Scores & results

I Got a 2nd Quartile CASPer Score. What Should I Do Next?

A 2nd quartile CASPer result places you in the second-lowest of four relative bands, often described as the lower-middle band. It is below third and fourth quartile, but above first. It does not mean you failed CASPer, and it does not give you enough information to predict an admissions decision.

If the result was disappointing, start with the decisions that matter now. You need to know whether your programs have received it, what their current policies say, and which application tasks are still open. Trying to guess which answer went wrong will not resolve those questions.

What does a second-quartile CASPer score mean?

Quartiles put results into four ordered bands. Second quartile is the second band when counting upward from the lowest. It is a relative placement, not a score of two out of four or a mark of 50 percent. Acuity's quartile guide explains how the comparison relates to the same test type and scenario responses.

If you want the wider comparison, see what counts as a good CASPer score. The third-quartile guide covers the next band up. Neither label identifies your exact position within the band.

Is 2nd quartile a bad CASPer score?

It is a lower result than third or fourth quartile. Calling it “bad” without specifying the program adds anxiety without answering the admissions question. Acuity states that CASPer is not pass/fail and programs decide how to use it.

That leaves two mistakes to avoid: assuming the result has no consequences, or assuming it ends every application. If a program publishes a requirement you do not meet, take that seriously. If it publishes no quartile cutoff, do not invent one from forum posts or assume admission is safe.

You also cannot calculate how much GPA, another test, or a reference would “cancel out” second quartile unless the program publishes a process that supports that calculation. Treat the actual policy as the starting point, rather than building an imaginary admissions formula.

What should you do with your current application?

Make a brief note for each program with these four fields:

• CASPer policy: the current official page and any published requirement or weighting.
• Delivery: whether the correct program is selected and your completed test shows results delivered.
• Matching details: whether your application identifiers match the information in your Acuity account.
• Next deadline: the document, reference, or other application step you can still complete.

Check Acuity's instructions for confirming score delivery if a portal status is unclear. Result delivery and admissions evaluation are different steps; seeing “delivered” does not indicate whether the result met a program's expectations.

Once those checks are done, put your attention into outstanding tasks. Do not withdraw solely because another applicant online called second quartile “fatal.” A general comment does not establish your program's rule or the outcome of your file.

Can you tell why you got second quartile?

The result cannot show that typing speed, one ethical dilemma, or your video section caused the band. Acuity's scoring explanation says typed and video responses contribute to one overall score. Individual questions are rated independently. A broad result does not provide a response-by-response diagnosis.

That is why “I got second quartile, so I must lack empathy” is an unsupported conclusion. If you prepare again, assess what you can observe in fresh practice: whether your answer addresses the question, explains a decision, or gets cut off before a useful action. Those observations give you something specific to work on without pretending to reconstruct the official scoring.

Can you retake CASPer to change second quartile?

A disappointing score does not create a same-cycle retake option. Acuity's standard rule is one test per test type per admissions cycle. Future cycles require a new test. A different required test type is separate, and verified technical issues follow Acuity's support process.

Buying more practice now will not change a completed test result. Practice makes sense when you have another required sitting ahead of you. In that case, start with a manageable review routine instead of a promise to jump from second to fourth quartile.

For a future test: turn a vague answer into an actionable one

Here is an original practice exercise. A teammate has missed two agreed deadlines, leaving the rest of the group to finish the work. You are asked what you would do. This is an illustration, not an official CASPer question or a response assigned an official quartile.

The useful change is specificity: a private conversation, a fact to clarify, an action, and a contingency. The second answer still needs to fit the exact question and any new information. Do not memorize it as a universal script or attach a predicted quartile to it.

1. Answer an unfamiliar scenario under the relevant timer.
2. Highlight your proposed action and the reason for it. If either is missing, revise.
3. Check whether you considered the people affected without assuming their motives.
4. Try a new scenario and look for the same habit. Review typed and spoken answers separately.

Our CASPer study plan helps organize those sessions. CasperCoach's AI feedback can support response review; it cannot explain your official second-quartile result or guarantee your next official score.