CASPer (the Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal characteristics) is a timed online test built by Acuity Insights and used by health-profession and other programs across Canada, the United States and Australia to assess judgment and interpersonal skills. It is separate from your GPA, your entrance exam and your interview, and most programs cannot see your answers until after your application is otherwise complete.
The two sections, as Acuity publishes them
Acuity Insights states the format on its applicant site, and that page is the authority. As of 17 September 2026 it reads: 2 sections, 11 scenarios.
- Video responses: 4 scenarios. Each has 2 open-ended questions and you record 1 minute per response into your webcam. No pausing, no re-recording.
- Typed responses: 7 scenarios. Each has 2 open-ended questions, shown on the same page, with 3.5 minutes in total to type both answers.
Acuity says the whole sitting takes approximately 65 to 85 minutes, including two optional breaks. It does not publish where the two breaks fall. Arvin’s mock exam places one after the video section and one after the fourth typed scenario, so the typed section runs 4, a break, then 3.
Acuity adds one caveat in its own words: the format may vary slightly for select programs, and it names Australian teacher education programs, which use a shorter test with fewer scenarios.
What each scenario is actually testing
Every scenario presents a situation with no single correct answer: a conflict between colleagues, a customer or patient in distress, an ethical grey area, a mistake that needs to be owned. The questions ask what you would do, why, and how you would balance the people involved. Raters are trained human markers, one per scenario, looking for judgment, self-awareness, communication and ethical reasoning rather than a script.
Practise the real timings
The free official practice test in your Acuity Insights account uses the same 11-scenario layout. Take it at least once so the 3.5-minute typed clock and the 1-minute video clock stop being a surprise. If you practise here, the mock exam uses the same clocks and the same two breaks.
Confirm the format yourself before test day
Acuity Insights has changed section counts and timing between cycles before. Before you sit the test, open the official Casper page linked above and re-read the current format for your test date. Your booking confirmation and the on-screen instructions are the authority for your date, not this article or any other third-party summary.