CASPer Prep tips?

[isocitrate dehydrogenase]

Hello friends! For those of you who wrote the CASPer, how did you prepare? Did you prepare? Are prep courses actually useful?

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[5Hs5Ts]

I see someone else was invited to OVCs interview, perhaps? CASPer itself has prep that we can access but I think the test is fairly straightforward. like a mini mmi. my plan is to read the Rollins book like a madman (it's actually a great read so far even without the impetus of an interview) and just work through the CASPer material to get used to the testing format.

 

[isocitrate dehydrogenase]

I see someone else was invited to OVCs interview, perhaps? CASPer itself has prep that we can access but I think the test is fairly straightforward. like a mini mmi. my plan is to read the Rollins book like a madman (it's actually a great read so far even without the impetus of an interview) and just work through the CASPer material to get used to the testing format.

shhhh not too loudly or my amigos at the international vet college will learn of my defection!

 

[DRider13]

Sorry to derail this thread, but I have to ask: @isocitrate dehydrogenase, why this enzyme? Of all the enzymes you could have chosen, why this one?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Sorry to derail this thread, but I have to ask: @isocitrate dehydrogenase, why this enzyme? Of all the enzymes you could have chosen, why this one?

Do you have something against alpha-ketoglutarate? 😉

 

[DRider13]

Do you have something against alpha-ketoglutarate? 😉

No, I'm just wondering why not a wildly fun enzyme like glucose-6-phosphatase?

 

[EB73674]

So has anyone here actually taken it? I'd love to get a little more info on the actual experience from someone who took it already...

 

[blueheeler]

So has anyone here actually taken it? I'd love to get a little more info on the actual experience from someone who took it already...

I think your best bet would be to search the pre-med forums for advice. It is required for several medical schools. I haven’t heard of the CASPer being required for any veterinary cycle until this application cycle tbh. 🙁

 

[mmmdreamerz]

No, I'm just wondering why not a wildly fun enzyme like glucose-6-phosphatase?

I'm partial to pyruvate kinase myself 😉

Also, I must now be old because I have no idea what a a casper is

 

[deleted676737]

I'm partial to pyruvate kinase myself 😉

Also, I must now be old because I have no idea what a a casper is

Me, too. Google says:

"The CASPer test is a computerized situational judgement test. CASPer was designed to test non-academic skills of applicants to professional programs. It was developed by researchers at McMaster University, and it was used by their medical school beginning in 2010. Since then it has been adopted by several US and Canadian medical, dental, and nursing schools. Schools have begun using this test as a screening tool during the early part of their application process."

Sounds like it's been used for med school and other health professional school admissions for a little bit now. I wonder which vet schools are requiring it, as this is the first cycle I've read anything about it?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Me, too. Google says:

"The CASPer test is a computerized situational judgement test. CASPer was designed to test non-academic skills of applicants to professional programs. It was developed by researchers at McMaster University, and it was used by their medical school beginning in 2010. Since then it has been adopted by several US and Canadian medical, dental, and nursing schools. Schools have begun using this test as a screening tool during the early part of their application process."

Sounds like it's been used for med school and other health professional school admissions for a little bit now. I wonder which vet schools are requiring it, as this is the first cycle I've read anything about it?

Interesting! yeah...wonder what schools use that now...maybe one of the new ones...

 

[deleted676737]

Interesting! yeah...wonder what schools use that now...maybe one of the new ones...

I vaguely remember seeing something about LIU asking some (but not all?, which is kind of strange) applicants to take it.

Honestly, I don't think it's a bad idea as certain personality types do seem to be more prone to mental health concerns and, y'know, those abound in vet med... but the application process is already so, so expensive and exhaustive as it is. It does look like it is quite a lot cheaper than the GRE, though! Wouldn't mind if this took the place of that test since it's been demonstrated now to not be the most accurate predictor of success in vet school and vet med as a whole and more and more schools are dropping their GRE requirements every cycle, anyway.

 

[BigCats]

Purdue is requiring the CASPer this year too! Not sure if it’s a new requirement or not.

 

[isocitrate dehydrogenase]

OVC requires it this year for their domestic applicants in lieu of their normal interview because of COVID. Not sure if they'll hang on to it going forward.

 

[EB73674]

So far on my list, Purdue, VMCVM, and OK State are requiring it, and I saw it required for LIU. I’ve been watching video examples from it, and...well...I really can’t tell what to think about it. Some of the situations they set up are fairly straightforward, but some of them really aren’t clear, or I could really see both sides being valid...

 

[BigCats]

So far on my list, Purdue, VMCVM, and OK State are requiring it, and I saw it required for LIU. I’ve been watching video examples from it, and...well...I really can’t tell what to think about it. Some of the situations they set up are fairly straightforward, but some of them really aren’t clear, or I could really see both sides being valid...

My boyfriend took it for med school and said that’s kind of the point! Like I remember him saying you should be able to see both sides, acknowledge valid points on either side, and then say “I think this because x”. Shows you’re able to cope with conflicting viewpoints and see where people are coming from!

 

[Kes729]

Do you know, are you able to take notes/key points from the video sections to remember and help answer the questions? TIA

 

[raegan117]

Do you know, are you able to take notes/key points from the video sections to remember and help answer the questions? TIA

Yes, you can take notes.

 

[Penelope28]

I see someone else was invited to OVCs interview, perhaps? CASPer itself has prep that we can access but I think the test is fairly straightforward. like a mini mmi. my plan is to read the Rollins book like a madman (it's actually a great read so far even without the impetus of an interview) and just work through the CASPer material to get used to the testing format.

What is the Rollins book?