What Is the CASPer Test Looking For? The 9 Competencies Explained

You've heard of CASPer. You know it's part of your medical school application. But do you actually know what it's measuring — and more importantly, how to show it?

CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal characteristics) is an online situational judgement test used by a number of Australian and international medical schools to evaluate applicants on non-academic qualities. While your GAMSAT or UCAT score tells universities how well you think analytically, CASPer is designed to assess the kind of doctor you might become: how you handle conflict, how you treat people different from yourself, how you respond when there's no clean answer.

Understanding the competencies CASPer assesses is one of the most powerful things you can do to prepare. Not because it lets you game the test — it doesn't — but because it gives you a framework for thinking through scenarios more clearly, structuring your responses more effectively, and demonstrating depth of reasoning rather than surface-level instinct.

There's a persistent myth that CASPer can't be prepared for because "there are no right answers." That's half true. There are no scripted right answers. But there are better and worse ways to reason through a scenario, and the 9 competencies are the lens through which your responses are evaluated. This guide breaks all of them down — what each one means, why it matters in medicine, and how to demonstrate it convincingly.

What Is CASPer Really Assessing?

CASPer is a situational judgement test (SJT) focused on non-cognitive skills — the interpersonal and ethical qualities that predict how someone will behave as a healthcare professional, not just how well they can memorise content or solve logic puzzles.

Each scenario presents a realistic situation: a team conflict, an ethical dilemma, a patient interaction gone wrong, a moment of personal pressure. You're asked to respond in typed format within a strict time limit. There are no multiple choice options. You write freely.

What the markers are evaluating is not your conclusion, but your reasoning process: How do you identify the key issues? Whose interests do you consider? Do you acknowledge complexity, or do you rush to a verdict? Are you emotionally intelligent? Professionally appropriate? Do you recognise your own limitations?

CASPer was developed to assess personal and professional characteristics that are difficult to evaluate through grades or standardised cognitive tests alone. The emphasis is on balanced, nuanced thinking — not perfect moral authority.

This means clarity, structure, and tone matter enormously. A response that is technically "correct" but dismissive, disorganised, or emotionally flat will score poorly. A response that shows genuine reflection, awareness of competing perspectives, and professional judgment will score well — even if it doesn't arrive at a definitive resolution.

Overview of the 9 CASPer Competencies

Altus Assessments evaluates CASPer responses across 9 core competencies. These are not isolated categories — they overlap, interact, and frequently appear together within a single scenario. A question about a struggling colleague might simultaneously call for empathy, professionalism, and problem-solving. A scenario about an unfair policy might require equity awareness, ethics, and communication.

The competencies are:

1. Collaboration
2. Communication
3. Empathy
4. Equity
5. Ethics
6. Motivation
7. Problem-Solving
8. Professionalism
9. Resilience & Adaptability

Additionally, Self-Awareness is a quality that threads through many of these and is assessed as part of overall response quality — more on that below.

You are rarely, if ever, assessed on all competencies in a single response. Each scenario is designed to foreground 2–4 of these qualities, and different raters evaluate different sections of your test. The goal is not to hit every competency in every answer — it's to respond authentically and thoughtfully to what the scenario is actually asking.

The 9 CASPer Competencies Explained

1. Collaboration

What it means: Medicine is a team-based profession. Collaboration refers to your ability to work constructively with others — colleagues, patients, families, allied health professionals — even when perspectives differ or tensions arise.

Collaboration doesn't mean agreeing with everyone. It means valuing others' input, negotiating conflict constructively, and contributing to shared goals rather than prioritising personal credit or control.

In medicine: Poor collaboration is linked to clinical errors, patient harm, and professional burnout. Medical schools want to see that you understand teamwork as a core clinical skill, not just a personality trait.

How to demonstrate it:

• Acknowledge the contributions and perspectives of other people in the scenario
• Suggest solutions that involve working with others rather than acting unilaterally
• Avoid language that positions you as the sole arbiter of what's right
• When conflict arises, propose dialogue or mediation rather than escalation as a first response

2. Communication

What it means: Communication in CASPer is assessed at two levels: how you communicate within the scenario (your proposed actions with other characters), and how you communicate in your written response itself (clarity, structure, tone).

