CASPer Exam CASPer: Situational Judgment 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are late for an important exam because of a serious personal emergency. The exam has already started when you arrive. What is the most appropriate action?
- Skip the exam and do not inform anyone until later
- Enter quietly without saying anything and hope to catch up
- Speak with the proctor or faculty immediately, explain the situation honestly, and ask about accommodation options (Correct answer)
- Ask a classmate to share notes on what was covered in the first few minutes
Correct answer: Speak with the proctor or faculty immediately, explain the situation honestly, and ask about accommodation options
Transparent communication with faculty as soon as possible gives you the best chance of a fair accommodation.
Question 2: You notice that a healthcare provider in your clinic is documenting patient encounters they did not perform. What do you do?
- Assume there is a legitimate explanation and do nothing
- Confront the provider aggressively in the hallway
- Document your observations and report them through the appropriate institutional channel, such as a supervisor or compliance office (Correct answer)
- Discuss it with other colleagues to build a consensus before acting
Correct answer: Document your observations and report them through the appropriate institutional channel, such as a supervisor or compliance office
Fraudulent documentation is a serious patient safety issue requiring formal reporting through proper channels.
Question 3: You are part of a study group and realize one member has been sharing your group's unpublished study materials on a public website without permission. What is your first step?
- Post your own version to claim credit first
- Remove the person from the group chat without explanation
- Speak directly with the member, ask them to take the materials down, and explain why this is a problem (Correct answer)
- Contact the website to have the content removed without telling the group member
Correct answer: Speak directly with the member, ask them to take the materials down, and explain why this is a problem
Direct communication gives the person the opportunity to correct the mistake and understand why it was wrong.
Question 4: A patient expresses distrust of all physicians because of a prior bad experience and refuses to engage with your team. How do you respond?
- Tell the patient their distrust is irrational and ask them to cooperate
- Discharge the patient since they are refusing to engage
- Acknowledge their past experience with empathy, listen without judgment, and work to build trust incrementally at the patient's pace (Correct answer)
- Hand the patient over to another provider immediately to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Acknowledge their past experience with empathy, listen without judgment, and work to build trust incrementally at the patient's pace
Acknowledging past harm and building trust gradually is the most effective and ethical approach to engaging a distrustful patient.
Question 5: You are asked to co-sign a document for a colleague that you have not personally reviewed. They say it is urgent and routine. What do you do?
- Sign it quickly since you trust your colleague and it seems routine
- Refuse outright and tell them to find someone else
- Politely decline to sign until you have had adequate time to review the document personally (Correct answer)
- Sign it but add a note that you did not review the contents
Correct answer: Politely decline to sign until you have had adequate time to review the document personally
A co-signature carries legal and ethical accountability, requiring personal review regardless of urgency or trust.
Question 6: You are preparing a research abstract and realize a co-author included data points you believe are selectively chosen to exaggerate results. What should you do?
- Submit the abstract since you did not choose the data yourself
- Remove the suspicious data without telling the co-author
- Raise the concern with the co-author directly and, if unresolved, consult a supervisor or research integrity office (Correct answer)
- Add a disclaimer in the abstract that the data was chosen by another author
Correct answer: Raise the concern with the co-author directly and, if unresolved, consult a supervisor or research integrity office
All co-authors share responsibility for research integrity, requiring direct engagement and escalation if necessary.
Question 7: You are on a sports team and your coach instructs you to play through an injury that your doctor has advised you to rest. What is your best course of action?
- Play through the injury because team loyalty comes first
- Quit the team to avoid the conflict
- Explain your doctor's advice to the coach respectfully and prioritize your health over short-term team performance (Correct answer)
- Play but tell nobody so you do not seem weak
Correct answer: Explain your doctor's advice to the coach respectfully and prioritize your health over short-term team performance
Medical advice must take precedence over a coach's instruction, and communicating this clearly is both honest and self-protective.
CASPer Exam CASPer: Situational Judgment 4
You are late for an important exam because of a serious personal emergency.
The exam has already started when you arrive.
What is the most appropriate action?