CASPer preparation

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waytogo1 said:
So, I tried to log in and it says my email + password combo is incorrect... I'm pretty sure I put in the right password though, I'm guessing this is because their site is having some issues right now?? Are you guys also getting the same error message?
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yes, see above
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Can I ask if they were all ethics-related questions? Or were some questions about your experiences and such?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Ohhhmy I did my test yesterday... :( SO HARD!! I wish I prepared more, I only did some practice questions but like you are all saying, timing is difficult and trying to get a good strategy to organize my answers is definitely the toughest thing.

I am also doing Canadian schools CASPer in October so hopefully those will go better :)

Yes they don't grade these as such, but look at your answers and pull up any "red flags" that are considered unethical answers etc. Just to narrow down their pool of interview candidates I guess.

I don't think I agree that you cannot prepare. I'm going to do as many practice questions as I can and find some simulations. The link by @HomemdeMacarrao above has a simulation and I just realized they have a video type course that explains how it works etc!! Knowledge is key ahah! I wish I saw this sooner.
 
PreMedicalStudent89 said:
Ohhhmy I did my test yesterday... :( SO HARD!! I wish I prepared more, I only did some practice questions but like you are all saying, timing is difficult and trying to get a good strategy to organize my answers is definitely the toughest thing.

I am also doing Canadian schools CASPer in October so hopefully those will go better :)

Yes they don't grade these as such, but look at your answers and pull up any "red flags" that are considered unethical answers etc. Just to narrow down their pool of interview candidates I guess.

I don't think I agree that you cannot prepare. I'm going to do as many practice questions as I can and find some simulations. The link by @HomemdeMacarrao above has a simulation and I just realized they have a video type course that explains how it works etc!! Knowledge is key ahah! I wish I saw this sooner.
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https://bemoacademicconsultingcom.leadpages.net/casperprepvideocoursedescription/ ----- Is this the video course you are talking about?
 
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I got my primary and my secondary in on time, and didn't know you had to "sign up" for this test. Will RWJMS not review my application until this is done? I signed up for the next earliest test date which is Aug 16th
 
huh, they are offering a makeup test on August 2nd for those who had technical difficulties yesterday and a 10USD partial refund
 
jambajuice100 said:
I got my primary and my secondary in on time, and didn't know you had to "sign up" for this test. Will RWJMS not review my application until this is done? I signed up for the next earliest test date which is Aug 16th
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I made the same error, but RWJ doesn't having rolling admissions, so hopefully it wouldn't make a huge difference either way. Can anybody back me on this?
 
If I take the CASPer for NYMC, do I still need to take the CASPer when applying to McMaster?
 
Got logged off right before the exam was going to start and now it won't even load...
 
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same, i just sent them an email telling them. not sure what else to do?
 
Same boat- as soon as the countdown finished the site just said "loading". The company sent out this tweet:
People in the noon test - we're giving everyone an hour to start their test. Be patient and we'll get everyone in.

UGH there goes my sunday
 
I wrote them a pretty unsavory email as well, glad I didn't plan my whole day around this or anything
 
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So at what point do I just move on with my life?
 
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Anyone experiencing issues with the picture loading for verification?
 
lol, it sounds like a repeat of the july technical meltdown at casper
 
got past the video check once then froze, now it won't even load the 10 sec video
 
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Got as far as the video check and now its frozen, no video and no buttons to click to move back or forward. What am i suppose to do now?
 
I'm having a great time!
 
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So after messaging someone named Leah I get a message saying "We're seeing a slow database that is affecting test performance. We've extended test timelines again to allow everyone to get in".

I'm annoyed that I've been sitting around waiting for so long.
 
Anyone else still stuck on Video Check?
 
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kawaiipupae said:
So after messaging someone named Leah I get a message saying "We're seeing a slow database that is affecting test performance. We've extended test timelines again to allow everyone to get in".

I'm annoyed that I've been sitting around waiting for so long.
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Just hoping they will resolve this issue. I rescheduled my flight for this :(
 
Twitter update says things aren't getting better so they're going to open up more test sessions. All the replies to this are not very happy.
 
Latest Tweet from the company:

Hey everyone. Things aren't getting better, so we're going to open up more test sessions today and tomorrow and re-book everyone.
 
Tried to reschedule but it only had Canada as an option -- nothing for here. What a waste of time!
 
Goonie1010 said:
Latest Tweet from the company:

Hey everyone. Things aren't getting better, so we're going to open up more test sessions today and tomorrow and re-book everyone.
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This reminds me of the release of MCAT preliminary percentiles only being announced via Twitter. You have our email addresses, send us a damn email!

