quartiles and treat Casper as one data point among many.

Because scores are standardized against your peers, the same performance can land in a different quartile against a different pool. Acuity notes this is one reason an applicant who takes Casper twice may see their quartile move, along with having been close to a quartile boundary, for example at the 74th and 76th percentiles.

What applicants in higher quartiles do differently

Instead of guessing, use Acuity's own list. On the same quartile page it names what applicants placed in a higher quartile tend to demonstrate:

• Effort. They explained their position fully and used the full amount of time available before moving on, rather than finishing early.
• Empathy. They considered all perspectives in the scenario in a meaningful way.
• Impartiality. They showed respect for other people's experiences and needs.
• Communication. They articulated their ideas above the average level.
• Familiarity with the format. They had rehearsed video and typed responses and could navigate the mechanics without thinking about them.

Three of those five are rehearsal, not personality. Running out of time, finishing 40 seconds early, or fumbling the recording interface are all fixable before test day, and they are the most common way a strong thinker scores like an average one.

How to prepare for the Casper test

Step 1: Take one full timed simulation first

Do this before reading any more advice. You need to know whether your problem is ethical reasoning or typing speed, and a timed run is the only thing that tells you.

Our free Casper practice test runs all 11 scenarios on the real clock, the four video-response scenarios first and then the seven typed ones at 3.5 minutes per scenario, with a live word count, model answers, the competencies each question probes, and a self-scoring rubric.

Then use the practice test inside your own Acuity Insights account, which you can take as often as you like once you have registered. Acuity points applicants to its Casper prep page for the rest of its free material.

Step 2: Build a 2 to 4 week plan

For most applicants, 2 to 4 weeks of consistent work is enough.

If you want structured feedback on your answers rather than self-scoring, our reviews of BeMo CASPer Prep and CasperBooster cover what each one actually provides and what it costs. Read Acuity's caution about third-party coaching first, and see our review methodology for how we test these products.

Step 3: Use a response framework

Strong answers tend to do five things quickly:

1. Identify the core issue.
2. Name the people affected.
3. Show empathy and fairness.
4. Propose a practical, ethical next step.
5. Explain why that approach balances short-term and long-term consequences.

Step 5 is the differentiator. Two applicants often reach the same decision, and the one who says why it is the right decision scores better.

Step 4: Train both response modes

Typed responses. Practice short, complete thought units rather than long paragraphs. Readable and direct beats elegant, especially since grammar and spelling are not rated. Know roughly how many words you can type in 3.5 minutes so you can budget both questions.

Video responses. Practice out loud, not in your head. Keep a calm, organized cadence, check your eye line and audio, and use short signposting phrases such as "First", "I would also" and "Because" so a listener can follow you without a second take. You do not get one.

Step 5: Register and sort logistics early

Acuity's dates and fees page is where test dates, fees and ID requirements are listed for the specific programs you are applying to, because all three vary by program and region. The rules that do not vary:

• Reserve your test at least three days before your preferred date and time, to leave room for identity verification, payment processing and the system requirements check.
• You need a government-issued photo ID in English or French to create the account, and your name, date of birth and email must match your program applications or results can be delayed.
• Payment is taken when you reserve. Fees are final, non-refundable and valid only for the current admissions cycle. Fee assistance exists, and Duet costs nothing extra if a program requires it.
• Testing accommodations need all forms and supporting documentation submitted four weeks before your scheduled test.

On the day itself, Acuity's guidance for before, during and after the test emphasizes setup quality: confirm your time zone, run the system requirements check in advance, use a supported browser and device, log in early, and test in a quiet private space with your webcam and microphone working.

How long is a Casper score good for?

Five validity rules decide whether you need a new test, all from the same dates and fees page:

That last rule is the one to plan around. There is no retake inside a cycle, so the single attempt you get is the one you prepare for.

Common Casper prep mistakes

• Following advice written for a longer pre-2025 format instead of the current 11-scenario structure.
• Reading 3.5 minutes as per question rather than for both questions in a scenario.
• Leaving timed practice until the final week.
• Giving a decision with no stated reasoning.
• Polishing wording, which is not rated, instead of finishing the thought.
• Finishing early. Acuity names using the full time as something higher-quartile applicants do.
• Skipping video delivery practice because typing feels like the harder half.
• Memorizing scripted answers, which read as inauthentic and rarely fit the scenario you get.

Where to go next

Our Casper exam hub collects the prep options, tools and reviews for the test. If you only do one thing today, do a single timed scenario and see how far 3.5 minutes actually gets you.

FAQ: Preparing for Casper in 2026

How long should I study for Casper?

Most applicants prepare well in about 2 to 4 weeks of consistent timed practice. There is no content to learn, so extra weeks mostly add rehearsal rather than knowledge. Start earlier if your typing speed is slow or you have never recorded yourself answering a question.

Is it hard to pass the Casper test?

Casper is not pass/fail, so there is nothing to pass. Your responses are rated and then standardized against everyone who took your test type, which means the difficulty is relative to a strong applicant pool rather than to a fixed standard.

How is Casper scored?

Each of the two questions in a scenario is rated independently by a trained human rater who sees the full scenario but none of your personal details. Those individual ratings are averaged across the whole test and standardized against the applicant pool. Grammar and spelling are explicitly not part of the rating.

Is the second quartile bad for Casper?

No. Acuity states that quartile placement should not dissuade you from applying anywhere, and that most programs consider all quartiles and use Casper as one data point among many. A second-quartile result means other applicants were rated more strongly on the same scenarios, not that your application is out.

How hard is it to place in the fourth quartile?

The quartiles are defined by the pool, so a quarter of test-takers land in each one by construction. Acuity's own list of what separates higher placements is effort, empathy, impartiality, communication and familiarity with the format, and the first and last of those are the ones rehearsal changes most.

How long is the Casper test?

65 to 85 minutes for the standard 11-scenario version, including both optional breaks. The Australian Teacher's Education version is 8 scenarios and 45 to 65 minutes.

Do I get my actual Casper score?

No. Your full score goes directly to the programs on your distribution list, and you receive a quartile instead, by email, about 4 to 5 weeks after your test.

Can I retake Casper if it goes badly?

Not within the same admissions cycle for the same test type. You can take a different test type if a program requires one, and you would test again for a future cycle.

Where can I take a free timed simulation?

Our free Casper practice test runs all 11 scenarios on the real clock, with a live word count, model answers, the competencies each question probes, and a self-scoring rubric.

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