Effective communication means adapting your approach to the audience and situation — whether that's breaking difficult news with compassion, de-escalating a tense conversation, or explaining a complex issue in plain terms.

In medicine: Poor communication is one of the leading causes of medical errors and patient complaints. Clear, empathetic, and contextually appropriate communication is non-negotiable for safe practice.

How to demonstrate it:

• Write responses that are structured and easy to follow — not stream-of-consciousness
• Within the scenario, describe how you would communicate, not just what you would say
• Use professional, respectful language — avoid casual phrases, jargon, or emotional overreaction
• Acknowledge when a conversation requires sensitivity or a particular setting (e.g. private, not in a corridor)

3. Empathy

What it means: Empathy is the ability to recognise, understand, and respond to the emotional experience of another person. In CASPer, this means genuinely considering how the people in a scenario are feeling — not just what the logical outcome should be.

This is distinct from sympathy (feeling sorry for someone) and from agreement (thinking someone is right). You can empathise with a colleague who made a serious mistake without excusing the mistake. You can understand a patient's frustration without validating behaviour that compromises safety.

In medicine: Empathy is a core component of the therapeutic relationship and is consistently linked to better patient outcomes. Patients who feel heard are more likely to disclose relevant information, follow treatment plans, and engage with their care.

How to demonstrate it:

• Explicitly acknowledge the emotional state of people in the scenario: "I can understand why they might feel..."
• Avoid dismissing, minimising, or judging feelings — even when the person's actions are problematic
• Show that you've considered the scenario from multiple people's perspectives before acting
• Don't conflate empathy with inaction — understanding someone's feelings doesn't mean you avoid addressing the issue

4. Equity

What it means: Equity goes beyond treating everyone "the same." It means recognising that people come from different backgrounds, face different barriers, and may need different kinds of support to achieve fair outcomes. Equity awareness includes understanding how race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, culture, and other factors shape people's experiences — including their interactions with the healthcare system.

In medicine: Health inequity is a well-documented, ongoing challenge in Australia and globally. Medical schools want to know that you're aware of systemic disadvantage and that you'll practise in a way that reduces, rather than perpetuates, inequality.

How to demonstrate it:

• When a scenario involves someone who is marginalised or disadvantaged, acknowledge the structural context — not just the individual circumstance
• Avoid making assumptions based on stereotypes or applying a one-size-fits-all approach
• Consider whether a "fair" policy might actually disadvantage some groups
• Show that you're aware of your own potential biases, and that you'd take steps to counteract them

5. Ethics

What it means: Ethics in CASPer involves identifying moral tensions in a scenario and reasoning through them carefully. Most CASPer scenarios involving ethics don't have a clean answer — they involve competing values: autonomy vs. beneficence, honesty vs. harm minimisation, individual interest vs. public good.

Demonstrating ethics isn't about knowing the "right" answer. It's about showing that you can identify the ethical issues, name the competing values, and work through them in a principled, proportionate way.

In medicine: Ethical decision-making is a daily reality in clinical practice. Medical ethics frameworks — including the four principles of biomedical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice) — underpin everything from treatment decisions to research governance to end-of-life care.

How to demonstrate it:

• Identify the ethical tension explicitly: "There's a conflict here between X and Y..."
• Consider multiple stakeholders and whose interests are at stake
• Avoid taking a hard ideological stance — show that you appreciate the complexity
• Where appropriate, refer to professional obligations (confidentiality, duty of care, mandatory reporting)
• Show proportionality: match the severity of your response to the severity of the issue

6. Motivation

What it means: Motivation assesses whether you have a genuine, considered understanding of why you want to pursue medicine — and whether your values align with the demands of the profession. This isn't just about enthusiasm. It's about demonstrated commitment, awareness of the realities of healthcare, and a drive that goes beyond personal achievement.

In medicine: Medical training is long, demanding, and emotionally taxing. Medical schools want students who are motivated by something deeper than prestige — who understand the sacrifices involved and are still committed.

