The big idea: Two response formats, one method. A couple of focused days of timed practice and a calm test-day setup are enough. Carry it into the test as: Split your time across both questions, trust your method, and let the quartile take care of itself.
Typed-section strategy
You have 3.5 minutes for two questions, so a little over a minute and a half each, plus a few seconds to read. That is enough for a complete, structured answer with nothing wasted.
Read both questions first. Spend the first 15 to 20 seconds on the scenario and both questions, so you do not pour everything into the first and discover the second too late.
Split the time on purpose. Give each question its share. A complete answer to both beats a polished answer to one and a fragment for the other, because the rater scores the whole scenario.
Lead with the decision, then justify. Under time pressure, a clean shape is: name the issue, decide, give your reason, add a perspective and a consequence. The moves can come in any order, as long as they are all there.
Write plainly. This is not an essay contest. Short, direct sentences move through DECIDE faster and read more clearly than ornate ones.
Typing speed quietly matters. The typed section rewards getting complete thoughts down quickly. If your typing is slow, a little practice before test day pays off directly, because every saved second becomes reasoning on the page.
Video-section strategy
You have about a minute to speak each answer, and you cannot edit. The skill is the same as typed; the medium is different.
Use the reflection to find the dilemma. Before recording starts, name the conflict in your head. Walking in with the dilemma already named is half the answer.
Speak in four beats. The issue, a perspective, your decision and reason, and a consequence. That is a complete spoken answer in about a minute.
Take one breath before you start. A brief pause to organize beats rushing into the first sentence and rambling.
Do not freeze, and do not aim for perfect. If you blank, start by stating the dilemma out loud and the rest tends to follow. A calm, plain answer with a small stumble beats a slick one that never decides.
Delivery supports content. Look at the camera, speak at a steady pace, and stay composed. This is not acting; it is talking through your reasoning like a thoughtful person.
A two-day study plan
This assumes you have read Chapters 1 through 12. If not, read them first; they are short.
Day one: method.
Reread the DECIDE method (Chapter 5) and the question types (Chapter 6) until the routine is automatic.
Reread the weak-versus-strong rewrites (Chapter 9), the highest-yield pages in the book.
Work a few scenarios slowly, with no clock, focusing only on hitting every DECIDE move. Quality first, speed later.
Day two: timed practice and review.
Work the scenario sets in Chapter 12 actively, drafting before you read the models.
Then practice under realistic timing: typed scenarios at 3.5 minutes for two questions, and video scenarios at one minute spoken, recording yourself if you can. Use the official free full-length practice test for the most realistic run.
Review every answer with the competency lens: did I hit DECIDE, and which competencies did I show or miss? Fix the one habit that keeps recurring.
If you have only one day, internalize DECIDE, do one timed run, and review it. If you have a week, do not read more; do more timed reps, reviewed the same way.
The review habit
Practice only pays if you review it. After each answer, ask three quick questions:
Did I name the real dilemma and the stakeholders?
Did I decide and justify, and handle a consequence?
Which competencies did I show, and which did I miss?
Then name the single most common gap across your answers, never deciding, seeing one side, running out of time on the second question, and target that next. Fixing one recurring habit lifts many answers at once.
Test day
Casper is taken online, remotely, in a browser (Chrome or Firefox), with your webcam and microphone on throughout.
Run the system check early. Acuity requires a system and equipment check shortly before the test. Do it well in advance, and make sure your camera, microphone, and connection are solid.
Set up a quiet, private space. You need to be uninterrupted for the full sitting, and the video section means you will be speaking out loud.
Use the breaks and the reflection periods. Take the optional breaks to reset, and use the 30-second reflection before each scenario to find the dilemma before the clock on your answer starts.
Expect to feel unsure, and do not panic. Because there is no answer key and you never see a score, almost everyone finishes feeling uncertain. That feeling is normal and tells you nothing about how you did. Run your method on every scenario and let the result be what it is.
Confirm the current requirements, dates, and steps with Acuity Insights when you register, since these change between cycles.
Keep it in proportion
Casper is one signal in your application, read alongside your grades, your other tests, your essays, and your experiences. Prepare enough to make your reasoning consistent and complete under the clock, then put your remaining energy where it belongs. Walk in calm, run DECIDE on every scenario, answer every part, and treat the people in each story like people. That is the whole test.
Key takeaways
Typed: read both questions, split your time, lead with a justified decision, write plainly, and build a little typing speed.
Video: find the dilemma in the reflection, speak in four beats, take a breath, and stay calm; do not chase perfect.
Two focused days are enough: method on day one, timed practice and review on day two, using the official free practice test.
Review every answer against DECIDE and the competencies, and fix your one recurring gap.
Set up early, use the breaks, expect to feel unsure, and keep the test in proportion.
