On your casper test you are allowed to have a pen or pencil with pieces of paper with you. Surprisingly many test
takers do not use this precious tool wisely or do not use it all. Taking notes allows you to gather many of your
fleeting ideas and information about the situation as you listen to the scenario and reflect on it.
Not writing your ideas down and forgetting to consider them in your responses can lead to a lower grade compared to if
you did include them. Showing that you are considering many dimensions of the problem logically while being empathetic
shows that you are able to make better decisions as a professional.
Before we talk about what information we should take notes on, we should discuss when to take notes and how much
information you should take down. You should take notes while you are being presented with the scenario and when you
have 30 seconds of reflection time. Just make sure your note taking does not interfere with listening and fully
understanding the scenario presented to you. You can miss crucial information if you take your focus off the scenario.
You should not waste your time taking down comprehensive notes but dedicate the little time you have to think of the
different dimensions of the problem. You should only write enough words down so that you can be reminded of your idea
when you see it. This can be done effectively with writing down 1 to 3 words. You should stop taking notes and start
typing as soon as the reflection time is over.
The type of information you should make notes on can differ based on the type of scenario. Generally, you should take
notes on all the ideas that come to your head that help to answer the questions in that scenario. Although after
watching or reading the scenario you do not know exactly what question you will be asked, you will have an overall idea
of what the scenario is looking to ask you after you are presented with all the information. We will go over how to take
notes on two general types of casper scenarios.
In casper video scenarios you are usually presented with two sides of an argument where you are asked about which one
you will pick or advise someone to do. In such scenarios some of the Information you should take notes on are:
Pros of each side of the argument
Further information you should gather to come to a final decision
Alternative solutions if possible
Names of parties involved and their role(this is optional)
If you are typically forgetful of the names and roles of the parties involved you should write them down to ensure you
do not confuse different characters in the scene.
In Casper word based scenarios you are typically presented with a quote, or abstract concepts such as leadership or
team work. Taking notes for these types of questions is a bit harder as you cannot directly predict the specific
questions that might be asked. However you should still write down notes on what you might be talking about.
In such scenarios some of the Information you should take notes on are:
Personal experiences
What you learned from that experience
How you understand the concept and apply it to your life
and anything else that comes to mind depending on that scenario
On your next casper practice question try taking notes appropriately and see for yourself the impact that note taking
can have on improving your answers.