How to demonstrate it:

• In scenarios that touch on the demands of medicine (long hours, patient suffering, difficult decisions), show that you understand these realities and have thought about them — not just that you're excited about the profession
• Express values that align with patient-centred care: service, curiosity, humility, advocacy
• Avoid clichés ("I've always wanted to help people") — be specific and reflective
• Show initiative in your proposed responses: someone motivated to do better will seek feedback, take on extra responsibility, and engage proactively

7. Problem-Solving

What it means: Problem-solving assesses your ability to analyse a situation logically, consider multiple possible courses of action, and propose practical, balanced steps forward. It's not about finding the single "best" answer — it's about demonstrating that you can break a problem down systematically rather than reacting impulsively.

In medicine: Clinical reasoning is fundamentally a problem-solving skill. Physicians constantly navigate incomplete information, time pressure, and uncertainty. The ability to think through options methodically — and to know when to escalate — is essential.

How to demonstrate it:

• Structure your response: identify the problem, consider its causes or contributing factors, then propose steps
• Offer more than one possible approach or acknowledge trade-offs between options
• Avoid binary thinking ("I would either do X or do nothing") — show that you consider the spectrum of possible responses
• Be practical: propose things that are actually achievable given the context

8. Professionalism

What it means: Professionalism covers accountability, responsibility, appropriate boundaries, and conduct that upholds the integrity of the medical profession. This includes how you behave when no one is watching, how you respond to your own mistakes, and how you handle situations where someone else is behaving inappropriately.

In medicine: Professionalism is a formal component of medical training and registration. The Medical Board of Australia's Good Medical Practice guidelines set out clear expectations for professional conduct. Breaches can have serious consequences for practitioners, patients, and institutions.

How to demonstrate it:

• When someone in a scenario has acted unprofessionally, don't ignore it — address it proportionately (e.g. speaking to them directly before escalating)
• Take responsibility for your own role in a problem — don't deflect blame
• Maintain appropriate boundaries in sensitive situations
• Know when to escalate to a supervisor, senior colleague, or formal body — and describe this clearly
• Avoid gossip, speculation about others' motives, or language that undermines colleagues

9. Resilience and Adaptability

What it means: Resilience is the capacity to manage stress, absorb setbacks, and maintain effective functioning under pressure. Adaptability is the related ability to adjust your approach when circumstances change or when your initial plan isn't working. Together, they reflect emotional durability and flexible thinking.

In medicine: Medical professionals face high levels of occupational stress, moral distress, grief, and uncertainty. Burnout, mental health challenges, and attrition are serious issues in the profession. Medical schools want to see that you have the personal resources — and the self-awareness — to sustain a career in this environment.

How to demonstrate it:

• In high-pressure scenarios, demonstrate composure — don't catastrophise or panic in your response
• Suggest constructive coping strategies (seeking support, debriefing, self-care, reframing) rather than simply "pushing through"
• Show that you can adapt when a plan isn't working, rather than rigidly persisting
• Be honest about difficulty without being overwhelmed by it — resilience doesn't mean pretending things are fine

Self-Awareness (The Underlying Thread)

While not always listed as a standalone competency, self-awareness underpins many of the above. It refers to your ability to recognise your own biases, acknowledge your limitations, and reflect on your responses rather than assuming you're automatically correct.

Self-aware responses include:

• Acknowledging when you don't have enough information to make a fully informed decision
• Recognising that your initial emotional reaction might not be the most appropriate guide
• Showing willingness to seek feedback, supervision, or help
• Being honest about uncertainty: "I would want to find out more before acting..."

Self-awareness is also what prevents responses from becoming preachy or self-righteous — a common pitfall that markers notice and penalise.

How Competencies Are Assessed in CASPer

CASPer uses a distributed rating model: each section of your test is marked by a different rater. This is intentional — it reduces the effect of individual rater bias and ensures your overall score reflects performance across the full test, not just one marker's impression.

