Which Med Schools Require the Casper Test in 2026? Full List & Prep Guide

If you’re planning to apply to medical school, you’ve probably heard whispers about something called the Casper test. It’s not a spooky ghost story, but for many applicants, it can still feel a bit mysterious.

Casper (short for Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is now a common admissions requirement at many U.S. medical schools. It’s designed to assess skills like communication, empathy, ethical reasoning, and decision-making. Qalities that can’t be measured by the MCAT or GPA alone.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What the Casper test is and how it works
• Which U.S. medical schools require it (full list)
• Which schools also require Casper Duet
• When to take the test and how to prepare
• How experiences like Go-Elective’s pre-med internships can give you stronger examples to draw on during the assessment

What Is the Casper Test?

Casper is an online situational judgment test (SJT) developed by Acuity Insights. It doesn’t quiz you on biology, chemistry, or anatomy, instead, it presents ethical or interpersonal scenarios and asks you to respond under time pressure.

You’ll face both video-based and written prompts. For example:

• “Think of a time when you had to make a sacrifice to accomplish a goal.”
• Follow-up: “If you had failed despite the sacrifice, how would you have felt? Explain your reasoning.”

These aren’t trick questions, but they do require you to think quickly, structure your thoughts clearly, and show professional judgment. Responses are scored by trained raters, not by algorithms, and your scores are sent to the schools you apply to.

List of U.S. Medical Schools Requiring Casper (2026)

According to the official Casper site, the following U.S. MD programs currently require the Casper assessment:

1. California University of Science and Medicine
2. University of Colorado School of Medicine
3. Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
4. Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
5. Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans
6. Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
7. Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (Casper or AAMC PREview)
8. Wake Forest University School of Medicine
9. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (Casper + Duet)
10. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Casper or AAMC PREview)
11. University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (Casper + Duet)
12. Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
13. New York Medical College
14. Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
15. Drexel University College of Medicine
16. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
17. East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine (Casper + Duet)
18. Meharry Medical College
19. Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU (Casper + Duet)
20. Baylor College of Medicine
21. McGovern Medical School (UT Health Houston)
22. Texas A&M University School of Medicine
23. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
24. The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine (Casper + Duet)
25. UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine
26. University of Texas Medical Branch (John Sealy School of Medicine)
27. UT Southwestern Medical School
28. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
29. Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine (University of Vermont)
30. Medical College of Wisconsin

Schools That Require Casper Duet

Duet is a short values-alignment tool offered alongside Casper. It compares your preferences to the characteristics of a school’s program. There are no “right” answers. It’s about finding the best match.

Medical schools requiring both Casper and Duet include:

1. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
2. University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
3. East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine
4. Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU
5. University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine

When to Take the Casper Test

Casper is offered on specific dates for each school cycle, and you can only take it once per application year.

• Timing Tip: Take it when you’re confident and ready — not at the last minute.
• Check Dates: The official Casper website lists the latest deadlines for each school.

How to Prepare for Casper

While Casper isn’t a memorization-heavy test, preparation can help you perform better:

• Practice under timed conditions – Get used to typing or speaking concise, structured answers quickly.
• Review sample ethical scenarios – Focus on empathy, fairness, and professionalism.
• Reflect on your own experiences – Think of clinical, volunteer, or leadership situations you can draw from.
• Build real-world examples – Participating in a global health internship gives you firsthand patient care and cross-cultural problem-solving stories you can use during Casper.

How Casper Fits Into Your Medical School Application

Casper is just one part of a holistic admissions process. Medical schools use it alongside GPA, MCAT scores, personal statements, and interviews to evaluate your readiness for medicine.

Admissions committees are looking for future physicians who can:

• Communicate effectively under pressure
• Show empathy and cultural competence
• Navigate ethical dilemmas thoughtfully

Experiences like Go Elective’s clinical rotations in Kenya and Tanzania give you rich, authentic examples to demonstrate those qualities In Casper, interviews, and beyond.

Final Thoughts

If one of your target medical schools is on the list above, Casper will be a required step on your journey. The test may sound intimidating, but with preparation, and a bank of meaningful personal experiences, you can approach it with confidence.

For many applicants, combining strong academics with immersive healthcare exposure abroad is the winning formula. Whether you’re shadowing in a U.S. hospital or gaining cross-cultural clinical insight abroad, these experiences can help you excel not just on Casper, but throughout the medical school admissions process.

Article Details

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Recent Articles , Pre-health, Medical Electives, MCAT/MSAR/USMLE, Med Schools,

Author: Go-Elective Abroad

Date Published: Dec 14, 2025