Medical Schools That Require CASPer
UK medical admissions already asks a lot such as UCAT or BMAT, a personal statement, an interview, all funnelled through UCAS on a tight October deadline. At a small but growing number of UK medical schools, there's now one more piece: the CASPer test. It's newer here than in Canada or Australia, and far less universal, but at the programs that have adopted it, missing the requirement or under-preparing for it can be just as costly as a weak UCAT score.
This guide maps every UK medical school requiring CASPer Test, explains how it sits alongside UCAT and BMAT in British admissions, and covers what both home and international applicants need to know about registration and timing.
MYLS Interview gives every practice response an AI score across all nine competencies, with mock sessions paced to the UK test format.
Does the UK Require CASPer for Medical School?
CASPer in UK medical admissions is the exception rather than the rule, but it's an exception that's growing. Adoption has expanded every cycle since the assessment first appeared on British programs' radar, concentrated mainly among graduate entry courses and newer medical schools running contextual or values-based admissions models.
Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester is the standout adopter, requiring CASPer from every shortlisted applicant as a core part of its values-based process. A handful of other newer, regionally-focused schools have adopted or are piloting it as well.
UK applicants sit the UK test type, which is administered, scored, and distributed completely separately from the Canadian, US, and Australian versions. A UK result cannot be redirected to programs requiring a different version. Both the test window and the list of requiring programs are refreshed each cycle, so check directly with each program and through the Acuity Insights directory before assuming anything carries over from last year.
UK Medical Schools That Require CASPer
Here's where CASPer currently stands across the UK as of the 2026 cycle:
| Medical School | University | Region | Program Type | CASPer Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Counties Medical School | University of Worcester | England (West Midlands) | Graduate entry MD | Required | Values based admissions model; required for all shortlisted applicants |
| Additional England programs | Various | England | Graduate and undergraduate | Confirm per cycle | Requirements expanding annually |
| Scotland programs | Confirm per cycle | Scotland | Confirm per cycle | Confirm per cycle | Requirements vary |
| Wales programs | Confirm per cycle | Wales | Confirm per cycle | Confirm per cycle | Confirm for current cycle |
Three Counties Medical School opened in 2019 with a values-based model that puts non-academic competencies front and centre in selection. CASPer slots in as the standardized tool for measuring exactly that, aligned with the school's focus on producing community-oriented medical graduates.
Right now, CASPer in the UK is concentrated in England, and specifically the West Midlands, where Three Counties is based. Elsewhere: in Scotland, check directly with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, and St Andrews; in Wales, with Cardiff University; and in Northern Ireland, with Queen's University Belfast. None of these are confirmed adopters as of this guide, but the landscape shifts quickly. The Acuity Insights directory is the place to check before you finalize your application list.
CASPer Alongside UCAT and BMAT: How UK Admissions Works
Most UK medical schools lean on UCAT or BMAT as their standardized aptitude test. CASPer, where it appears, is doing a different job entirely.
| Assessment | What It Measures | Who Uses It |
|---|---|---|
| UCAT | Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning, situational judgment (multiple choice) | Majority of UK medical schools |
| BMAT | Scientific knowledge, critical thinking, writing ability | Select UK programs including Oxford and Imperial |
| CASPer | Non academic competencies: empathy, ethics, communication, collaboration (open response) | Select UK programs using values based admissions |
UCAT does have a situational judgment section, but it's multiple choice, which caps how much reasoning depth it can actually capture. CASPer's open response format digs deeper into how an applicant works through an ethical or interpersonal problem, not just which option they'd pick. Programs that require both aren't being redundant. They're getting two different resolutions on the same underlying picture.
Graduate Entry vs Undergraduate Entry: CASPer Requirements in the UK
UK medical applicants generally enter through one of two routes: undergraduate entry (five-year courses straight from school) or graduate entry (accelerated four-year courses for degree holders). CASPer in the UK is overwhelmingly a graduate entry phenomenon so far, though that's not set in stone.
Graduate entry programs that require CASPer are using it to read the professional competencies of applicants who are often entering medicine as a second career or deliberate career pivot and the empathy, communication, and ethical reasoning competencies CASPer measures map directly onto that context.
Before your UCAS deadline, the steps look like this:
- Confirm CASPer requirements on each target program's admissions page
- Create an account at Acuity Insights
- Select the UK test type
- Book a test date in August or September
- Complete payment and add your programs to the distribution list
- Run the systems check at least 48 hours before test day Undergraduate programs requiring CASPer are still rare but not nonexistent — and the number is ticking upward each cycle. If you're applying straight from school, don't assume it's irrelevant; check anyway.
International Applicants: CASPer for UK Medical Schools
International applicants follow the same Acuity Insights process as UK-based applicants, there's no separate track.
Test type selection: Applying to UK programs only? Register for the UK test type. Also applying to Canadian, US, or Australian programs? You'll need separate registrations for each. Scores don't transfer between versions.
UCAS timing: The standard UCAS medicine deadline lands in mid October. If you're on that timeline, sit CASPer in August or September so your score is in hand well before submission. Graduate entry deadlines can run differently, please check each program directly.
English language: CASPer is administered in English, full stop. If English isn't your first language, build extra practice time around conciseness within the 3.5-minute typed window that constraint catches non-native speakers more than native ones, simply because translating thoughts into precise English takes longer.
