Casper Score and Quartiles: What Your Result Means

Your Casper score is one combined number, and it goes to your programs, not to you. You get a quartile instead, from 1st to 4th, showing how you compared with other applicants on the same test type. This guide explains how that ranking is built, what a good result looks like, and what separates a weaker answer from a stronger one.

How Acuity scores the Casper test

The standard test has 11 scenarios with 2 questions each, so 22 answers get scored. Trained human raters score every answer. Acuity says it doesn't use AI to score Casper. Each question gets its own score. One rater reads both questions in a scenario, and no rater scores you twice.

Your answers are anonymised, so raters never see your name, age or photo. Raters judge your thinking, judgement and communication, not your grammar or spelling. So a typo won't sink an answer, but a vague one can.

Your ratings are averaged, then standardised to rank you against the other applicants. In plain terms, your result depends on how your answers compare with everyone else's. It isn't a checklist you tick off.

Sources: Acuity's articles on how Casper is scored, rating, your quartile and why applicants don't see their score.

What you see and what programs see

Your typed and video answers combine into one overall score, which goes to the programs you choose. You don't get to see that score yourself. The score is a single number with no breakdown by topic, so it couldn't show you where to improve anyway.

That gap is where practice earns its keep. The real test won't tell you which answer was weak, but practice feedback can, while you still have time to fix it.

What each quartile means

Your quartile compares you with other applicants on the same test type. A 1st quartile means others gave stronger answers. It doesn't mean you failed. Quartiles are percentile bands, so the 4th quartile is roughly the top quarter of applicants.

Acuity says most programs consider every quartile and treat Casper as one data point among many. A lower quartile is a signal to work on your answers, not a reason to stop applying.

Why there's no universal good score

There's no pass mark and no fixed rubric. Each program decides how to use your result. So the same result can be more competitive at one program than another.

So a good score is one that's competitive for the programs you're applying to. A 3rd quartile might stand out at one program and sit mid-pack at another. Here's what to do with that:

• Read each program's own guidance. Admissions pages often say how they weigh Casper against grades, interviews and references.
• Treat the 4th quartile as a goal, not a gate. Most programs look at every quartile.
• Work on what Acuity says higher scorers show. Its list covers effort, empathy, impartiality, clear communication and familiarity with the format.

Sitting the RACGP National Entry Assessment for GP training in Australia? Our guide to the RACGP National Entry Assessment and the Casper test in Australia page cover the Australian side.

When your results arrive

Acuity sends your Casper test results to the programs you've chosen about 2 to 3 weeks after your test. Your quartile score is available about 4 to 5 weeks after the test. Build that wait into your plans if a program has a firm deadline.

Still choosing a sitting? Our guide to Casper test dates in the US and Canada lists this cycle's sittings. For the timing of each section, see how long the Casper test is.

Retakes, and why a quartile can change

You can only complete each Casper test type once per admissions cycle. Rescheduling is free 31 or more days before your test, and a fee may apply after that. Acuity says quartiles are fairly stable from one test to the next. One can still move if you're near a boundary, the applicant pool differs, or you know the format better.

That last reason is the one you control. Knowing the format well means your time goes on the answer, not on working out the screen.

A worked example: one question, two answers

We wrote both answers below to show the difference. Neither is a real Casper response. A quartile ranks your whole test, so no single answer is truly Q2 or Q4. Read them as typical of the lower and upper quartiles.

An answer typical of the 2nd quartile

"I would tell Ava not to worry because everyone makes mistakes when they start. I would remind her that accuracy matters for our customers and suggest she double-check her work. If the errors kept happening, I would have to raise it with my manager. It's important to be supportive but also professional."

Nothing here is wrong. But it tells the rater it's supportive instead of showing it. Ava's feelings get half a line, and the plan ends with reporting her.

An answer typical of the 4th quartile

"Ava sounds embarrassed and ready to give up, and I'd want to reach her before she decides anything tonight. I'd call rather than text, and I'd tell her that three slips in her third week is a normal part of learning. I made similar mistakes when I started, and I'd say so. Then I'd ask what's making these accounts hard. Is it the system, the training, or the pace of calls? The three customers deserve a quick fix too, so I'd check their accounts first thing tomorrow. I'd also ask Ava to join me for that check. My first step would be booking thirty minutes before her next shift to work through the process together."

This answer is 115 words. At 80 words a minute you can type about 260 words in one typed scenario, and that covers both questions. So it leaves room for the second answer. Check your own pace with our typing speed test.

What separates them

The stronger answer isn't cleverer. Each idea just shows up as something Ava would see or hear. For another scenario broken down the same way, read what separates a Q4 answer from a Q2 answer.

How a practice score differs from your Casper result

Casper ranks you against real applicants, scored by trained people. No practice tool can copy that, so our AI practice scores are a guide, not a prediction of your quartile.

What practice can do is show you what was weak in each answer. Caspermate scores every practice answer and explains what worked and what to change. Elite members can also compare their answer with a Q4 model answer on 69 of 125 typed scenarios.

Start with our free sample scenarios, which show example answers at every quartile, then try our sample questions. A free account adds 1 typed and 1 video scenario, each scored with feedback.