CASPer Exam CASPer: Situational Judgment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A fellow student collapses in the library and appears unresponsive. You are not yet trained in first aid. What should you do first?
- Wait to see if they wake up on their own before causing unnecessary alarm
- Call 911 immediately, stay with the student, and ask bystanders to find someone with first aid training (Correct answer)
- Try to perform CPR even though you have no training
- Leave to find a trained professional and do not call anyone since you might give wrong information
Correct answer: Call 911 immediately, stay with the student, and ask bystanders to find someone with first aid training
Calling emergency services immediately and staying present is the safest action regardless of personal training level.
Question 2: You are on a committee and realize that a decision the group is about to make will disproportionately disadvantage a minority group, though no one else has raised the concern. What do you do?
- Stay silent because raising it may slow the process and upset colleagues
- Vote against the decision without explaining your reasoning
- Clearly and respectfully voice your concern, present supporting evidence, and propose alternatives that reduce the disparate impact (Correct answer)
- Leave the committee in protest to signal your disagreement
Correct answer: Clearly and respectfully voice your concern, present supporting evidence, and propose alternatives that reduce the disparate impact
Speaking up with evidence and alternatives fulfills an ethical responsibility to equity without obstructing the group process.
Question 3: You are tutoring a student who becomes emotionally overwhelmed and begins to cry, revealing significant personal stress beyond academics. How do you respond?
- Continue the tutoring session to use the time productively
- Tell the student to pull themselves together so you can focus
- Pause tutoring, acknowledge their feelings empathetically, and gently suggest campus mental health resources (Correct answer)
- Share your own personal problems to make them feel less alone
Correct answer: Pause tutoring, acknowledge their feelings empathetically, and gently suggest campus mental health resources
Pausing to acknowledge distress and connecting the student with appropriate support reflects genuine empathy and appropriate boundaries.
Question 4: You witness a peer take credit for a group idea during a presentation to faculty. The idea was primarily yours. How do you handle this?
- Interrupt the presentation to correct the record in front of faculty
- Say nothing and accept that credit attribution is unpredictable
- After the presentation, speak privately with your peer to address the misattribution and clarify your expectation going forward (Correct answer)
- Send an email to faculty that same day detailing your contribution
Correct answer: After the presentation, speak privately with your peer to address the misattribution and clarify your expectation going forward
A private conversation preserves the relationship and addresses the issue without creating a public confrontation.
Question 5: You are shadowing a physician who offers a treatment option that you recently read is outdated and associated with worse outcomes. What is the best approach?
- Say nothing since the physician has more experience and must be right
- Correct the physician in front of the patient to protect the patient
- After the appointment, respectfully ask the physician about the current evidence on that treatment and share the study you read (Correct answer)
- Report the physician to a licensing board for potential malpractice
Correct answer: After the appointment, respectfully ask the physician about the current evidence on that treatment and share the study you read
Raising concerns privately and framing them as curiosity allows for professional dialogue without undermining the physician-patient relationship.
Question 6: A patient in a clinical setting discloses to you that they are experiencing domestic violence but begs you not to tell anyone. How do you respond?
- Promise full confidentiality to build trust and say nothing further
- Immediately call police without discussing it with the patient
- Acknowledge their courage, provide information about resources, explain mandatory reporting obligations if applicable, and involve the care team appropriately (Correct answer)
- Document the disclosure and do nothing else unless they bring it up again
Correct answer: Acknowledge their courage, provide information about resources, explain mandatory reporting obligations if applicable, and involve the care team appropriately
Validating the disclosure, providing resources, and being transparent about reporting obligations balances trust with duty of care.
Question 7: You are asked to evaluate a peer's work as part of a structured peer review exercise. You find significant flaws but the peer is a close friend. How do you write your review?
- Write a glowing review to protect the friendship
- Write an overly harsh review to appear impartial
- Provide honest, constructive, and specific feedback that focuses on the work rather than the person (Correct answer)
- Recuse yourself entirely to avoid any appearance of bias
Correct answer: Provide honest, constructive, and specific feedback that focuses on the work rather than the person
Honest, specific, and constructive feedback serves the peer's development and the integrity of the review process.
CASPer Exam CASPer: Situational Judgment 3
A fellow student collapses in the library and appears unresponsive.
You are not yet trained in first aid.
What should you do first?