Key things to understand about the marking process:

• Not every competency appears in every scenario. Each scenario is designed to foreground specific qualities. You don't need to address all 9 competencies in every response.
• Raters assess reasoning, not just outcomes. Two responses can arrive at different conclusions and both score highly — what matters is the quality of thinking that got there.
• Balance and nuance are rewarded. Responses that acknowledge complexity, consider multiple perspectives, and avoid extreme positions consistently score better than responses that are confident but one-dimensional.
• There is no "perfect" answer. This is not false modesty — it's how the test is designed. Responses that try too hard to be "the right answer" often read as hollow or generic.

How to Structure Answers to Hit Multiple Competencies

The following framework is a reliable starting point for approaching most CASPer scenarios. It won't work for every question verbatim, but as a mental scaffold it helps ensure you address the key competency areas within your time limit.

Step 1: Identify the stakeholdersWho is involved in this scenario? Who might be affected by what happens next? This sets up the equity and empathy dimensions of your response.

Step 2: Acknowledge perspectives (Empathy + Equity)Before proposing any action, demonstrate that you understand how each person in the scenario is experiencing the situation. What might they be feeling? What pressures are they under? Are there systemic or contextual factors at play?

Step 3: Address the issue (Problem-Solving + Ethics)Now identify the core tension or problem. What competing values are at stake? What are the realistic options for addressing it? Walk through your reasoning — don't just state a conclusion.

Step 4: Communicate your action (Professionalism + Communication)Describe what you would actually do. Be specific. Who would you speak to, and how? What would you say? In what setting? What outcome are you trying to achieve?

Step 5: Reflect if needed (Self-Awareness + Resilience)Where appropriate — particularly in scenarios involving personal difficulty, mistakes, or uncertainty — close by reflecting on what you'd want to learn from the situation or how you'd look after yourself or others going forward.

Common CASPer Mistakes Students Make

Being too robotic or genericResponses that read like a checklist — "First I would acknowledge the person's feelings, then I would identify the problem, then I would seek help..." — lack authenticity. Markers can tell the difference between someone who has internalised these values and someone who has memorised a formula.

Ignoring the emotional dimensionCASPer scenarios almost always involve people who are stressed, hurt, frustrated, or afraid. Jumping straight to a logical resolution without acknowledging the human element is one of the most common and costly mistakes.

Jumping to conclusionsAssuming you know all the facts from a brief scenario prompt leads to shallow, often inappropriate responses. Strong responses acknowledge that more information may be needed before acting.

Overly extreme or one-sided answersDeciding immediately that someone is wrong, bad, or must be reported — without considering context, nuance, or alternative explanations — reads as immature and clinically dangerous. Real clinical judgment is rarely black and white.

Forgetting professionalismParticularly in scenarios involving peer misconduct or personal frustration, applicants sometimes write responses that are gossipy, judgmental, or disproportionately punitive. This flags poorly with markers looking for measured professional judgment.

MoralisingSpending your response lecturing about ethics rather than actually working through the problem. Markers are not looking for moral authority — they're looking for practical, thoughtful reasoning.

Tips to Improve Across All 9 Competencies

Practice timed responsesCASPer gives you limited time per scenario. Regular timed writing practice — even on non-medical scenarios — trains you to structure your thoughts quickly and type with clarity under pressure.

Use real-world examples as thinking promptsReading about ethical cases in healthcare, healthcare news, or medical ethics resources builds your ability to recognise the types of tensions CASPer scenarios present — and gives you richer material to draw on.

Get feedback on tone and clarityAsk a trusted peer, mentor, or tutor to read your practice responses and evaluate not just what you said, but how it came across. Did it feel genuine? Was the structure clear? Did it feel professionally appropriate?

Develop a repeatable mental frameworkYou don't need to follow the same structure in every response — but having a mental checklist (stakeholders → perspectives → options → action → reflection) prevents you from missing important dimensions of a scenario under time pressure.

Read widely on the competenciesFamiliarise yourself with core concepts in medical ethics, health equity, and professional conduct.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where To Next?

If you found this article helpful, don’t stop here! Fraser’s Medical has more resources to help students navigate medical school. Explore our other in-depth articles and tools to deepen your understanding, strengthen your preparation, and stay ahead in your medical journey:

• The CASPer Test Explained
• How to Prepare CASPer: A Step-by-Step Study Plan
• Which Australian Medical Schools Require CASPer?

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