How do you write the casper test?

[missmathematics]

I just did a test from mockcasper and I only had time to answer the questions directly. I did not get to "assess" different perspectives if it was not asked for in particular, etc.

 

Is there really time to do anything else? I don't see how some people have time to mention their own experiences as well in the answers.

 

Thoughts?

[liverpool]

^ he's right, just go for it and try not to second guess yourself

[missmathematics]

So I did two Mockcaspers.

 

On the first I got 8/10, the second 8.5/10, and I'm waiting for my 3rd evaluation...

 

Did anyone do these tests and then get an invitation for interview?

 

How did you do on the mockcasper?

 

Anyone?

[stargirl*]

Since Mac only started using CASPer last year, services like mock CASPer were not available. Therefore, you won't find anyone who used these tests and was invited for an interview last year.

 

I wouldn't get hung up on the number scores that they evaluate you with. In the end, only the evaluation at McMaster will matter and their evaluation scheme has not been revealed in literature or publicly available material.

[bronte99]

I did the Mock Casper and scored a 9.5/10

 

I'm very curious as to how comparable the scores are to the real test...

[medbat]

I did the Mock Casper and scored a 9.5/10

 

I'm very curious as to how comparable the scores are to the real test...

 

Your signature screams awesome. USC is a great school!

 

Just sharing.

[future_doc]

Recent Comments from those who were invited to Mac Interview, in part based upon the new Casper Questions - which may be compared to a written and faster MMI (computer based questions that must be answered quickly as opposed to autiobiographical answers made over time):

 

I do recognize that no amount of studying will help you do better on the Casper. There is not enough time for that. It is who you are as a person and your own understanding of ethics that will show through the questions. Also, you need to ask yourself questions like about your successes, your failures, your stresses and what you learned from them.

 

I avoided being flowery or repetitive. I just went straight to the point, and tried to examine opinions from all angles before stating my opinion.

 

That's all

 

Tips for CASPer...

 

(1) learn to type quickly

(2) think on the fly and go with your gut, justify your choice... there's very little time for flippy flopping

 

A lot of people who got interviews last year said they just winged it and answered honestly. Many people also looked over a case or two in Doing Right. I wouldn't worry too much about preparing for it...it's not meant to be something you can prepare for!

 

there's a formula for doing situations like MMI and CASPer...

1) identify the issue. why is it an issue to the person in the case? who else will this issue affect?

2) identify as many perspectives on the matter as you can.

3) pick one and defend it.

4) follow through. identify anticipated future consequences, benefits, disadvantages.

 

going through Doing Right or some of the sample MMI questions would help set up this framework in your head, but beyond getting comfortable with that, my personal opinion is that there are no facts in doing right that are necessary to know, nor is it necessary to go overboard with practising situations. thinking about various issues is good (even just stuff on the news and so on). they don't expect you to have a full grasp of medical ethics they just want to know your basic ideas about things. i don't think anyone will fault you for making a decision as long as it's based on rational thought and a good explanation of why you said what you did. this applies for casper as well. remember that there really are no right answers. that's why i feel that preparation can only help so much. especially with casper...it is just so random.

 

CASPer is really a mixed bag.

 

There's also a 3rd type of question that you haven't considered: the random question. It's not hypothetical and it's not based on past experiences. It's more like how you perceive yourself.

 

To answer your initial question, I'd say that there were more past experience questions than hypothetical ones.

 

In most of my answers, I used examples of things that I had done/was doing to show that I had whatever skill the question was looking for, regardless of whether is was a past experience question or not. However, you don't need tons of experience to answer the questions well. I think I used the same 2 examples for most of my answers. There was a question (or 2, I can't remember the exact number), that asked you to draw on a specific past experience. But I wouldn't worry about not having enough life experience to do well on CASPer.

 

Theres no way to prepare for caper ideally. The best way to do it is having life experience. You can't fake your way through it really. You need to know how to handle stressful situations, resolve conflicts, utilize team work, problem solving, these sorts of things. You can spend hours studying these concepts, butt he best way i think is to have life experience in handling these situations either in your volunteer, research, EC's, whatever.

 

I used my own personal experiences to answer most questions on CASPer. In the end, I ended up having a lot of fun taking on the challenge of solving the different scenarios we were given. If I could give you two things to do to prepare, it would be to 1) briefly go over bioethics (i.e. read doing right), 2) practice MMI scenarios, because essentially CASPer is just an online MMI.

 

I agree with this. I just used my life experiences to answer the questions. Although there is no right answer, original ideas are definitely looked upon favorably. I think I got an invite because I provided some out-of-the-box answers for some of the questions. Almost everyone will talk about the ethical dilemmas at hand, and try and examine both sides of the issue, but you only have a minute to answer the question, don't write the exact same thing as the every other applicant.

 

You don't need to prep if you have the ability to think on the spot. I don't even think you can prep for CASPer.

 

Think quickly and carefully (as carefully as possible, anyway, with that red timer glaring at you) and be as honest as you can. I think there were scenarios where I was tempted to say what I thought they wanted me to say, but I had decided ahead of time to just go with what I really thought.

 

I think the best thing is to remain positive throughout the entire process. I.e. Don't let one bad question or section affect how you do on the following questions.

 

The usual sorts of interview tactics might make sense... Don't have scripted answers but be sure to have examples for the usual sorts of questions... I realize that I'm probably coming across as vague, but I don't want to be too specific since there is a lot of variability and I don't want to give away what questions I had....

 

More specifically for the sort of typical interview questions, I mean things like leadership, teamwork, deadlines etc. For example describe a circumstance where you couldnt seek help, what was it, how did you cope. Response should emphasis that you sought help, but then made the decision that would minimize the possibility of negative outcome, and consult an expert asap. A hypothetical example of that would be a medical emergency where you cant consult an expert right away, but you can do what you know to save their life at minimal risk, then consult the relevant expert.

 

For any (there were VERY FEW) medical questions, try to remember your obligations, primarily to the patient, giving them the information they need for informed consent.

 

When it comes to more general ethics, really just speak from your heart... care about free trade? sweatshop free? anything like that could be a good thing to lean on if you are short for time.

 

I hope this vagueness helps!

 

ha still I found MMIs just a blast - it is kind of a game, stay loose and have fun with it!