Most Casper test-takers have no idea how their responses are actually evaluated. Understanding the scoring system changes how you prepare — and helps you write answers that raters consistently reward.
Who Scores the Casper Test?
Every Casper response is evaluated by a real human rater — not an algorithm. Acuity Insights recruits and trains a large pool of raters, typically community members with relevant professional backgrounds.
Here's the critical part: each response is graded by a different rater. A single Casper exam may be reviewed by 9 to 14 different people. This design intentionally distributes the subjectivity — no single rater's bias has outsized influence on your final score.
How Are Individual Responses Scored?
Each typed or video response is scored on a 1–9 scale by its assigned rater:
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 7–9 | Strong response — clear reasoning, multiple competencies demonstrated |
| 4–6 | Average response — adequate but lacks depth or specificity |
| 1–3 | Weak response — vague, incomplete, or misses the point |
Raters are evaluating whether your response demonstrates the 9 core competencies that Casper is designed to measure: collaboration, communication, empathy, equity, ethics, motivation, problem-solving, resilience, and self-awareness.
How is the Final Casper Score Calculated?
Your individual response scores are averaged across all sections. The resulting number is converted into a standardized score, which is then placed into a quartile ranking relative to all other test-takers in your applicant pool during that testing season.
You are compared only to people applying to the same type of program (e.g., your MD score is benchmarked against other MD applicants, not nursing applicants).
Understanding Casper Quartiles
Your final Casper result is reported as a quartile — not a percentile, not a raw score.
| Quartile | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 4th (top) | Top 25% of your applicant pool — most competitive programs expect this |
| 3rd | Above average — acceptable at most schools, strong for many |
| 2nd | Below average — may not meet minimum thresholds at selective programs |
| 1st (bottom) | Lowest 25% — likely to screen out applicants at competitive schools |
The quartile threshold shifts slightly each cycle depending on the overall pool performance. A response that earns 3rd quartile one year might be 4th quartile the next — there's no fixed cutoff score.
What Do Schools Actually See?
Programs receive:
- Your quartile ranking (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th)
- The number of applicants in your testing window for context
Schools do not receive:
- Your raw score
- Individual response scores
- Rater feedback or comments
Most competitive programs use Casper as a screening threshold — applicants below a minimum quartile (often 2nd or 3rd) may not advance to secondary review regardless of other application components.
When Are Casper Scores Released?
Score reports are processed and distributed approximately 3 weeks after your test date. You'll receive an email from Acuity Insights when your scores are ready.
Your scores are automatically sent to the programs you designated at registration. You can add more programs after testing by logging into your Acuity Insights account (additional fees apply).
Can You Improve Your Casper Score?
Yes — but only by retesting in a future application cycle. There are no retakes within the same cycle.
The most effective way to improve is targeted practice. Most score improvements come from:
- Increased typing speed — slow typing leads to incomplete answers, which score lower by default
- Addressing more competencies — strong responses consistently hit 3–4 competencies; weak ones address 1
- Showing reasoning, not just conclusions — raters reward the why behind your answer
- Video confidence — video sections are disproportionately impacted by nervousness and poor structure
Casper Scoring FAQs
How is the Casper test scored? Individual responses are scored 1–9 by trained human raters. Scores are averaged and converted to a quartile relative to your applicant pool.
What is a good Casper score? Third or fourth quartile is generally competitive. Fourth quartile puts you in the top 25% of test-takers. Most selective programs expect at least third quartile.
When are Casper scores released? Approximately 3 weeks after your test date.
How many raters score your Casper test? Between 9 and 14 different raters may evaluate your responses — each response gets a different rater.
Do schools see your raw Casper score? No. Schools only see your quartile ranking, not your raw score or individual response scores.
Can you retake the Casper test to improve your score? Not within the same application cycle. You can retest in a future cycle.