Health and Public Safety Entrance Testing Process

Before you begin, please ensure you know which parts of the Entrance Testing Process your chosen program requires. 

CASPer – situational judgement assessment

To complete the CASPer assessment, visit TakeAltus.com to create an account and register to book an appointment to complete the assessment. The times for the CASPer assessment appointments are in Eastern Standard Time (EST), and you do not need to complete a Snapshot assessment.

The test typically is a 100-120 minute online, open-response situational judgement test.

It is recommended that applicants complete the assessment as early as possible.

Find further information on registering and preparing for the CASPer assessment. 

*Test fees are non-refundable.

The assessment can only be completed once within the academic year (July 1 through June 30 the following year), but you can use the same assessment results for multiple program applications. Make sure to pay the distribution fee for each program you are interested in so that your results are forwarded to the appropriate program(s).

Only one CASPer result will be accepted per application.

The CASPer assessment evaluates non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics important for academic and professional success in healthcare. This assessment is comprised of 12 sections of video and written scenarios. Following each scenario, you will have a set amount of time to answer a set of probing questions. Proficient typing skills may be an asset to applicants.

Marks are sent to the program approximately two weeks after the test session. 

Profession-Specific Entrance Assessment

This assessment may be written at any time beginning July 4^th. Note that once you pay for the assessment, you must write it immediately.

The test typically takes between 45-60 minutes to complete and must be completed in one sitting. Applicants who leave the test/room during the assessment may be disqualified. 

Assessments are labelled by program name and intake term, for example, Medical Laboratory Assistant – Fall 2023. One assessment must be completed for each health program and intake you are applying to at SAIT. Only one assessment result will be accepted per program application.

Marks are generated automatically and sent to the HPS program.

*Test fees are non-refundable.

The PSEA is used to evaluate your ability to answer questions delivered in written format and your capacity to understand and follow directions. The assessment may include multiple-choice and short-answer questions on reading comprehension, math, science, career awareness, typing skills, reasoning, and career awareness.

Applicants may prepare by reviewing course material from their program's academic admission requirement subjects. Career information can be found on the relevant program page, the ALIS website and other external resources.

Marks are generated automatically and sent to your desired HPS program administrator.

Applicants must submit a program application to each program they are interested in and are responsible for submitting all required documents to complete their academic admission requirements.

See admission requirements on the program page for application deadlines and academic admission requirements.

ETP scores will only be analyzed by the program once your application has been received.

The program will use ETP assessments to determine the overall ETP score. An overall ETP score greater than 50% is required to meet the non-academic admission requirement.

Once all ETP component scores, a complete application, and all application documents have been received, an application decision will be made. The status of the application and the final decision can be tracked on mySAIT.

We strongly encourage applicants to complete the ETP components as early as possible. The order of completion does not matter, though applicants should be aware that CASPer assessments may only be written on specific dates. Applicants are encouraged to complete all components of the ETP process (application, CASPer and/or PSEA) as early as they are able.

The programs which use the ETP offer seats on a first qualified, first offered basis and applications will not be considered unless all components of the ETP are satisfied .

An applicant’s ETP score is calculated once the application and ETP (CASPer and/or the PSEA) scores have been received.

Yes. You may complete the application before the CASPer and/or PSEA.

The programs which use the ETP offer seats on a first qualified, first offered basis and applications will not be considered unless all components of the ETP are satisfied and an application submitted.

Note: The CASPer assessment may only be taken once between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

Yes. The Profession-Specific Entrance Assessment is unique to each program and intake. If an applicant applies to multiple programs, or a program with multiple intakes, they will need to write a separate PSEA for each program.

For example, if you are applying to the Medical Laboratory assistant program for Winter 2023 and Fall 2023, you will need to complete a PSEA for each of those applications.

Only one PSEA result will be considered per application.

No. Applicants are not able to retake any component (CASPer and/or PSEA) of the entrance testing process. Applicants are required to re-apply to the program for the next intake.

Applicants do not need to submit their entrance testing process score. The SAIT program will generate the score and enter SAIT systems.

Scores from the ETP assessments are forwarded to your program(s) of choice, provided you have done the following:

• CASPer: paid the distribution fee for all program(s) you are applying to
• PSEA: completed the assessment for the program and intake(s) you are applying to

Programs will use these assessment results to generate the ETP score for an application. Applicants can monitor their application status through their mySAIT account.

