Programs are looking to make sure that students are not only academically capable but also possess suitable personal and professional qualities that make them more likely to succeed in the profession.
Please check our Dates and Fees page or your program’s website(s) for information on whether Snapshot is an admissions requirement or not.
Programs use Snapshot to further probe your communication skills and motivation for the profession. Snapshot can be used at multiple points in the admissions process, but is often used to help refine the pool of candidates they’d like to interview, inform their rank list or to break a tie among the team. Program reviewers go through similar training as Casper raters to ensure they’re rating as objectively as possible. They learn about implicit bias and use a rubric to guide their rating.
You can complete Snapshot anytime after logging in to your Altus Suite account to reserve your Casper test date. It is recommended that you complete Snapshot within 14 days of taking Casper. This will ensure that all components of your Altus Suite are available together to be considered by your program(s), if they are an admissions requirement as per the program website(s). Should individual program requirements change, you will still be able to complete Snapshot at any time before your earliest program distribution deadline, as shown on the Dates and Fees page
Although you may need to complete more than one Casper test (i.e., US Professional Health Sciences and US Medicine Casper tests) for the different programs you’re applying to, you’ll usually only need to complete one Snapshot, which will be sent to all the programs on your distribution list. The most common situation in which you’ll need to complete more than one Snapshot is if you’re applying to both English and French programs. In this case you’ll need to take Snapshot for each language. To check if you need to complete more than 1 Snapshot, please refer to the Snapshot section of your Altus Suite account after reserving your Casper tests.
Preparing for Snapshot is easy. Ensure your internet, microphone, and webcam are working and reliable before starting. We recommend you wear headphones with a microphone as this will help programs hear you more clearly. Although raters are advised not to consider your clothing, certain clothing choices (e.g., pyjamas) can be distracting. Wear what you would normally wear to an interview and make sure the room you’re in is free of distractions and potential disruptions (e.g., clutter and noise). You can read our blog for more tips on succeeding in a video interview.