What Is a Good CASPer Score?
Whether you are preparing for the CASPer test or have already completed your CASPer test, you are probably wondering what a good result actually looks like. Unlike the MCAT or DAT, CASPer does not give you a number. You receive a quartile ranking, your score goes directly to your programs, and most applicants never see it. So how do you know if you performed well? And what quartile do medical schools, nursing programs, and dental schools actually expect?
This guide explains exactly how CASPer scoring works, what each quartile means in practice, what programs consider a good CASPer score, when results are released, and what to do if your result falls short. Whether you are waiting on your first result or preparing to take the CASPer test, this is the complete picture.
Applicants aim to reach their highest CASPer quartile can practice through MYLS Interview AI mock interview platform, which scores every response against the nine official CASPer competencies before test day.
How Is the CASPer Test Scored?
The CASPer test is scored using a distributed model in which each of the eleven scenarios is evaluated by a different trained rater. No single rater evaluates more than one of your responses, which reduces individual assessor bias and increases the overall reliability of the score. According to Acuity Insights, raters evaluate responses holistically across three broad dimensions: the quality of your reasoning, the authenticity of your empathy, and the clarity of your communication.
Grammar, spelling, typing speed, and response length are explicitly excluded from scoring criteria. A short, precise response that demonstrates strong ethical reasoning will outscore a lengthy response that meanders without reaching a clear position. Raters are trained to evaluate what you say and how you reason, not how polished your prose is.
The scoring process produces a raw score that Acuity Insights then converts into a quartile ranking before distributing results to programs. This conversion step means that your score is always relative to the other applicants in your test type and cycle, a strong result in one cycle may correspond to a slightly different raw score in another cycle depending on the overall pool performance.
What Is a CASPer Quartile Ranking?
A CASPer quartile ranking divides the total population of test takers for a given test type and cycle into four equal groups based on performance. The quartile ranking is the only score metric most programs receive.
| Quartile | Population Range | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 | Top 25% of test takers | Strong performance — at or above the threshold most programs set |
| Q3 | 50th to 75th percentile | Acceptable at most programs — minimum threshold at many |
| Q2 | 25th to 50th percentile | Below average — likely to affect admissions outcomes at programs using CASPer as a filter |
| Q1 | Bottom 25% of test takers | Poor performance — will likely remove application from consideration at most programs |
Your result is sent directly to the programs you designated during registration. Some programs communicate your quartile to you as part of their admissions process; most do not. You will typically only learn your result if a program chooses to share it or if you receive or do not receive an interview invitation.
When Are CASPer Scores Released?
CASPer score release timelines vary by test type and admissions cycle. Regarding to Acuity Insights, scores are typically available for distribution to programs within two to three weeks of the test date. However, the timing of when programs actually receive and act on scores depends on each institution's admissions review schedule.
For Canadian Medical applicants, scores submitted by September or October are typically available to programs before their primary review period begins. For US Medical applicants, scores should be available to programs before secondary application review, which means sitting CASPer by May or June is the recommended timing.
Applicants do not receive their scores directly through the Acuity Insights platform in most cases. If you want to know your result, check whether your target programs communicate quartile results to applicants as part of their admissions process.
Why Do Applicants Not See Their Own CASPer Score?
CASPer scores are sent directly to programs rather than to applicants for two primary reasons.
First, Acuity Insights and its partner programs have determined that direct score disclosure to applicants does not improve the assessment's predictive validity for professional performance and may encourage gaming behaviour that undermines the test's reliability.
Second, quartile rankings are relative to the applicant pool of a specific cycle, knowing your raw score without the context of how the rest of the pool performed would not be meaningfully interpretable.
This means applicants must rely on preparation quality and post test inference (such as whether interview invitations arrive from programs that use CASPer as a filter) rather than direct score feedback to understand their performance.
According to the CASPer scoring process described by Acuity Insights, results are typically processed and released to institutions within approximately 2–3 weeks after the test date, depending on the testing cycle and administrative timelines.
What to Do If You Got a Low CASPer Score
If you received a low CASPer score or infer from missing interview invitations that your result was below Q3. The most important step is to identify what went wrong before preparing for the next cycle.
The most common causes of Q1 and Q2 results are:
- Proposing solutions before acknowledging stakeholders
- Writing generic empathy statements rather than scenario specific responses
- Presenting only one side of an ethical dilemma without acknowledging competing values
- Running out of time mid response due to insufficient timed practice
- Neglecting self awareness and resilience competencies across responses
- Under preparing the video section relative to the typed section A self audit against these six causes by reviewing your practice responses from the preparation cycle and will typically reveal which one or two issues produced the most damage. Second cycle preparation should target those specific gaps rather than repeating the same general preparation approach.
Try your best shot by practicing on the MYLS Interview Platform to identify exactly which competencies each practice response demonstrated clearly and which were absent or only implied.
What Is a Good CASPer Score: Answers to the Questions Applicants Ask Most
Who receives the CASPer quartile score?
