CASPer preparation

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PreMedicalStudent89

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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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Probably not applying to NYMC but yes to Rutgers and the Canadian schools that use it. I'm still looking into prep myself but so far I found this free CASPer prep guide on google http://caspertestprep.com/ hopefully it helps! Good luck on your test!
 
you don't need to prep for it
 
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It's not really something you study for, it's a personality test.

Though knowing premeds, Kaplan, TBR, Barrons, and 12 other companies will be coming out with practice courses by next year.
 
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lol the most you need is to be able to type fast and be familiar with ethics, using free websites like washington university's. This is probably to cut down on the people who are clearly unaware of basic medical ethics in general, so just prep that. Also some people type with one finger, if something like this could keep you out of the interview, that's pathetic.
 
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I know @meetsub , that would suck :( I'm a slow typer too... Thanks all above for the help/advice. The link above by @HomemdeMacarrao has a simulation you can use! I am going to practice with that, make sure I know my stuff!
 
Definitely a time in which having scribing experience will help, my fingers are lighting fast :p
 
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What is the typing for? Is it not multiple choice?
 
Is there any good resource to prep for this? how are these things graded? do you get a number score or does the admissions office like NYMC actually read our answers?
 
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Is there any good resource to prep for this? how are these things graded? do you get a number score or does the admissions office like NYMC actually read our answers?

since its NYMC/RWJ 1st year implementing it, I doubt it'll have a lot of influence on ultimate admissions. they probably need at least a few years worth of data to correlate scores/personality/clinical evals with CASPer answers. if McMaster published any studies about CASPer, look at their methodology.

it's not a test that's graded. I guess it's similar to a Myers-Briggs type test, but where they try to evaluate your personality and morality/ethics as relevant to med school.
 
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Its basically an MMI that you take at home/via essay.
 
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Here in Canada the prevailing wisdom is that you can't really prepare, but reading Doing Right by Philip C. Hébert has helped many of my friends navigate the questions and get into McMaster.
 
And for what it's worth, canned answers are 0 help, you will also have no time to think. A good strategy is 1. identify the problem 2. identify the perspectives 3. identify the consequences 4. make a decision 5. justify it.
 
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Hopefully NYMC won't count it for too much. This seems pretty nebulous as far as things goes and personally resembles some kind of Myers Briggs voodoo on the part of medical schools
 
Hopefully NYMC won't count it for too much. This seems pretty nebulous as far as things goes and personally resembles some kind of Myers Briggs voodoo on the part of medical schools

Not really, it's essentially an MMI. It's proven effective for McMaster, other schools are catching on. You can't interview 2000 candidates, but you can get them to do CASPer and then interview the top.

And before people consider "cheating", I've heard rumblings that CASPer tracks key stroke signatures, no two people type exactly the same way, some keystroke patterns and pairings are faster and slower just like some swooshes on e's and dots above i's are characteristic.
 
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the "p" key won't work on my laptop. i have to copy and paste it but casper won't allow that. aaaaahhh
i need my webcam for verification
 
the "p" key won't work on my laptop. i have to copy and paste it but casper won't allow that. aaaaahhh
i need my webcam for verification

You can buy a USB keyboard on Amazon for like 15 dollars.
 
lol the most you need is to be able to type fast and be familiar with ethics, using free websites like washington university's. This is probably to cut down on the people who are clearly unaware of basic medical ethics in general, so just prep that. Also some people type with one finger, if something like this could keep you out of the interview, that's pathetic.
link please
 
They say they don't care about grammer/sentence structure, only content. Does that mean that we can answer in bullet points and it will be fine?
 
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not gonna lie that was a little bit difficult going through the example questions. The 5-minutes is just so short.

It is much easier to articulate answers through speech than through writing like that.
 
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not gonna lie that was a little bit difficult going through the example questions. The 5-minutes is just so short.

It is much easier to articulate answers through speech than through writing like that.

Right? Now do it 10-12 times in a row. I walked out of my room after doing it sweat running down my forehead. You go on autopilot, so the best way to prepare is to upgrade your autopilot.
 
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Right? Now do it 10-12 times in a row. I walked out of my room after doing it sweat running down my forehead. You go on autopilot, so the best way to prepare is to upgrade your autopilot.

how have you been preparing?
 
anyone else waiting for their ID to be confirmed/know how long it actually takes? Got the test tonight and the ID email went into the wrong folder.
 
I have no idea. I am quite worried for the sitting tomorrow.

Seriously don't stress out about it. You can't practice for something like this. It's on the spot ethical dilemmas and there really isn't a correct answer. Just try to have a conservative and balanced approach to solving the problem and you will be fine. Just be honest.
 
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I feel like I'm totally unprepared for this. Should I take it today or just reschedule it to next month?
 
