CASPer preparation often focuses on what to do well. But understanding what not to do is just as important — because many of the most common CASPer mistakes are easy to make without realising it, even when you're trying your best.
Here are the CASPer mistakes that appear most consistently in lower-scoring responses, and exactly how to avoid each one.
The most common CASPer mistakes
Giving a generic response that doesn't engage with the CASPer scenario
This is the single most common CASPer mistake. The response sounds reasonable — it covers empathy, communication, fairness — but it could have been written for almost any CASPer question. It doesn't engage with the specific people, tensions, or stakes in the actual CASPer scenario.
CASPer evaluators are reading many responses to the same scenario. A response that engages specifically with the details of that scenario stands out immediately from one that doesn't.
✓ Fix: Before writing your CASPer response, spend a few seconds identifying the specific tension in this scenario. Who is involved? What do they each need? What makes this CASPer situation complicated? Then write to that — not to a general version of the problem.
Only considering one perspective in your CASPer response
CASPer scenarios almost always involve more than one person with more than one set of needs. Responses that focus only on what the main character should do — without acknowledging how other people in the CASPer scenario might be feeling or what they might need — miss one of the core things CASPer is designed to assess.
✓ Fix: Before writing, identify every person in the CASPer scenario and briefly consider their perspective. You don't need to agree with everyone — but acknowledging their position shows the kind of balanced thinking CASPer rewards.
Describing what you'd do without explaining why
CASPer responses that list actions without reasoning tend to score in the middle range at best. Saying "I would speak to my colleague privately" is half an answer. Why privately? What outcome are you hoping for? What would happen if you didn't? The reasoning is what CASPer evaluators are looking for — not just the action.
✓ Fix: For every action you describe in a CASPer response, add a "because" clause. What's the reasoning behind this approach? What value or principle is guiding your decision? This single habit significantly strengthens CASPer responses.
Being too vague in your CASPer responses
Vague CASPer responses rely on broad statements: "I would communicate clearly", "I would make sure everyone felt heard", "I believe empathy is important." These statements are true but empty — they don't tell evaluators anything specific about how you think or how you'd actually handle the CASPer scenario.
✓ Fix: Replace vague principles with specific reasoning. Instead of "I would communicate clearly", say how you'd communicate, with whom, and why that approach fits this particular CASPer situation. Specificity is what turns a mid-range CASPer response into a high-scoring one.
Running out of time before finishing your CASPer response
An incomplete CASPer response is significantly harder to score highly, regardless of how strong the beginning was. Many students who haven't done timed CASPer practice are surprised by how quickly the time disappears — especially across multiple CASPer questions in a row.
✓ Fix: Do timed CASPer practice — with a real timer — before your CASPer test. Learn how much you can write in the allotted time and structure your CASPer responses accordingly. If you're running short on time, prioritise explaining your reasoning over adding more actions.
Treating CASPer like a test of your values
A surprisingly common CASPer mistake is spending response time stating values — "I believe honesty is fundamental", "I always prioritise patient welfare" — rather than demonstrating those values through actual reasoning. CASPer evaluators don't need to be told that you have good values. They need to see those values in action through how you engage with the CASPer scenario.
✓ Fix: Show, don't tell. Instead of stating that empathy is important to you, demonstrate empathy by acknowledging what the other person in the CASPer scenario might be feeling and letting that understanding shape your response.
Not preparing for CASPer video responses
If your CASPer test includes video responses, many students prepare only for the typed section and find the video format unexpectedly difficult on the day. Spoken CASPer responses under time pressure feel very different from typed ones — and the format can throw off even well-prepared applicants who haven't practised it.
✓ Fix: Include CASPer video practice in your preparation. The core skills are the same, but speaking clearly and coherently under CASPer time pressure is a skill that benefits from specific practice before your CASPer test.
"Most CASPer mistakes aren't about intelligence or values — they're about preparation habits that are easy to change once you know what to look for."
The underlying pattern
Looking across all these common CASPer mistakes, there's a consistent theme: most of them come from approaching CASPer as a test to pass rather than a situation to engage with genuinely.
CASPer is designed to assess how you'd actually think and behave in complex real-world situations. Responses that engage authentically with that complexity — even imperfectly — tend to score better than polished but generic responses that tick boxes without really connecting with the scenario.
The best CASPer preparation develops this habit of genuine engagement. Timed CASPer practice, followed by honest review of your responses against these common mistakes, is the most reliable way to improve your CASPer score before your test.