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Ojas’ Casper Preparation Guide for 2026 Entry

What is the Casper test?

Casper is a situational judgement style test designed to assess personal and professional
qualities such as empathy, communication, ethics, teamwork, and problem solving. In the
2025-26 application cycle, it is going to be a 65-85 minute exam with 11 scenarios, including
4 video-response scenarios and 7 typed-response scenarios. Each scenario will have 2
associated questions to answer. For the video-response ones, there is 1 minute for each
subquestion. The typed-response scenarios have 2 subquestions and 3.5 minutes combined
(compared to 3 questions, 5 minutes in past years).
Each question is scored individually. There is a 10 minute break after the 4 video-response
scenarios, and another 5 minute break before question 9 of 11.

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Acuity is to Casper what Pearson is to the UCAT - they have produced a useful video here
for you to find out more about the exam.

Which UK medical schools are using the Casper test?

Kent and Medway Medical School – only for certain groups of applicants (i.e. graduate
students/Scotland and NI where school contextualisation isn’t possible/international
applicants)
Three Counties Medical School – all shortlisted applicants
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Other medical schools are not currently using this test in the selection process – Aston,
Anglia Ruskin, Brunel have trialled this exam in the past, but it had no bearing on your
application.
Before coming to the UK, this test has been used in other countries, and this means you will
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be able to access plenty of free resources/YouTube videos with a little searching online. I
would encourage you to make the most of non-UK specific resources, since the UK
resources available appear to be sparse and often misleading – especially in terms of
recognising the new format of the exam this year!

What sort of questions will I get in the Casper?

Please see below the sample test for 2025-2026. I strongly recommend doing it on the
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Acuity website under exam-replicative conditions.

Video response #1: Recall a time when a piece of media, such as a book or news article,
had a significant impact on you.
a)​ What was the article, and why did it have such an impact? [1 minute]
b)​ How do you think this piece of media influenced your thoughts or behaviours in
general? Explain your response. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [1 minute]

Video response #2: You have been working at a job for six months. It is exactly your field of
expertise, and you hope to begin a career in this field. However, you regularly find yourself
without any work to do.
a)​ How would you ensure that you still contribute to your team in the absence of specific
work assignments given to you? Explain your response. ​ ​ [1 minute]

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b)​ Imagine that a coworker tells you they are having a similar experience and feel
demoralised. What advice would you give your coworker to help them maintain a
positive attitude? Explain your reasoning.​ ​ ​ ​ [1 minute]
​
Video Response #3: There is a video for you to watch first. It shows a campus scenario:
Michael’s bike was stolen. He posts a photo of the alleged thief, Eric, on social media, and
the post spreads quickly with negative comments about Eric.
a)​ Your classmate, Michael, made a public social media post accusing Eric of stealing
his bike. Do you agree with Michael’s course of action in this situation? Explain why
or why not. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ [1 minute]
b)​ Imagine that Michael decides to confront Eric in person to ask if he stole the bike.
How should he approach this conversation? Explain your response. [1 minute]

Video Response #4: There is a video for you to watch first. Two coworkers are struggling

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with a project and need help from their manager, Gary. However, Gary often appears
distracted on his phone, contributes little, yet still receives credit for the team’s work. The
coworkers are unsure how to handle the situation since Gary is close friends with upper
management.
a)​ Your co-workers think that Gary, the team manager, unfairly receives credit for the
team’s work despite his lack of contribution. How would you advise your co-workers
to handle this situation with Gary? Explain your response. [1 minute]
b)​ Imagine that Gary completed his work on time outside normal work hours but still
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behaved inappropriately in the office. How, if at all, would this change your response
to the previous question? Explain your reasoning. [1 minute]

[10 minute break]

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Typed Response #5: There is a video for you to watch first. A co-worker is anxious about
having to buy personal supplies after office items have been repeatedly stolen. Another
coworker witnessed the boss’s son taking the supplies - yet that same person has now been
nominated for a promotion by the boss’ son. ​ ​ ​ [3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ Your co-worker has been recommended for a promotion by Jack, who he saw taking
office supplies. What do you think your co-worker should do in this situation? Explain
your response.
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b)​ Imagine that your co-worker is offered the promotion, but it would require him to
work closely with Jack. To what extent do you think this factor should impact your
co-worker’s decision on whether to accept the promotion? Explain your reasoning.

