Start with the test type in your Acuity Insights account. A preparation timer is useful only when it matches the assessment you have actually booked. The admissions cycle, program category and any approved accommodations matter; a search result headed “CASPer format” may describe a different version.
This guide was checked against official information on October 26, 2026. Use your account instructions and the current provider guidance if anything changes. QuietStride's rehearsal exercises below are independent teaching suggestions, not official test questions or scoring criteria.
The current structure, with its important exception
For the standard 2026–27 format, the official guidance specifies:
| Section | Scenarios | Response time |
|---|---|---|
| Video responses | 4 | Two questions per scenario, one at a time; one minute for each answer |
| Typed responses | 7 | Two questions together; 3.5 minutes for the pair |
There is an optional ten-minute break after video responses and an optional five-minute break after the first four typed scenarios. The estimated total is 65–85 minutes. Australian teacher-education applicants have a shorter version: two video scenarios and six typed scenarios, one optional ten-minute break after video responses, and an estimated duration of 45–65 minutes. Confirm your version using the official format guidance.
A video scenario and a video response are different concepts. The former describes how the situation is presented; the latter describes how you answer. Follow the response method requested on screen rather than assuming that watching a video always means recording an answer.
Let official practice establish the baseline
Complete the free official practice available in your account before building your own rehearsal. Acuity's practice tool does not save or assess your answers, so it cannot provide a diagnostic score. Its value here is letting you experience the interface. See practice access and limitations.
Afterward, make a short process note without reproducing assessment content. Record observations such as “I began speaking before I had identified the actual question,” “I missed the second prompt until late,” or “My microphone was much quieter than expected.” Each describes something you can investigate. “I am bad at CASPer” does not identify a repair.
Keep a boundary between three kinds of rehearsal:
- Platform familiarization: learning where instructions, timers and response controls appear.
- Communication practice: explaining a decision clearly using an original fictional situation.
- Setup rehearsal: checking whether your room, equipment and arrangements are workable.
A smooth device check does not demonstrate good judgment. An articulate answer does not prove that your microphone will work on test day. Give each job its own evidence.
A worked example: two questions, two different jobs
Original fictional practice scenario: You help coordinate a university repair café. A volunteer promises a visitor that their broken appliance will be repaired today. The technician has not inspected it, and the event closes soon.
Question one: What would you do now? Question two: How would your response change if the visitor had already paid for a replacement part based on that promise?
A common practice error is to use nearly all the available time telling a complete story for question one. The second answer then becomes “I would do the same thing,” although the added financial consequence changes what needs attention.
One possible first response is:
I would clarify with the technician what can realistically be assessed before closing and correct the promise promptly with the visitor. I would explain that we cannot confirm a repair before inspection, acknowledge the confusion, and offer the available next steps. I would speak privately with the volunteer afterward about avoiding commitments they cannot verify.
A possible second response is:
The purchase adds a concrete cost caused by our promise. I would establish what was said and what the visitor bought, then involve the event lead in discussing a fair remedy within our authority. I would not promise reimbursement myself if I cannot authorize it. The visitor should receive a clear explanation of who will decide and when they will hear back.
These examples are not model answers to memorize. Notice the difference in work: the first repairs an expectation; the second adds responsibility for an expense and a decision-maker. Both remain attentive to the visitor without inventing a repair guarantee or refund policy.
A remedy also needs facts: whether the part is suitable, whether it can be returned, and what the visitor wants to do next. Those facts may change the available options without erasing the misleading promise. Taking responsibility means helping resolve the consequence within your role; it does not require inventing authority to offer an unlimited refund.
Rehearse a decision, then check what survived the timer
Use the timing appropriate to your registered format. After responding to a new original situation, mark three things in your answer: the action you chose, the reason for it, and the fact that would change your next step. If one is absent, identify whether you never considered it or considered it but failed to express it.
Those are different practice needs. Missing reasoning calls for an untimed discussion. Missing expression may call for a shorter opening or less repetition. Repeating a timed set without making that distinction can conceal the problem.
Do not turn a suggested time allocation into another rigid rule. Two questions may require different amounts of explanation. During practice, compare whether your allocation allowed both questions to receive substantive answers, then adjust. The purpose is coverage and clarity, not hitting a universal word count.
Make the rehearsal honest
Use original practice prompts and resist placing a ready-made response beside your screen. A rehearsal with hidden assistance teaches you little about what you can express independently. On the actual assessment, Acuity permits specified materials such as blank paper and a pen but prohibits prewritten notes and unapproved assistance; read the current test rules directly.
If a rehearsal exposes an access need, investigate the provider's accommodations process early instead of deciding you must simply tolerate the barrier. If it exposes a practical issue, such as interruption by housemates, solve that arrangement before doing more questions.
Your next useful session can be small: official familiarization, one original two-question situation, and one observation about what to change. QuietStride's CASPer practice space offers independent scenarios for that last step. A convincing rehearsal is one that reveals a specific next action, not one that feels flawless.