The Casper Test: When Typing Speed Decides Your Medical Career

The Rise of the Empathy Exam

For decades, medical schools had a massive problem: they were accepting students who were brilliant at organic chemistry, but had the bedside manner of a brick wall.

To fix this, universities introduced the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). But interviews are expensive to run. Enter The Casper Test.

What is Casper?

Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is an online, situational judgment test now heavily used by Australian medical schools (like UOW and UNDA).

You watch a short video of an ethical dilemma (e.g., Your co-worker is stealing food from the staff fridge because they are broke, but the boss asks if you know who is doing it).

You then have 5 minutes to type out three complex answers explaining how you would handle the situation with empathy, equity, and professionalism.

The Typing Speed Trap

Casper claims it is not a typing test. Every medical applicant knows this is a lie.

If you type at 40 Words Per Minute (WPM), you will only get two sentences out before the timer brutally cuts you off mid-word. You simply cannot express nuanced ethical arguments in 30 words.

Students who type at 90+ WPM can write detailed, empathetic essays that hit all the marking rubrics: acknowledging multiple perspectives, seeking more information, and proposing non-judgmental solutions.

The Video Section

Recently, Casper added a video response section where you must speak your answer into a webcam. This is designed to combat AI scripting and ensure you can communicate verbally under pressure.

How Casper is Weighted

Casper scores are returned in Quartiles (1st Quartile is bottom 25%, 4th Quartile is top 25%).

If a university uses Casper, it is often a hurdle requirement. If you score in the 1st or 2nd Quartile, they assume you lack empathy or communication skills, and your application is thrown in the bin, regardless of how high your GAMSAT score is.

Before you spend 400 hours studying GAMSAT physics, spend 20 hours practicing your touch typing. It might literally save your medical career.