Key Takeaways
- Many Canadian nursing programs require Casper, with especially strong adoption in Ontario and British Columbia
- It is the same open-response situational judgement test sat across health admissions, and it never tests nursing knowledge
- Ontario applicants often apply through the OUAC, and your nursing program sets the Casper deadline and test group
- Casper is reported as a quartile, and Canadian nursing programs generally favour the 3rd and 4th quartiles
- You can prepare effectively by learning the format, leading with empathy, and practising under the real timed clock
Do Canadian nursing programs require the Casper test?
Casper is widely used in Canadian nursing admissions, and demand has grown quickly. Many Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) and collaborative nursing programs require it, with particularly strong adoption among programs in Ontario and British Columbia. Schools use Casper to assess the interpersonal qualities nursing depends on, the empathy, communication and sound judgement that transcripts cannot show.
In Ontario, you typically apply to nursing programs through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), and individual programs tell you whether Casper is required and by when. In other provinces you usually apply to the university directly. Adoption and deadlines vary by school and change each cycle, so confirm the current requirement on the official admissions page for the exact nursing program you are applying to.
No nursing knowledge required
Casper does not ask about clinical care, anatomy or any nursing content. It presents everyday dilemmas about people and fairness, so applicants from every academic background start on equal footing.
11 scenarios across two sections: a typed-response section and a video-response section.
- Typed scenarios 7
- Video scenarios 4
What the Casper test involves for BScN applicants
Canadian nursing applicants sit the standard Casper test: two sections in roughly 65 to 85 minutes, made up of video-response and typed-response scenarios. Every scenario is an open-response dilemma with no single right answer, and your job is to show clear, humane judgement rather than recall any facts.
| Section | Scenarios | Questions each | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video response | 4 | 2 (one at a time) | 1 minute per question to record |
| Typed response | 7 | 2 (shown together) | 3.5 minutes per scenario |
Each scenario is scored by a different trained rater, and you are ranked as a quartile against everyone who sat the same test type in your cycle. There is no pass or fail; each nursing program decides how much weight your quartile carries. Our complete Casper test guide covers the format and scoring in full, and the approach is identical to the Casper test for nursing in the US if you are comparing programs across the border.
A nursing-style scenario
During a group assignment, one teammate quietly tells you they are overwhelmed and falling behind because of problems at home, and asks you not to tell anyone, but the group is starting to blame them for missed work. How do you handle it? A strong answer balances the teammate’s trust and wellbeing with fairness to the group, gathers more information, and looks for support rather than rushing to expose or punish anyone.
What is a good Casper score for Canadian nursing programs?
Casper is reported as a quartile, not a percentage, so there is no fixed pass mark. Canadian nursing programs that use it generally favour applicants in the 3rd and 4th quartiles, though each school weighs it differently within its admissions formula. The practical aim is to land in the top half, and ideally the top quartile, so Casper adds to your file. The difference between an average and a strong answer is learnable, as our Q4 vs Q2 answer comparison demonstrates.
How to prepare for the nursing Casper test
- Learn the format cold, so the timer, the recording window and the two-question structure are all familiar before test day
- Lead with empathy, naming and addressing the people in each scenario before moving to any solution
- Rehearse the typed clock, practising two answers in 3.5 minutes, and raise your typing speed if it is slowing you down
- Practise the video section out loud and on camera, then review the recording for tone and pacing
- Do full, timed mock scenarios with honest, specific feedback on every answer
What raters reward most is demonstrated empathy and balanced judgement, not polished phrases. Our breakdown of the 9 Casper competencies shows what a strong response looks like in each, and the 3.5-minute typed response strategy shows how to structure answers that score well under the Canadian nursing timeline.
Your Casper timeline, step by step
- 1Step 1
Check your programs
Confirm which of your programs require Casper and the deadline for your result.
- 2Step 2
Register early
Book your Casper sitting through Acuity Insights, well before your earliest deadline.
- 3Step 3
Practise under the clock
Rehearse timed scenarios across both sections until the format feels routine.
- 4Step 4
Sit the test
Complete the video and typed sections in a single sitting.
- 5Step 5
Send your results
Distribute your Casper result to every program before its application deadline.