Typed Response #6: In the video, one friend is volunteering to help people affected by
flooding. The other friend is dismissive, arguing that flood relief is a waste of taxpayer money
and that residents should relocate instead of receiving support.
[3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ Do you think that the town’s leaders should relocate the residents whose homes are
close to the river? Why or why not?
b)​ Imagine that the town’s leaders decide to relocate the residents who live close to the
river. What future potential impacts could this decision have on the town and its
residents? Explain your response.

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Typed Response #7: Think about a time when you were in a leadership situation or position.
[3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ Briefly describe the situation and how you felt being in a leadership position.
b)​ Imagine that while leading a group, one group member regularly disagrees with your
decision making. Based on your personality, how do you think you would respond in
this situation? Explain your reasoning.

Typed Response #8: You are stranded on an island with four other people who you do not
know well. The group decides to split roles and tasks in order to figure out how to get help.
[3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ What is one object you think would help you adapt to this situation? Explain your
response.
b)​ Imagine that you are responsible for building a shelter for the entire group. What

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steps would you take to complete this task efficiently and effectively? Explain your
response.

[5 minute break]

Typed Response #9: There is a video to watch first. One friend says he did well on a test,
while the other found it very difficult and is considering dropping out to try something else.
The first friend encourages him to stay in the program. [3.5 minutes combined]
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a)​ Your friend, Tyler, is struggling in his academic programme. Do you think that he
should switch to another programme? Why or why not?
b)​ Imagine that Tyler decides to stay in his programme, but his grades continue to drop.
What advice would you give to him in this situation? Explain your response.
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Typed Response #10: There is a video to watch first. In the video, a waiter has been fired
and may face legal action after a guest with a gluten allergy was accidentally served food
containing gluten. The kitchen staff added the ingredient, even though it wasn’t listed on the
menu, but the waiter also failed to notify them about the allergy. The guest was hospitalised
and is now suing the restaurant.​ ​ ​ [3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ A customer that your co-worker, Mel, was serving had an allergic reaction due to a
food preparation error. Do you think that Mel is partially responsible for the
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customer’s allergic reaction? Explain your reasoning.

b)​ Imagine that Mel had previously forgotten to inform the kitchen of a customer’s food
allergy on several other occasions. Considering this factor, do you agree with
management’s decision to terminate Mel’s employment? Explain why or why not.

Typical Response #11: You receive a text message from a friend you haven’t talked to in
over a year. You are glad to hear from him, but after an exchange of several messages, you
realise that he is reaching out to ask you a favour. [3.5 minutes combined]
a)​ How would you respond to your friend’s request? Explain your response.
b)​ Imagine that you decided against helping your friend, but then he tells you that he
has gone through a difficult time recently and lost many of his other friends. Would
this factor change your previous decision? Explain why or why not.​

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Advice on Preparation Materials
I went through this sample test under exam conditions to see what it would actually be like,
so I will share my thoughts on preparation and the different question types.

It is quite obvious from the accents and the spellings of certain words that the test isn’t
UK-specific - this is the same one being used in Canada and other countries. Before starting,
I was curious as to what that may mean for studying medical ethics and hot topics: is it better
to recommend using UK-specific resources, or American/Canadian ones?

In the past, applicants sitting the Casper have been advised to read from either the following
book: ‘Doing Right: A Practical Guide to Ethics for Medical Trainees and Physicians’ (can be
borrowed free legally here); or this more accessible website. If you’re going to read one of
them, I would personally recommend the website (the book is far too long). If you haven’t
already, it’s also important to read GMC Good Medical Practice (both for Casper and

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interviews).

After going through the questions, it started to make more sense how the same test could be
used in many different countries. Interestingly, none of the ethical scenarios required specific
knowledge of UK (or American) rules or guidelines around issues such as organ
transplantation or assisted dying. Instead, the scenarios were much more open-ended, often
involving non-medical situations (e.g. flood defences in Response #6). This is not something
that you would have specifically prepared for, and really shows that the test is more about
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ethical reasoning skills than any specific knowledge. I wouldn’t spend too long studying
detailed ethics books or websites: practising how to structure your thoughts clearly under
time pressure will probably be more beneficial.
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At least with the new format of 11 scenarios, there really aren’t questions requiring you to
know about lots of specific regulations and guidelines. It’s more about practising ethical
reasoning and communication, ideally simulating the time-pressured typing format to get
used to formulating balanced arguments quickly.