UK Medical Schools and CASPer: Answers to the Questions Applicants Ask Most
Who needs to take CASPer for UK medical school?
Anyone applying to a UK program that lists CASPer as required must sit the UK test type through Acuity Insights. As of 2026, that's primarily Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester, plus whatever programs have adopted it for the current cycle. Given how fast this list moves, check each program's admissions page directly rather than relying on last cycle's information.
What is the UK CASPer test type?
On paper, it's the same as every other CASPer version. There is eleven scenarios, seven typed and four on camera, nine competencies, quartile result. The distinguishing feature is independence, it's registered, scored, and distributed entirely apart from the Canadian, US, and Australian versions, with no score-sharing across types.
When should UK medical school applicants take CASPer?
If you're on the standard UCAS October deadline, aim for August or September. Graduate entry deadlines vary program to program, so confirm each one's specific CASPer submission window directly rather than assuming the standard UCAS timeline applies. Popular slots fill up, so register as soon as you've confirmed which programs need it.
Where do UK applicants register for CASPer?
Through Acuity Insights select the UK test type, pick a date, pay, and designate which programs receive your score. Run the systems check at least 48 hours ahead of test day. This isn't optional, and leaving it to the last minute is the most common avoidable mistake.
Why do UK medical schools use CASPer when UCAT already has a situational judgment section?
Because UCAT's situational judgment component is multiple choice, and that format has a ceiling on what it can reveal. CASPer's open response format shows how someone reasons through a scenario, not just which pre-written option they'd tick. Programs running values-based admissions models have found the combination gives a far more complete read on non-academic suitability than UCAT alone.
How is CASPer scored for UK medical school applicants?
A different trained rater scores each of the eleven scenarios, eleven separate assessments, eleven separate people, reducing the chance any one rater's mood or bias swings the overall picture. The outcome lands as a quartile: Q1 through Q4, with Q4 placing you in the top quarter of that cycle's UK sitting. Spelling and grammar aren't part of the scoring. Raters are reading for reasoning, empathy, and ethical awareness. That number stays between Acuity Insights and your chosen programs, you won't get a notification or a login screen showing your result.
How MYLS Interview Helps UK Medical School Applicants Prepare for CASPer
UK applicants are already juggling UCAT or BMAT, personal statements, and interview prep — CASPer is one more thing layered on top, and it deserves its own focused slot rather than getting squeezed in as an afterthought. MYLS Interview CASPer Test is designed to fit that slot without demanding months you don't have.
About MYLS Interview
MYLS Interview offers 190+ interview programs and 24,000 practice questions, with AI feedback on every response scored against the official nine-competency framework. MYLS Interview adapted for UK applicants and the UK test type.
Our Features
- 190+ interview programs covering CASPer for UK medical applicants
- 24,000+ practice questions across all nine competencies and all three question types
- AI powered response feedback after every practice attempt, pinpointing competency gaps
- Timed mock tests replicating CASPer conditions end to end
- Video response practice with playback and delivery feedback
- Preparation structure designed to slot alongside UCAT and BMAT prep timelines
How We Can Help UK Medical School Applicants
Three to four focused weeks is the realistic window most UK applicants have for CASPer once UCAT, BMAT, and personal statements are accounted for and that's enough, if the practice is targeted. MYLS Interview's AI feedback flags exactly which competencies showed up clearly in each response and which were missing or only hinted at, so every session has a specific thing to fix.
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At programs running values-based admissions, your CASPer quartile is a direct reflection of the qualities those schools say matter most: empathy, ethical reasoning, professional communication, collaborative judgment. These aren't abstract — they're the specific things raters are scoring, and they respond to focused, structured practice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which UK universities require CASPer for medicine?
As of 2026, Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester is the clearest confirmed adopter, requiring CASPer from all shortlisted applicants. A handful of other newer programs are adopting or piloting it each cycle. The Acuity Insights directory is the place to verify current status rather than assuming based on last year.
Is CASPer required for all UK medical schools?
No, far from it. The overwhelming majority of UK medical schools rely on UCAT and interviews as their non-academic assessment, with CASPer currently limited to a small group of newer schools and values-based admissions models. If you're applying broadly across UK programs, expect CASPer to be the exception on your list, not the norm.
Do UK applicants need to take CASPer if they are already taking UCAT?
Depends entirely on the program. Some require both; most require only UCAT. They measure different things and are scored separately, so sitting one doesn't substitute for the other where both are required. Check each program individually, don't assume UCAT alone covers it just because it includes a situational judgment section.
How does CASPer fit into the UCAS medical school application timeline?
It needs to be done before your UCAS deadline. For most applicants on the standard mid-October timeline, that means sitting CASPer in August or September. Graduate entry programs sometimes run their own deadlines separate from the standard UCAS calendar, so confirm each program's specific CASPer submission window rather than assuming one timeline fits all.
Can international students take CASPer for UK medical schools?
Yes, international applicants go through the same UK test type and Acuity Insights process as home applicants, with the test available globally. The main planning points are choosing a test slot in a sensible time zone and completing the technical systems check well ahead of test day, since day-of technical problems aren't an automatic free reschedule.