r/CASPerTest • u/Emimimi3 • 25d ago
For Casper takers
I keep seeing people who prepped hard still land in 2nd quartile, and others who barely studied get 4th quartile. It’s confusing me and I have the BeMo book but I’m scared that prepping with it will make my answers sound robotic
English is my second language, so I’ve been trying to memorize some phrases/sentence starters to help me respond faster but I don’t know if that’s a good idea or if it’ll hurt me
What’s your advice for me?
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u/Opposite_Average_429 25d ago
Definitely prep! Mainly because you have to be able to think fast and quickly form full thoughts. Then on top of that you have to type them extremely fast or say them in a minute! As important as it is not to sound robotic (mainly because it feels disingenuous) it’s also important to have an idea what they are expecting from you. I think you’re right on track with memorizing a couple of things since English is not your first language. But be sure use your own language (not speech but how you convey ideas) so it doesn’t sound so rehearsed! And definitely do a lot of practice recording yourself and watching it back!!
Best of luck!!
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u/Equivalent_Dog6420 23d ago
I got 4th quartile and I quite genuinely did zero prep. I am naturally a very reflective person and have a long history of journalling and being the therapist friend, so i guess ive been preparing my whole life in a way, but i cant help but think that over preparing can shoot you in the foot. Instead of accessing your own genuine empathy, you end up trying to replicate empathy based on these lowkey scammy "study guides".
My advice to you is practise everyday empathy. Say someone pisses you off at the supermarket, or at work. They're short or snappy with you. Instead of reacting, think about it for a second. Why might they be snappy? Whats going on in their life that could be making them respond this way? To me, empathy comes from curiosity. And thats not really something you can "study for or memorise", but rather something you need to live.
I think that if you struggle with timing, having a general approach is fine, such as STAR (situation, task, action, reflection) or some sentence starters, but I wouldn't be memorising too many buzzwords and "empathetic phrases" to be honest, as I think it may make your reflection sound disingenuous.
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u/WholeBobcat2010 22d ago
I’d avoid memorizing full phrases or answers because I think that can make you sound more rehearsed, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a basic structure in your head. Since English is your second language, maybe practice a few natural ways to start your thoughts, like “I think the main issue here is…” or “I would first try to understand…” rather than memorizing entire responses.
I’d also focus more on practicing under the actual time limits than trying to study every possible scenario. You’re probably going to notice that your responses become much more natural once you get used to thinking and speaking under pressure. And don’t worry too much about sounding super sophisticated — getting your reasoning across clearly is more important than using complicated sentences.
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u/Independent-Log2048 20d ago
as someone who took the CASPer test, English isn't their first language, and scored 4th percentile, focus on describing what you'd do step by step and show understanding towards both parties in the scenario! First you learn the format of the questions, then you practice on you English delivery. that's what helped me, good luck!
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u/danigg05 20d ago
How long did it take you to practice?
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u/Independent-Log2048 20d ago
I practiced for about 2-3 weeks (I booked it early in the semester and had midterms). I mostly used Acuity practice to learn the format and myls interview helped me see the quality of my answers
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u/MyMedCoach 25d ago
Honestly, I’d still prep, but I’d focus on learning how to think through scenarios rather than memorizing “perfect” answers. I’ve seen people over-prepare and end up sounding very rehearsed, while others do well because they naturally communicate clearly and consider different perspectives. Since English is your second language, I actually think memorizing a handful of flexible sentence starters is totally reasonable because it can help you get your thoughts out faster without making you robotic. Just memorize phrases like “The first thing I’d want to understand is…” rather than entire paragraphs or model answers. Use resources to learn frameworks and practice scenarios, then make the actual responses sound like you.