Any advice on how to do well on the CASPER? I'm really struggling....

[mcatasu]

I've looked at multiple youtube videos and noticed that most follow a pattern when answering questions:

1. state the problem
2. let the reader know that you are lacking certain information, so all assumptions have to be resolved before making a final decision.
3. state what possible solutions there are
4. pick one and justify.


How am I supposed to do this for all 3 Q's in 5 minutes? Should I just stick with answering the question rather than write down my entire thought process? Otherwise, I always miss to answer 1 question...


Here's a sample for those who want one:
Prompt: There is some evidence to suggest that the widespread use of certain wireless tablet devices in hospitals has led to significant improvements in patient satisfaction as well as some small decreases in physician error. During the product launch of technologies such as the tablet, product shortages frequently occur, leaving some prospective consumers empty-handed. Knowing that these technologies may benefit patients in hospital, some believe that hospitals should be given priority treatment to receive devices before being offered to the community at large.

Questions: (Time limit = 5 minutes to answer all 3 questions)

1. Should the 'first-come, first-served' consumer system for tablet product sales be altered such that hospital product orders would be fulfilled first?
2. Should companies be forced to discount their products when there is a societal benefit?
3. What are some of the security issues related to the use of tablets in hospitals?

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[NotASerialKiller]

For the first two it would only take a sentence or two to frame the issue, describing who is affected and how. Then you just have a pick a side and explain why. The 3rd question is obviously different, you just try to come up with as many issues as you can and describe them briefly. Where did you get this question? It doesn't seem very representative of the questions I've seen on the actual test or official samples. Also keep in mind that trying to craft strong responses to particular sample questions isn't the way to prepare for CASPer. You basically just have to practice typing quickly and thinking on your feet.

And don't worry about trying to get your answer to fit a particular framework. You don't have any time to think, you just have to start typing. Along the way you should talk about who is affected, how they're affected, and what your opinion is, but that should come pretty naturally. Sure if you're making any assumptions or it occurs to you that certain information is missing you can point that out, but if you're thinking "Oh crap I need to move on to step #2 where I state my assumptions" then you'll definitely run out of time. Answer the question as you see fit, in whatever order it pops into your mind. You're not being marked on eloquence or the flow of your response.

 

[mcatasu]

For the first two it would only take a sentence or two to frame the issue, describing who is affected and how. Then you just have a pick a side and explain why. The 3rd question is obviously different, you just try to come up with as many issues as you can and describe them briefly. Where did you get this question? It doesn't seem very representative of the questions I've seen on the actual test or official samples. Also keep in mind that trying to craft strong responses to particular sample questions isn't the way to prepare for CASPer. You basically just have to practice typing quickly and thinking on your feet.

And don't worry about trying to get your answer to fit a particular framework. You don't have any time to think, you just have to start typing. Along the way you should talk about who is affected, how they're affected, and what your opinion is, but that should come pretty naturally. Sure if you're making any assumptions or it occurs to you that certain information is missing you can point that out, but if you're thinking "Oh crap I need to move on to step #2 where I state my assumptions" then you'll definitely run out of time. Answer the question as you see fit, in whatever order it pops into your mind. You're not being marked on eloquence or the flow of your response.

Thanks for the response! It was a sample question on their website (http://www.caspertest.com/casper-sample-questions/). So, I should not think of it the same way I do with an MMI where I have to provide all perspectives one could take to solve an issue? I should just state the problem and then pick a side and justify? You are absolutely right though, when I tried using a particular framework, I always ran out...I don't want to appear as one-dimensional in my approach...

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Thanks for the response! It was a sample question on their website (http://www.caspertest.com/casper-sample-questions/). So, I should not think of it the same way I do with an MMI where I have to provide all perspectives one could take to solve an issue? I should just state the problem and then pick a side and justify? You are absolutely right though, when I tried using a particular framework, I always ran out...I don't want to appear as one-dimensional in my approach...

You can think of it as a less formal, much faster MMI. Instead of carefully thinking about how you're going to cover all perspectives, you frantically hammer out 2-3 key perspectives, then back up your choice however you see fit. The reason you can't worry about a particular framework is because spending ANY time on something that isn't just typing out your thoughts as they occur to you, will result in you not finishing your responses (which sometimes happens anyway, don't panic it's not the end of the world). You just have to get out an empathetic and somewhat reasonable response, not even paying attention to word choice or minor typos.

The main hump is getting over any self-doubt. Normally in an MMI you have a bit of time to consider what you've going to say and find the best response. CASPer is closer to a stream of consciousness exercise that hopefully results in something like, "Ms. Y thinks she's being treated _____ and feels _____ because of _____, but Ms. X has a responsibility to _____ and must consider ______. If I was Ms. X I would still ______ but I would make sure that Ms. Y knows that _____ ahead of time and can give her input so she might not feel as _____." It doesn't have to be sophisticated, you just want to show that you're able to look at ethical dilemmas from multiple perspectives and compare them.