Registration & Booking
How to Register for the CASPer Test
Registering for CASPer takes about fifteen minutes. The part that trips people up is not the form, it is everything around it: picking the right test type, matching your ID exactly, and booking early enough that your date still exists. Here is the whole process, plus the mistakes that cost people a sitting.
The short version
- Create an account at takealtus.com.
- Pick the test that matches your program type and application cycle.
- Choose a date and time, ideally two to four weeks out.
- Pay the base fee, around $40 USD.
- Add your programs to the distribution list, roughly $16 USD each.
- Run the system check on the machine you will actually use.
Before you open the registration page
Get these four things in front of you first. Every one of them has ended someone's test day when it was sorted out too late.
A government-issued photo ID
Passport, driver's licence, or national ID card. It must be unexpired, physical rather than a photo on your phone, and the name has to match your registration. If your legal name has a middle name on the ID, put the middle name in your registration too. This is the single most common reason people get turned away at the start of the test.
The computer you will actually use
A laptop or desktop with a working webcam and microphone. Not a tablet, not a phone. Register from the machine you plan to test on so you can run the system check on the real hardware rather than discovering a driver problem on the morning of.
Your program category
CASPer is sold per program type: medicine, nursing, dentistry, physician assistant, teacher education and so on. Booking the wrong one means your score will not reach your schools. If you are applying across categories, check whether your schools accept a single sitting or want a category-specific one.
A rough school list
Not mandatory at registration, but useful. Distribution is priced per program, so knowing whether you are sending to four schools or eighteen changes your total by a lot. Our CASPer cost breakdown walks through the full arithmetic.
Registering, step by step
1. Create your Acuity Insights account
Everything happens at takealtus.com. Acuity Insights, formerly Altus Assessments, runs CASPer, Snapshot and Duet, so one account covers whichever your schools require. Use an email address you will still be checking in six months, because your score release notice comes there.
2. Pick your test and cycle
You will choose a program type and an application cycle. The cycle matters as much as the type. A CASPer score is valid for the cycle you booked it under, and it does not roll forward into next year. If you are applying this cycle, book this cycle.
3. Choose a date and time
Dates are specific slots, not open windows. You pick a calendar date and a start time, and you sit the test then. Registration for a given sitting closes roughly three days before it runs, so there is no such thing as a same-day booking.
Pick a time that matches when your brain works. CASPer is a judgment test under time pressure, and a 7am slot when you are not a morning person is a self-inflicted handicap. If you are unsure how the date fits your application timeline, our guide to the best time to write CASPer maps sittings against deadlines.
4. Pay the base fee
Around $40 USD at the time of writing, which covers the test itself plus distribution to a small starting set of programs. Fees vary by region and change between cycles, so treat that number as a planning figure and confirm the real one at checkout.
5. Add your programs
Each additional program past the included set costs roughly $16 USD. You do not have to do this at registration. You can add programs later, including after you have taken the test, which is useful if your school list is still moving. Just know that a late addition still has to land before that school's deadline.
6. Run the system check
Acuity provides a browser-based system check for camera, microphone and connection. Run it on the actual machine, on the actual network, in the actual room. A check that passes on your home wifi tells you nothing about the library you were planning to test from.
The deadlines that actually matter
There are three separate clocks running, and people usually only track one of them.
| Clock | Typical timing | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Registration close | About 3 days before the sitting | You cannot book that date at all |
| Results processing | 2 to 3 weeks after your test | Your score lands after the school wanted it |
| Your school's CASPer deadline | Set by each program, not by Acuity | The application is treated as incomplete |
Work backwards, not forwards
Find your earliest school deadline. Subtract three weeks for processing. That is the last sitting you can safely book. Then subtract another two weeks so you have a buffer if something goes wrong on test day. Whatever date that lands on is your real deadline, and it is usually a month earlier than people assume.
Do CASPer dates fill up?
Some do. The pattern is predictable: sittings in the four to six weeks before a major application deadline get crowded, and everything else stays open. Late summer and early autumn are the crunch for most medical cycles.
The fix is boring. Book the date first, prepare into it second. People do this backwards, waiting until they feel ready before booking, and then discover the only remaining slots are after their deadline. A booked date you have to prepare for is a much better problem than a deadline you cannot reach.
Registration mistakes that cost people a sitting
Name mismatch between ID and account
"Mike" on the registration and "Michael" on the passport is enough to fail the ID check. Register with your full legal name exactly as it appears on the document you will hold up.
Booking the wrong program type
A nursing CASPer will not satisfy a medical school. If you are applying to more than one category, check each program's requirement before you pay rather than after.
Booking the wrong cycle
Scores do not carry between cycles. A test booked under last cycle does nothing for this one, and you cannot transfer it.
Testing on borrowed or locked-down hardware
Work laptops and university machines often block camera or microphone access at the system level. You will not find out until the check fails. Use a machine you fully control.
Assuming you can rebook if it goes badly
One CASPer per cycle. You can reschedule before you sit it, but once you have taken the test that is your score. See the retake rules for what is and is not possible.
After you register
You will get a confirmation email with your date, time and a link back into your account. Two things are worth doing in the week that follows.
First, put the date in your calendar with a reminder three days out, which is roughly when the reschedule window closes. Second, start practising under the real timer. Reading about CASPer and sitting CASPer are different activities, and the gap between them is where quartiles are lost. A few timed practice scenarios will tell you more about your readiness than any amount of reading.
If your plans change, you can usually reschedule up until registration closes for your sitting. The mechanics are in our guide to rescheduling or cancelling a CASPer test.
The takeaway
Registration itself is a form. What makes it go wrong is timing and detail: booking too late for a date that still exists, mismatching your ID, or picking the wrong program type. Sort those three out and the rest is fifteen minutes and a credit card. Book the date, then prepare into it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you register for the CASPer test?+
You register through Acuity Insights at takealtus.com, not through your medical school or through AMCAS. You create one account, pick the test that matches your program type and cycle, then book a specific date and time. No third-party site can register you, so ignore anyone offering to do it for you.
How far in advance do you need to register for CASPer?+
Acuity closes registration for each sitting roughly three days before it runs, so you cannot book a test for tomorrow. Practically, book two to four weeks out. That leaves you time to prepare and gives you room to move the date if something goes wrong.
How much does it cost to register for CASPer?+
The base fee is around $40 USD and covers the test plus distribution to a small number of programs. Every additional program is roughly $16 USD. Fees change between cycles and differ by region, so confirm the current number on takealtus.com before you budget.
Do CASPer test dates fill up?+
Popular dates do fill, especially the ones sitting right before a big application deadline in late summer and early autumn. Off-peak dates are usually wide open. If a date matters to you, book it early rather than waiting to feel ready.
Can you register for CASPer without knowing your school list?+
Yes. You only need to pick the right test type for your program category at registration. You can add programs to your distribution list afterwards, including after you have already taken the test, though each addition costs a distribution fee.
What do you need to have ready before registering?+
A valid government-issued photo ID whose name matches your registration exactly, a working webcam and microphone, a stable internet connection, and a payment method. The ID name match is the one people get wrong, and it can cost you the sitting.
Can you register for CASPer more than once in a cycle?+
No. You get one CASPer per admissions cycle for a given program type. If you book and then take the test, you cannot rebook to improve your score in the same cycle. That is why picking your date carefully matters more than it might seem.