Programs designated during CASPer registration receive the quartile score directly from Acuity Insights. Applicants do not automatically receive their own score. Some programs communicate results to applicants as part of their admissions process, but most do not. You will typically infer your result from whether you receive or do not receive interview invitations at programs using CASPer as a pre interview filter.
What does Q4 mean on the CASPer test?
Q4 means your CASPer responses placed in the top 25% of all applicants who sat the same test type and cycle. It is the highest quartile ranking and the preparation target for applicants to competitive MD, nursing, dental, and veterinary programs. Q4 does not mean a perfect score, it means consistently stronger reasoning, empathy, and communication quality than 75% of the applicant pool across all eleven scenarios.
When do CASPer scores get released to programs?
CASPer scores are typically available for distribution to programs within two to three weeks of the test date, according to Acuity Insights. The timing of when programs act on scores depends on each institution's admissions review schedule. For most Canadian and US medical school applicants, sitting CASPer by May gives programs access to scores before their primary review period begins.
Where can I find out my CASPer score?
CASPer scores are sent directly to the programs you designated during registration, not to applicants through the Acuity Insights platform. To find out your result, check whether your target programs communicate quartile results as part of their admissions process. You can also contact individual programs directly to ask whether they share quartile information with applicants.
Why is my CASPer score not visible in my Acuity Insights account?
Acuity Insights does not provide direct score access to applicants in most cases. The platform distributes scores to programs according to the instructions you provided at registration. Score visibility policies are determined by Acuity Insights in consultation with partner programs. If you need your result, contact your target programs directly or check the Acuity Insights support portal for the current cycle's disclosure policy.
How can I improve my CASPer score for the next cycle?
To improve your CASPer score for the next cycle, identify your specific competency gaps from the previous preparation cycle and target them directly rather than repeating general practice. The six most common causes of Q1 and Q2 results are: jumping to solutions before acknowledging stakeholders, generic empathy statements, one sided ethical analysis, running out of time, neglecting self awareness and resilience, and under preparing the video section. A structured preparation with competency specific feedback through MYLS Interview to understand which of these gaps affected your previous result so second cycle preparation targets the right areas.
How MYLS Interview Helps Applicants Reach Q3 and Q4
The difference between a Q2 and Q4 CASPer result is almost never about intelligence, values, or ethical character. It is about whether the applicant has internalized a response framework, practised under realistic time pressure, and learned to make competencies explicit rather than implicit in every response. MYLS Interview CASPer test is built specifically to close that gap.
About MYLS Interview
MYLS Interview is a dedicated admissions or career interview preparation platform offering over 190 interview programs and 24,000 practice questions. Its AI powered feedback system scores every practice response against the nine official CASPer competencies, identifying exactly which competencies were demonstrated clearly and which were absent or only implied, the feedback that Acuity Insights does not provide to applicants directly.
Our Features
- 190+ interview programs covering CASPer across all test types and program categories
- 24,000+ practice questions across all nine competencies and all three CASPer question types
- AI powered competency scoring on every response — the closest proxy to knowing your quartile before test day
- Timed mock tests replicating real CASPer conditions for typed and video sections
- Video response practice with content delivery feedback on structure, pacing,
How We Can Help
MYLS Interview's AI feedback closes the feedback gap that CASPer's scoring model creates. Because applicants never see their own scores, they have no direct signal about which competencies their responses demonstrated and which they missed.
MYLS Interview provides that signal on every practice response, allowing applicants to correct specific gaps before test day rather than practicing blindly and hoping for improvement. You can access the full MYLS Interview CASPer test and begin scored practice today.
Start Preparing for a Q4 CASPer Result Today
A good CASPer score is Q4. A minimum acceptable CASPer score at most competitive programs is Q3. The gap between where most unprepared applicants land — Q1 or Q2 — and where they need to be is bridged by structured, timed, feedback informed practice that explicitly targets the nine competencies CASPer evaluates.
Start for Free CASPer practicxe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Q3 enough for medical school?
Q3 may be sufficient at some medical schools but is not a reliable target at competitive programs. Several Canadian MD programs, including those in Ontario, are understood to apply Q3 or Q4 as their minimum threshold for interview consideration. At the most competitive programs, Q3 places applicants at the edge of the screening threshold. Q4 is the preparation goal that gives applicants the widest possible margin across all programs.
Can you retake CASPer if you got a bad score?
No, you cannot retake CASPer in the same admissions cycle. CASPer can be taken once per test type per admissions cycle, and scores do not carry over between cycles.
If you received a Q1 or Q2 result and are reapplying, you must sit CASPer again in a new cycle. Use the time between cycles to identify your specific competency weaknesses and address them through structured preparation rather than repeating the same general approach.
How long does it take to get CASPer results?
CASPer scores are typically processed and available for distribution to programs within two to three weeks of the test date. Applicants do not receive a notification when their scores are distributed. The timing of when programs act on scores depends on each institution's admissions review schedule and is separate from the Acuity Insights processing timeline.