For NHS hot topics, they aren’t directly tested, but you can still weave them into your
answers. For instance, Typed Response #10 closely resembles the Bawa-Garba case,
where one individual initially took most of the blame despite multiple systemic failures. I
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imagine recognising something like this would set your answer apart. You will likely also
reference hot topics when responding to something like Typed Response #1.

But honestly, if you’ve already done interview preparation, you likely have enough
background knowledge.

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General Advice
-​ The questions that are presented to you as video scenarios (no matter whether
you’re answering in spoken or written format) are likely to be trickier to solve than the
ones given to you as text alone. It is only possible to watch each video once, so it’s
vital to listen carefully so that you fully understand the scenario.
-​ Try to resolve all issues at a local level where possible i.e. not escalating to a
supervisor/manager before first giving people a chance to take responsibility for
themselves.
-​ You can show originality by making your solutions creative. For example, imagine a
coworker who has been taking credit for someone else’s work on a group project.
Every answer will probably suggest speaking with them privately, explaining how their
actions affect team morale and suggesting they clarify contributions in the next team
meeting. You don’t have to stop there e.g. you could also offer to help them find ways
to better track shared tasks or set up a transparent system for acknowledging

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everyone’s input.
-​ Make sure that your answers are as nuanced as possible, i.e. “it depends on factor
X, for instance, if Y happened, then I would want to do Z.” You need to be
considering different possibilities and responding proportionately.

Advice for Video Response Questions

Answering video response questions is almost exactly like answering questions in an MMI.
The format is very similar to if you have ever done a HireVue, and just like the asynchronous
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MMIs our students did for Pears Cumbria/Imperial College London for 2025 entry.
Asynchronous interviews are being conducted by City St George’s for 2026 entry.

Candidates that are well prepared with their interviews are unlikely to need to learn any new
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content for these questions. However, I found that just one minute to answer each of these
questions is not much time, especially in comparison to most interviews. It is vital that you
practice answering questions in a concise manner.

The main focus here is delivery, not content.

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Advice for Typed Response Questions
I type quickly, think quickly, and teach the sort of themes/topics covered in these questions
as part of interview practice all week. I still found it challenging to finish some of the
situational questions within the 3.5-minute limit. In contrast, the self-reflective ones are likely
to be easier marks.
It’s going to be crucial to improve your typing speed if you want to excel – practice typing full
responses under timed conditions to get comfortable with producing complete, structured
answers in such little time.
Make sure to use the thinking/reflection time that is provided strategically. For questions with
videos, while watching the video and during the short pause afterwards, start to plan your
answer. The follow-up questions are usually quite predictable before you see them, even
from the video alone.

The situational questions are a little unfamiliar and often more challenging due to the

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unfamiliar subject matter. For example, Typed Response #6 deals with flood defences, a
scenario that is unlikely to be related to typical medical interview preparation. It is essential
for questions like this to remain calm. Continue to demonstrate the qualities that will be
sought from a future doctor - maintaining a balanced perspective, showing empathy, and
considering all aspects of an issue.

I found this acronym online that I think is quite useful. Aim for all your proposed solutions to
be be COPD:
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-​ Compassionate
-​ Objective
-​ Professional
-​ Diplomatic
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Questions like Typed Response #7 are likely to be quite manageable for the well-prepared
candidate. Some sort of personal attribute/self-insight type question is likely to come up, so
these are the ones you should have memorised verbatim and practised typing within the
time limit. Key examples to prepare include:
-​ What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
-​ What are your biggest accomplishments/failures?
-​ Describe a time when you’ve shown/observed empathy, good teamwork, good
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leadership, resilience, or good communication.

-​ Describe a time when you faced a conflict - how did you handle it?
-​ Describe a time you worked in a team and experienced disagreement - how did you
resolve it?
-​ Describe a time you had to deal with criticism.
-​ Describe a time you made a mistake or changed someone’s mind.
Etc

For these types of questions, make sure to:

-​ Focus on any lessons learned.
-​ Show outcomes and results.
-​ Highlight how skills gained are transferable to medicine.
Best of luck to our graduate entry medicine students – Ojas R.

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