PA School Casper and One-Way Video Interviews

PA School Casper and One-Way Video Interviews

28 of the 333 PA program pages in PAEA's CASPA Program Directory list Casper as a required test for the 2026-2027 cycle. 17 list the PA-CAT and 86 the GRE. A recorded one-way video interview is not a directory field at all, so the only way to know whether a program uses one is its own invitation or website.

Casper and a one-way video interview are different tools. Casper is one standard test with a typed section and a video section, rated by its maker's raters, and each program decides how to use the result. A program's own recorded interview uses that program's questions and that program's reviewers. Prepare for the one in front of you.

The directory counts are ours, from PAEA's program pages collected October 31 to November 6, 2026; 171 of those pages, re-checked on November 7, 2026, had not changed. Acuity Insights' Casper page and PAEA's guide were checked the same day.

Who requires what

PAEA's CASPA Program Directory says on each program page: "We rely on the information provided to us by programs." These are the programs' own answers.

Our arithmetic: a program can list more than one test, so the rows add to more than 333. Programs that list Casper this cycle include Augusta University, Boston University, Florida State University, Grand Valley State University and Marshall University, per their directory pages checked November 7, 2026. Confirm on the program's own site before you register.

For recorded interviews, one directory entry is explicit. Des Moines University's page says its "interview process consists of a competency-based interview that includes an asynchronous assessment, as well as a synchronous virtual group experience or in-person experience." (Des Moines University's own website returned HTTP 403 to our fetch, so we quote the directory only.)

What Casper is and how it runs

Acuity Insights' Casper page calls Casper "an open-response situational judgment test (SJT)". Its current format, as Acuity publishes it:

Acuity says Casper is "scored by certified human raters" and that "Each individual program determines how and when to use Casper scores as part of their admissions process." Results count only for the cycle you register for, and "Casper test types are not interchangeable", so check the test type each program needs.

PAEA's PA Program Admissions Resource (2023), written for programs, puts these tests in context: "Some programs also utilize situational judgment tests either prior to or during the interview day." It lists the topics such tests may cover as "communication, teamwork, and relationship building."

Does Casper matter for PA school?

At the 28 programs that list it, it is required, so it matters enough to finish on time. How much weight it carries is not published in the directory, and Acuity says each program decides.

Our view: prepare for Casper as a test of reasoning you can explain in writing at speed, not as a personality test. The typed section is 7 of the 11 scenarios. Our arithmetic: 3.5 minutes for two answers is 105 seconds each; at an assumed typing pace of 40 words a minute, that is about 70 words per answer. Typing speed is a real constraint, and most of the test is typed.

The countercase: if you type fast and freeze on camera, flip the plan and practice the 1-minute spoken answers first. The video section is shorter, but one minute is very little time to recover from a false start.

One-way video interviews: what you can and cannot know

A program's recorded interview is the program's own design. Nothing in the directory or PAEA's guide sets a standard for question count, thinking time, answer length or retakes. Read the instructions on the platform before you start; that is where the program shows its rules.

Three rules hold whatever the platform:

1. Answer the question asked, first. A recorded answer has no interviewer to steer you back.
2. Use a structure you can say in one breath: the situation, what you did, what you learned or would do differently.
3. Practice to a timer with your own camera, then watch one recording all the way through before you do another.

Constructed practice prompts for a recorded PA interview

Constructed examples, written by us, not from any program's interview.

• Why PA and not medicine or nursing? (60 seconds)
• Tell us about a time you disagreed with a supervisor about patient care. (90 seconds)
• What would your coworkers say you need to improve? (60 seconds)
• How have you learned about the PA's role on a care team? (90 seconds)

For the answers themselves, our PA school interview questions and PA profession interview questions go deeper.

Constructed example: one Casper-style scenario, two answers

Constructed example, written by us, not a real Casper scenario or a real applicant's answer. It is written in the typed format: two questions, one page.

Scenario (invented): You and Avery are in the same anatomy lab group. Avery asks you to sign the attendance sheet for them tomorrow because they have an extra shift at work and need the money.

1. What would you do? Explain your reasoning.
2. Imagine Avery tells you they will fail the course if they miss another lab. Does this change your answer?

Weak answer (47 words):

I would not sign for Avery because it is dishonest and against the rules. Honesty is very important in healthcare and I would never lie. If Avery is going to fail, that is Avery's responsibility. I would tell Avery no and maybe suggest they talk to someone.

Revised answer (103 words):

1. I would not sign for Avery, because the sheet tells the instructor who was there, and I would be making that record false. I would tell Avery that directly and ask what is going on with work, since an extra shift suggests money is tight.

2. It does not change whether I sign, but it changes what I do next. Failing over attendance is worth taking to the course director before tomorrow. I would offer to go with Avery to ask about a make-up lab, and share my notes. Avery's problem is the shift, and signing would only hide it until it gets worse.

What changed: the revised answer gives a decision and a reason in the first sentence, names the other person's real problem, and offers a next step. The weak answer repeats a value ("Honesty is very important") without applying it. Our arithmetic: 103 words in 3.5 minutes is about 30 words a minute, well under the 40-words-a-minute pace above, which leaves time to think.

The same scenario, spoken, is an MMI station; our Casper, PREview and MMI framework shows the translation, and PA school MMI ethics questions give more PA-specific scenarios.

A two-week prep plan

1. Day 1: check each program's directory page and website for Casper, the test type and the distribution deadline. Register.
2. Days 2 to 4: take the official practice test, which Acuity says opens in your Acuity Insights account after you reserve your Casper test. Acuity also says: "Casper is designed to assess authentic responses in real-world situations, so there is no need to memorize content or purchase preparation courses."
3. Days 5 to 10: one typed scenario a day, timed to 3.5 minutes for both answers. Count your words.
4. Days 5 to 10, same sessions: one spoken answer a day to a 1-minute timer on camera.
5. Days 11 to 14: if any program uses a recorded interview, practice on your own camera with the four prompts above.

No scripts. A memorized paragraph breaks the moment the scenario differs from the one you prepared.

Questions about Casper and video interviews for PA school

How many PA schools require Casper?

28 of 333 program pages in PAEA's directory list it as required for 2026-2027, by our count of the programs' own entries.

Is Casper the same as a one-way video interview?

No. Casper has a video section, but it is one standard test. A program's one-way interview uses its own questions and reviewers.

How is Casper scored?

Acuity says certified human raters score it, and each program decides how to use the score.

Can I retake a one-way video answer?

It depends on the program's platform settings, which are shown in its instructions. Neither PAEA's guide nor the directory sets a PA-wide rule.

Review the writing you send next

Casper and recorded answers are not documents you can revise; the writing around them is. If a program secondary is still open, get a free Quick Review of your secondary essay against GradPilot's PA why this program rubric, which checks whether your answer names something this program in particular does. After the interview, the letter of intent rubric, written for medical schools and the closest fit for a PA letter, and the update letter rubric read the letters you send next.

For the day itself, see what to expect on PA school interview day; for how CASPA works overall, what is CASPA. More guides are in the medical and health school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• PAEA, CASPA Program Directory (2026-2027 cycle; 333 program pages collected October 31 to November 6, 2026, 171 re-checked November 7, 2026 with no change to these fields; self-reported by programs): test requirements; Des Moines University interview description.
• Acuity Insights, Casper: format, timing, raters, program use, preparation.
• PAEA, PA Program Admissions Resource (2023, written for programs): situational judgment tests before or during interview day.
• Not retrieved: Des Moines University's PA website returned HTTP 403 on November 7, 2026; not quoted.