I feel like I'm totally unprepared for this. Should I take it today or just reschedule it to next month?

if you really don't feel comfrotable answering ethics questions and then reasoning through your answers, don't take it today. Use the next month to read thru ethics scenarios, then taking a stance and justifying it. I'm pretty sure CASPer is NOT used this year in selecting interviewees, since this is its founding year at NYMC and they are doing a dry run so they don't have something of mess on their hands following years.

if anyone is familiar with NYMC's admissions, please correct me if I'm wrong.

edit, NYMC FAQ says:
"Please remember the earlier you submit all requested information on the NYMC secondary application, the earlier your application will be reviewed for consideration of an interview invitation. However, we will begin our initial review of your application even if you haven’t
taken CASPer™."
 
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Seriously don't stress out about it. You can't practice for something like this. It's on the spot ethical dilemmas and there really isn't a correct answer. Just try to have a conservative and balanced approach to solving the problem and you will be fine. Just be honest.

yeah I am just trying to keep a few basic guiding principles in my head so I don't make knee jerk reactions to the scenarios on the test.
 
I just feel like a month will put me at a significant disadvantage for interviews. I am comfortable answering ethical questions conservatively but feel like I can't answer them in a way that will make me stand out among other applicants.
 
I just feel like a month will put me at a significant disadvantage for interviews. I am comfortable answering ethical questions conservatively but feel like I can't answer them in a way that will make me stand out among other applicants.

This is not a competition. CASPer parallels the MMI... you're not supposed to stand out from among your peers on ethical dilemmas... they are trying to identify people who can work in teams and who have a moral compass (since professionalism complains are the most frequent complains in medicine).

Thank you for that. I think I love you.
tobias is GOAT
 
This is not a competition. CASPer parallels the MMI... you're not supposed to stand out from among your peers on ethical dilemmas... they are trying to identify people who can work in teams and who have a moral compass (since professionalism complains are the most frequent complains in medicine).

I'm pretty sure the medical school applications are competitions. Otherwise we would all get participation ribbons and get to go to med school like we wanted
 
Just finished the CASPer test. The questions are simple ethical ones. The only issue is time. 5 minutes is not enough for 3 questions which involve brainstorming for a minute first.
 
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Just finished the CASPer test. The questions are simple ethical ones. The only issue is time. 5 minutes is not enough for 3 questions which involve brainstorming for a minute first.

Just finished it as well. The questions were really easy but I agree that the timing is the issue. I think by giving you such a small amount of time they are trying to get your gut reaction and not a fabricated response. Still, it is really not long enough. I even had one or two questions that it cut me off in the last sentence. Oh well, I'm really not that worried about this in the grand scheme of things.
 
Just finished it as well. The questions were really easy but I agree that the timing is the issue. I think by giving you such a small amount of time they are trying to get your gut reaction and not a fabricated response. Still, it is really not long enough. I even had one or two questions that it cut me off in the last sentence. Oh well, I'm really not that worried about this in the grand scheme of things.

yea the timing was a concern as well, and it is difficult to ascertain how things are graded. If this thing is graded in anyway like Common-Core, then this may not be too good haha.
 
Yes I was wondering how its graded too. Do we even get our grades? The whole thing is strange...
 
Yes I was wondering how its graded too. Do we even get our grades? The whole thing is strange...
nah we don't get our scores. 12 people score each section, one person per section. your overall score will be an average of each section. then the score is sent to the school.
 
Yes I was wondering how its graded too. Do we even get our grades? The whole thing is strange...

Each section is scored by an individual grader.
The scores from all 12 sections are than averaged for one single score. You do not receive the score.
 
Each section is scored by an individual grader.
The scores from all 12 sections are than averaged for one single score. You do not receive the score.

so is it a numerical score from say 1-10 or is it a categorization type score like myers briggs?
 
Also did the webcam stay on the whole time or did it just take a picture at the start of the test?
 
they did not elaborate on the scoring beyond that
 
Also did the webcam stay on the whole time or did it just take a picture at the start of the test?

Just one time. Unless, I unknowingly agreed to keep it on in their agreement clause.

IMO, the 5-minutes is there to prevent cheating from occurring. There is hardly time to synthesize the answer in your head, let alone ask other people.
 
so who didn't see this coming. i just go this email

"We know you are all waiting patiently to get into the CASPer test.

We are correcting a few issues that are keeping ALL of you from logging in. Please be patient, as this will be resolved in the next 30 minutes or so.

If you can wait, we appreciate it. We should be back soon."
 
welp their website crashed

does anyone have a contact phone number for them?
 
I didn't write much for each response. Probably like 2-3 sentences in each box. For some questions, I even found myself with 30 seconds left at the end. I mean, how in depth do they want your answers? I just said I would do A and B, and this is why. I was cut off for a few questions though, because I needed to think about what scenario I would use so I didn't have much time to actually write.
 
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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