What is a good CASPer score?

Q3 or Q4 is generally considered a good CASPer score. Q4, the top 25 percent of test takers, is a strong result at most programs that require CASPer. Q3 is solid and competitive at the majority of programs. If you are aiming for the most selective programs, Q4 is the target — and since programs see a more precise score than the quartile you see, sitting higher within Q4 is always better than sitting at the lower edge of it. The rest of this article explains how scoring works, what programs actually see, and what it means if you are unhappy with your result.

How CASPer scoring works

Each scenario is scored by a different trained evaluator on a scale of 0 to 9, where 0 is reserved for blank or unattempted responses. Those scores are averaged across all your scenarios and standardized against everyone who sat the same test on the same day as you. Your quartile, Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4, reflects where you sit within that group.

Q4 is the top 25 percent. Q3 is the next 25 percent. Q2 sits in the lower half, and Q1 is the bottom 25 percent. There is no pass or fail. It is entirely relative to the people who sat alongside you on that specific test date.

What quartile do programs actually want?

This varies by program and is rarely published explicitly. Most programs use CASPer as a screening tool rather than a ranking mechanism, meaning they set a minimum quartile threshold and only consider applicants who meet it. Based on what students have shared over many cycles, Q3 or above is where most competitive programs start paying attention. Q4 puts you in a strong position across most programs that require CASPer.

Q2 is not necessarily disqualifying depending on the program and how they weight CASPer relative to your GPA and other components. Q1 is generally where applications face the most difficulty, particularly for programs where CASPer carries significant weight. That said, CASPer is one component among many, and there are students who have been accepted with a Q1 result. It depends heavily on the program, the strength of the rest of the application, and how much weight CASPer carries in that specific admissions process.

If you are applying to a specific program and want to know how they use CASPer, the most reliable approach is to contact the admissions office directly.

Can you retake CASPer to improve your score?

No, not within the same admissions cycle. You get one attempt per test type per cycle, and that score is the one sent to every program on your distribution list. If you are unhappy with your result, the only option is to reapply in a new admissions cycle and sit the test again.

Scores do not carry forward between cycles, even a strong Q4 result. This is because the test content changes every year and your responses are benchmarked against the applicants sitting alongside you in that specific cycle. A previous year's score has no meaningful basis for comparison in a new one, so Acuity Insights requires a fresh sitting each cycle.

This makes preparation more important, not less. You do not get a second chance within the same cycle, so going in without having practiced at all is a significant risk.

What makes the difference between Q2 and Q4?

The gap between an average score and a high score is not about knowing the right answer. CASPer scenarios rarely have a single correct response. The difference is almost always in how you reason through the situation and how clearly you show that you understand the perspectives of everyone involved, not just the most obvious one.

High-scoring responses show balanced thinking. They acknowledge what each person in a scenario needs, explain why a particular approach is fair or appropriate, and connect that reasoning to a clear principle rather than just a gut reaction. Low-scoring responses tend to jump to action without that groundwork.

What programs actually see

You see a quartile. Programs see more than that.

Acuity Insights sends programs a standardized score alongside your percentile rank. This score, sometimes referred to as a z-score, is essentially a number that shows how far above or below the cohort average you sit. A score of zero means you landed exactly at the average for your test group. A positive number means you were above it, a negative number means you were below. The further from zero in either direction, the more meaningful the distance. Two applicants who both received Q3, for example, could sit at the 52nd and 73rd percentile respectively, and programs can see that difference even though both applicants would describe themselves as Q3. The same applies within Q4 — a score at the 76th percentile and one at the 95th percentile are both Q4, but they look different to an admissions committee. Where you sit within a quartile can matter at programs that weight CASPer heavily.

What programs do not see is your performance broken down by individual scenario, or how each evaluator scored you question by question. The score they receive is a single summary of your overall performance, expressed more precisely than the quartile you see in your account.

A realistic target for prep

If you are currently in Q2 and targeting Q3 or Q4, that is an achievable goal with focused preparation. The key is getting feedback on your actual responses, not just doing more practice scenarios, but understanding what your responses are doing well and where they consistently fall short. That is what moves scores.

Free CASPer practice on Response Method gives you evaluator-style feedback on your typed and video responses so you can start identifying those patterns before your test date.