CASPer Test for Dental School 2026: Which Schools Require It & How to Prep | DentPrep

The first dental-school-specific CASPer guide — confirmed list of requiring programs, how the 2025–2026 format changed, and the preparation strategy that actually works.

The first dental-school-specific CASPer guide — confirmed list of requiring programs, how the 2025–2026 format changed, and the preparation strategy that actually works. return ( Most CASPer guides are written for medical school applicants. This one is specifically for dental school applicants — covering which programs require it, what the updated 2025–2026 format looks like, what dental admissions committees are actually evaluating, and how to prepare without wasting time on the wrong things. CASPer is one of the most misunderstood requirements in dental school admissions. Applicants who don't have it on their list often discover a required school too late to schedule it. Applicants who do know about it often over-prepare using medical school prep materials that don't reflect the dental context. And a cottage industry of expensive prep courses has grown up around a test that, done right, requires neither significant time nor

significant money to prepare for. This guide cuts through the noise. What CASPer is, which dental schools actually require it for the 2026 cycle, what changed in the 2025–2026 format update, and how to prepare effectively — with strategies specific to the dental professional context, not repurposed from medical school prep. What CASPer Is — and What It Isn't CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is a situational judgment test (SJT) developed by Acuity Insights (formerly Altus Suite), now based on research originally from McMaster University. It is administered online, takes approximately 60–85 minutes, and presents applicants with a series of scenarios followed by open-ended response questions. What CASPer measures: Non-cognitive skills — empathy, ethical reasoning, communication, collaboration, problem-solving under pressure, and professionalism. The qualities that GPA and DAT scores cannot assess and

that dental school interviews assess incompletely. What CASPer does not measure: Clinical knowledge, science content, academic aptitude, or anything that would appear on the DAT. There are no right or wrong answers in the conventional sense. Responses are evaluated by trained human raters who score your reasoning process and communication rather than checking answers against a key. How it fits into dental admissions: CASPer functions as a supplementary screening tool. It doesn't replace the interview or override strong academic credentials. At programs that require it, an incomplete CASPer submission means an incomplete application — the program will not review you until the score is on file. The 2025–2026 CASPer Format Update CASPer changed its format for the 2025–2026 cycle. If you've seen older prep materials, they may reflect the previous format. Here's what's current: Number of scenarios: Reduced from 14 to 11 scenarios. Scenario

types: Four video-response scenarios and seven typed-response scenarios. Questions per scenario: Each scenario now has two associated questions (previously typed responses had three). Each question is scored individually. Time limits: Typed responses: 3.5 minutes per response window Video responses: 1 minute per question Total test time: Approximately 60–85 minutes depending on pacing. Scoring: Each question is scored individually by a trained human rater. The individual scores are aggregated into an overall band that is sent to your designated programs. You do not see your score — programs receive a percentile quartile report. <CalloutBox variant=" }; export default CasperTestDentalSchool;