Exact Answer: Approximately 90 Minutes
The CASPer test, the full-form of which is Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics, is an online test that applicants are required to while taking admission in a medical school. It is a unique psychological test that is different from other types of tests that focus more on the academic aspect of the assessment of a candidate.
The number of medical schools requiring the CASPer test has tremendously increased in recent years. This test was originally introduced about a decade ago. It is a situational judgment assessment that tests medical candidates on their psychological abilities in specific situations, scenarios, and conditions. This test is not designed to assess one’s medical or science knowledge acquired academically but to identify whether the candidate possesses the necessary skills to be called a professional.
Developed by Harold Reiter and Kelly Dore, this test was made to be used by the McMaster University Medical School. It was prepared at McMaster University’s PERD (Program for Educational Research and Development). Since then this test has been adopted by various medical schools to evaluate the candidates interested in taking admission at their university.
How Long Is The CASPer Test?
| Stages | Duration |
| Introduction and questions | Approx. 75 minutes |
| Break (Optional) | 10 minutes |
| Total time | Approx. 90 minutes |
There are in total twelve different sections in the CASPer test. Each section is approximately five minutes long. The average time required to complete the CASPer test is about 90 minutes. However, there is a provision of giving an optional break of 10 minutes that can ultimately impact the total time taken to complete the test.
The optional break is given halfway through the test i.e after one has completed six sections of their test. Each section contains a different question that is designed to assess the candidates intrapersonally and check whether they are fit to become a professional or not.
The CASPer test is unique in its way as it tests candidates not as per the usual norm in terms of their academic knowledge or their ability to recognize and memorize biological terms. Instead, this test analyses the answers provided by the candidate to the questions asked in the examination and checks whether the candidate will be able to handle medical emergencies and other similar scenarios as a qualified medical practitioner. This test tries to make the applicant aware of the actual realities of the world with the help of hypothetical situations.
Why Is The CASPer Test So Long?
The CASPer test is not any textbook test where the candidates are supposed to memorize the biological terms and write the answer. This test is much more than that. The CASPer test checks the psychological abilities of the person to assess whether they can apply their knowledge in the correct way to solve the scenarios mentioned in the question.
In the CASPer test, there are no strictly right or wrong answers. Instead, there are weak and strong answers that depict the caliber of the candidate and understanding of his academic knowledge. Analysis of the responses provided in various scenarios as mentioned in the test is considered for evaluation.
The 12 sections of this test are all different and unique in their sense. The examinee is presented with 12 different situations for which he is required to provide solutions. Out of the 12 different situations, 8 are video-based while the rest 4 are text-based. Each scenario is presented in random order and the candidate is expected to attempt all 12 scenarios.
After each video-based question, the candidate is also required to answer 3 follow-up questions. Applicants for the CASPer test should remember that they must try to answer correctly as quickly as possible since only 5 minutes per section is allotted to each candidate.
Conclusion
The CASPer test is an SJI (Situational Judgement Test) which is quite different from common medical entrance exams that test a person’s medical academic intelligence. This test is intended to evaluate a candidate for his soft skill such as maturity, professionalism, ability to handle emergencies. analytical skills, communication, etc.
A CASPer test is 90 minutes long, however, this duration can change depending upon whether the optional break of 10 minutes is utilized by the person or not. Thus, the optional break can lengthen or reduce the total time required for this test.
References
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