Practice exams are not available for the CASPer assessment. However, there are materials and practice questions that applicants can review here.

Practice exams are not available for the PSEA assessment.

Questions in the exam will include reading comprehension, math, science, career awareness, typing skills, and reasoning-type questions which are pertinent to success in the profession and at a level equivalent to the admission requirements of the program.

Applicants may prepare by reviewing Alberta curriculum material for the admission requirement subjects for their program. Career information can be found on the relevant program page and the ALIS website.

CASPer is a situational judgement test. Applicants will be provided a scenario and asked how they would respond. Samples of the types of questions you may see during the assessment can be reviewed here. 

PSEA includes multiple-choice, math calculation, short-answer and/or typing questions in an online exam format. Applicants must be prepared to demonstrate that they have knowledge of the subjects at the level listed as academic requirements for the program.

The PSEA will be available as soon as payment has been made. We advise that students do not submit the payment for their PSEA until they are ready to write their exam as it begins as soon as the payment is processed. The assessment must be completed in one sitting. Applicants who leave the room during the assessment will be disqualified.

Applicants are expected to follow SAIT’s policies and procedures as it pertains to invigilation and security of examinations (AC.3.3.1 and schedules), distance education invigilation and security of examinations (AC.3.3.2 and schedules) and student academic conduct (AC.3.4.3 and schedules).

During the assessment applicants must;

• Remain seated in their chair during the assessment;
• Complete the assessment in one sitting;
• Keep their face in the field of view of the camera;
• Only use permitted resources – I.e. no electronic devices except when permitted in the instructions;
• Verify their identity through the system;
• Complete the assessment as an individual with no support from additional resources.

CASPer assessments are done by appointment. Once you have paid for the assessment, you will need to choose the time that you would like to complete the assessment and the program(s) to which you would like to distribute results. Note: Assessment appointments are in Eastern Standard Time (EST).

SAIT library has only one or two computers available for guests. These computers are in a public area of the library which does not provide applicants with a distraction-free environment. The Calgary Public Library has alternative computer/technology options which an applicant can investigate.

Each assessment requires a piece of government-issued photo identification to complete the assessment. Further information for each assessment is below.  

CASPer: Review the Preparing for CASPer pages here.

PSEA: Applicants should review the assessment instructions to know what to bring to an assessment as they differ by program. The only program able to use an external calculator is the Nuclear Medicine Technology program. All other programs must use the PSEA built-in calculator which is located on the right-hand side of the assessment questions. Look for the icon below.

No start/stop is permitted during either assessment. Once an applicant starts an assessment, they must complete it in one sitting. Stepping away from the screen during the assessment is not permitted. This would be considered a violation of the student code of conduct and result in initiation of the SAIT procedure.

An applicant will need to communicate with the technical resource team available through the testing system to address any issues which arise during the assessment.

As the assessment is invigilated through the software platform, the program will review each applicant’s assessment completion and will determine on a case-by-case basis if an assessment retake is granted. Technical issues, not related to the Profession Specific Exam platform, are the responsibility of the applicant and rewrites will not be granted.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure a stable internet connection in advance of writing their assessment. An applicant will need to communicate with the technical resources persons available through the testing system to address any issues which arise during the assessment. As the assessment is invigilated through the software platform, the program will review each applicant’s assessment completion and will determine on a case-by-case basis if an assessment redo is granted.

For the Profession Specific Entrance Assessment (PSEA), the following notification may pop up. Follow the instructions carefully.

Due to the volume of applications, individualized feedback for the CASPer assessment and the PSEA are not provided to applicants. An applicant’s ETP score is generated only after all ETP assessments and program applications are completed. Once the program receives each component score, an ETP score is generated for the applicant.

An applicant’s ETP program score must be >50% to meet the non-academic admission requirement for the program.

Scores will not be evaluated by the program until after applications open in October.

CASPer assessment scores are distributed to the program approximately two weeks following the session.

PSEA scores are provided to the program following assessment completion.

Once an applicant completes the ETP and submits a program application, the Learner Experience team will use these component scores to generate an applicant’s ETP score for the program and submit it to the system. Applicants should continue to review their mySAIT account to monitor the status of their application.