How Casper Is Scored: Quartiles, Human Raters and What Programs See

Casper has no right answers and no pass mark, and applicants are currently not given their own score. That makes its scoring easy to mythologise; Acuity's own Myth vs. Fact sheet takes on the rumours about keywords and AI grading directly. This guide sets out what Acuity Insights actually says about how responses are rated, how the overall score is formed, what the quartile you receive means, and what the programs see instead.

Acuity is direct about this: Casper is "scored by certified human raters", and its Myth vs. Fact sheet answers the AI rumour with "All responses are evaluated by trained human raters who follow structured scoring guidelines, not AI." Raters complete a training program, are accredited before they score, are certified annually and are monitored for consistency. The Step-by-Step Guide adds that training covers scoring criteria, calibration and implicit bias.

The design choice that matters most to you is the one-rater-per-scenario rule. Acuity says each rater is assigned a single scenario and is presented with multiple responses from different applicants to it, and that "no rater scores an applicant more than once". So a weak first scenario cannot colour how your fifth is read, and no single rater determines your overall result. The two questions inside one scenario are reviewed by the same rater, who sees the whole scenario, but they are scored independently: Acuity says scores are assigned "at the individual question level, not as one score for the whole scenario."

Once every response is rated, Acuity says "the individual ratings are averaged" and the result is "standardized to represent the relative rankings of each applicant compared to the applicant pool." Typed and video responses are both part of this one overall score. Elsewhere Acuity describes Casper as "rated and z-scored relative to the strength of your peers’ responses", and its 10 Important Things sheet says the scores are standardised using statistical methods "resulting in a final scaled score and quartile ranking."

Two consequences follow. There is no mark to reach: Acuity says it is "not a pass-or-fail test, nor is it graded using a fixed rubric". And your result is relative. It depends on how strong the other responses to the same scenarios were. Separately, each program decides how to use the result, and Acuity says the same result can be more competitive for some programs than for others, depending on how competitive each program's applicant pool is.

You receive a quartile, not your score. Acuity groups scores into four quartiles "which represent how your performance compares to other applicants on the same test type", within the same admissions cycle. It emails you when the quartile is ready, usually about 4-5 weeks after the test, and you open it through "View quartile score" in your account. Until then the account may show "undefined percentile", which Acuity says is normal.

Acuity's own documents do not agree on what the quartile covers, and we cannot tell you which is current. Its 2026 Step-by-Step Guide says your scores across all scenarios are combined into an overall score, which is then standardized "to produce your final scaled score and quartile ranking". Its Terms of Use say the quartile gives "an indication of how you have performed on the typed section relative to other applicants". If the difference matters to you, ask Acuity.

Acuity is direct about the bottom band. A first-quartile placement "does not mean you failed"; it means that, compared to the rest of the test-takers, your responses were rated as less strong, and the pool "includes many high-caliber applicants". It also says a quartile "should not dissuade you from applying to any program", because most programs consider all quartiles and treat Casper as one data point among many.

Acuity lists what applicants placed in higher quartiles "may demonstrate". In our reading it is the nearest thing to a published description of a strong response; treat it as a checklist, not a formula:

The practical meaning of each, with a worked scenario, is in Casper practice: what a strong answer does.

Programs get more than you do. The Step-by-Step Guide says "You’ll receive a quartile score, while programs receive more detailed scoring to support admissions decisions." Applicants are not given that score, and Acuity explains why: the score is a single combined number with no breakdown by topic, so it would not show where you excelled or could improve, and Casper is treated like other subjective parts of an application such as interview impressions, reference letters and personal statements. The Terms of Use add that neither Acuity nor the programs may share your results or assessment data with you directly.

How much Casper counts is each program's decision. Acuity says: "Each individual program determines how and when to use Casper scores", and the weight will vary. Some programs use the result at several points, for example early screening, interviews or ranking, and Acuity notes that some use Casper in place of interviews or multiple mini interviews. For any specific weight, read the program's own admissions page.

Still to sit Casper this cycle? The January-February 2027 dates for each test type, with a countdown to the next one, are in our Casper test dates guide.

Acuity says Casper has "relatively high test-retest reliability", so applicants who sit more than one test type, or test in a later cycle, can expect similar results. Its Myth vs. Fact sheet adds that research comparing attempts shows scores are consistent on average and only a small proportion of repeat testers see significant changes. When the quartile does move, Acuity gives three reasons:

Two hard limits sit behind this. You cannot retake the same test type in the same cycle to improve a score, and a score is valid only for one admissions cycle and one test type. Casper tests also cannot be re-scored. The retake exceptions, which are technical only, are in Casper test day rules and retakes.

ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of or endorsed by Acuity Insights. Every rule, date and fee here is quoted or summarised from Acuity Insights' own pages or, where named, a program's own page.