Edit: I'm sure I'm not the only person here who doesn't use Twitter
 
Check out the 2015-2016 NYMC thread for the complete breakdown of applicants, myself included
 
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NYMC just lost an applicant...too many other schools to worry about to be wasting this much time
 
I can't comment on the technical problems but you should prepare.

You can prepare by reviewing the UWash ethical issues as if they were Casper questions. I paid for a practice test (and marked feedback) and think this was worth it as it gave me confidence on the real test, and provided some specific feedback that I had not considered.
 
futuremdforme said:
I can't comment on the technical problems but you should prepare.

You can prepare by reviewing the UWash ethical issues as if they were Casper questions. I paid for a practice test (and marked feedback) and think this was worth it as it gave me confidence on the real test, and provided some specific feedback that I had not considered.
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how much did it cost?
 
Spector1 said:
how much did it cost?
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I can't remember, maybe $50 for the unmarked test and $75 for the marked test. It was Canadian though. If you're applying in Canada, PM me f,or the name. Otherwise, I'd just do research for a US course.
 
Honestly your best prep is probably to do the sample test they provide and actually write the answers when you do it (don't just check for technical compatibility.) You're going to learn real fast how short the five minutes is for three questions. Do it the night beforehand so you have the sense memory still in you.

And if you think you don't have a basic sense of medical ethics, understanding privacy issues, etc, maybe read a little. But if you've shadowed at all then you probably already know.
 
I just took it. Most of the questions were ethical in nature, but very little involved medical ethics. I would recommend thinking through your personal ethical positions before taking the exam, so you are not caught off guard.

I would recommend being able to type fast, have a good internet connection, and not freak out when it (inevitably) has technical issues.
 
For all of you type-A applicants who feel they need to prep for this, here's an example:

"You have 5 patients, each needing a unique organ transplant (e.g., liver, kidney, lung, etc.) in order to survive. Another one of your patients hears about this and voluntarily offers his life to save all of the others by donating his organs. Assuming that there are no immunological rejection issues, explain whether you believe this should be permissible or there is a moral code that supersedes the social contract theory of ethics."

Just kidding. It's super easy. As long as you know that it's wrong to go blabbing about a patient's medical concerns to people outside of the office, you should be fine. Oh and I guess one more thing: BE HUMBLE FOR CHRISTS SAKE.
 
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PreMedicalStudent89 said:
Is anybody here applying to NYMC and if yes, do you know anything about the CASPer test, which is part of secondary application? Any tips on preparation?
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Hey, i'm a McMaster student who wrote the CASPer test to get in. The easiest way to describe it is its an online MMI. Most of the questions are ethical questions and there is usually one question that is personal and asks you something about yourself.

Do not listen to anyone who tells you not to prep. Now I don't know how much CASPer is worth for NYMC or Rutgers or UOttawa but at Mac it was worth 32% of our pre-interview score which is a lot. You only get 5 minutes to answer those 3 questions, its very important to practice questions to get familiar with responding to these open ended questions very quickly.

Its not about how many words you can put down but 5 minutes is not a lot of time and the more substance you can write down the better. When I first started answering mock questions I couldn't write much down and left questions blank by the 5 minutes mark. On the actual test I was able to at least put something down for each question, if you leave a question blank you score 0, make sure to leave at least something no matter what.

Spacing your time on the real test is very important, practice planning your time so that you give the right amount of time to each question.

Secondly, I would prepare your answers to ethics, read up on the ethical scenarios. Lets be honest with ourselves, there is a right or wrong answer in the sense that if your response to an attending who comes to work inebriated is "well he's my boss and I'm a medical student I better keep my mouth shut or risk my evals" you will score very low. This would not be an uncommon answer in real life, but it is not a good answer on CASPer.

Lastly, prepare your answers to common personal questions, CASPer is basically like an online interview, so you still should have some idea of "why medicine" and know your resume well so you can still give examples of times when you demonstrated "leadership", "intervened on a friend's behalf", "responsibility" etc.

PS: Read a book called Doing Right, its essentially the MMI/CASPer bible.

Now i'm not sure if my response comes too late for you, if it was i'm sorry but at least I hope to help others who might be writing the CASPer later on this year or next.
 
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You dont need to overthink it, the questions are really easy if you are sane.
 
Has anyone tried the CASPer SIM practice tests (https://www.caspersim.com) for CASPer? They say that their tests are made by former CASPer assessors and the experience and your score highly reflects the real exam. Also, some of the Canadian med students from McMaster swear by it on another forum (http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/87555-casper-score-and-practice/?p=967438) and McMaster is where CASPer originated. The consensus there is that practice with CASPer SIM does help for the real CASPer test.

They have a free test on CASPer SIM which I already did and found helpful but now I'm thinking about signing up for one of their paid tests for more practice. Looking for feedback.

Thanks
 
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