CASAA Verification 101

One of the first steps to achieving acceptance to an anesthesiologist assistant school is creating a CASAA account. CASAA is an acronym for Centralized Application Service for Anesthesiologist Assistants and is the required online application software for every AA school in the country. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve a complete and verified application that can be submitted to all your schools of interest. The terminology that CASAA uses to define the stage of your application can be confusing so let's break it down.

Overview

CASAA uses different statuses to define exactly where you are in the application process.


You can check the status of your application by navigating to the top menu bar within CASAA and pressing "Check Status". You'll then see a column denoting your application status.


Here is the big picture overview: In Progress --> Complete --> Verified. Keep in mind that it's helpful to nuance each of these stages.

In Progress

When you initially create a CASAA account and add your anesthesia programs of interest, your application will have an "in progress" status.


"In Progress" means you have not completed or submitted the application. In other words, it means you're still putting together your application by answering the required questions, requesting evaluations (also known as letters of recommendations), writing your personal statement, and sending transcripts.


Programs do not evaluate or invite for interviews any applicants whose application is still "In Progress" because the application is incomplete.

Complete

Your application is considered complete once you submit your application along with all program-specific documents required through CASAA, if applicable.


Here is a checklist to ensure your application can move to the "Complete" status.

  • CASAA has received all your required transcripts
  • 3 evaluations have been completed
  • Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) has been completed and approved by you, if you chose to use that service

Once you submit your complete application, you'll be put in the que to become verified. Note that you can still submit an application before sending official standardized test scores, and your application will still be placed in que for verification even without the test scores. In other words, test scores can be received by CASAA at any point during the application cyle, whether that is before or after verification.

Verified

During verification, your degree(s) and coursework are confirmed. In other words, verification makes sure that what you manually entered (or what PTE entered) into your application matches your transcript. You can think of it like your application is being fact-checked.


If you plan to take courses in the future that are not yet reflected on your official transcript, you can self-report those future courses on your application. Those courses will be label as "planned/in-progress" courses and will be considered unverified. Don't worry that those future courses are considered unverified because they won't prevent your overall application from being verified. It is relatively common to apply while still having an outstanding prerequisite.


Also during verification, CASAA calculates your GPA so that each applicant's GPA is determined by the exact same criteria. Admissions committees can then be sure they're comparing apple to apples in terms of GPA. So yes, even though your university already has a GPA on your transcript, CASAA will recalculate it according to their own standards. CASAA even breaks down your GPA into different categories instead of simply giving an overall GPA. For example, the admissions committee will be able to see subject specific GPAs such as science as well as year-level GPAs.


Here is exactly what the verification process looks like:

  • Every course you entered in the Transcript Entry section of your application gets put into a specific course subject category
  • Every grade you entered in the Transcript Entry section is converted into a CASAA grade value
  • GPAs are then calculated using the converted grade values
  • Degrees awarded are confirmed

If you're wondering exactly how CASAA calculates your GPA, you can read more here.

Note that if any major mistakes are found during the verification process, your application will not be delivered ("undelivered" status) to your school of interest and instead will be returned to you for revision. You would then have to go through the verification process again.


When planning your application timeline, keep in mind that verification takes time, specifically up to 10 days! If you submit your application before the deadline, but it is not verified by the deadline, your application might not be considered by admissions committees. There is no way to speed up the verification process. The amount of time the verification process takes depends on the volume of applications that are ahead of you in the que to be verified.

A Word of Caution

Application status designations are often used differently by CASAA and by programs themselves!


When CASAA designates an application as "complete", it means it can be submitted for verification because CASAA has received your transcripts and has received 3 evaluations. Remember that at this stage, CASAA still might not have received your test scores yet.


When CAA programs refer to complete applications, what they really mean is you have a verified application, submitted standardized test scores, and have done any supplemental requirements.


Put another way, don't let having the "verified" status give you a false sense of security about having your application all done and wrapped up in a bow.


Even if you have a "verified" application, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a finished application, and it certainly doesn't mean you meet all the requirements for a particular program.


Here are a couple of example scenarios of having a "verified" application but still not having a fully finished application that meets programmatic requirements.

Example 1:

You see your application status as "verified" in CASAA, but you still have not submitted your standardized test scores.


Note that programs typically will not review your application until you remedy the situation by sending official scores.


This one is pretty straight forward, so let's look at a more nuanced example.

Example 2:

You see your application status as "verified" in CASAA, yet you took prerequisite courses that do not meet the prerequisite requirements for that program.


The bottom line here is that CASAA will not confirm whether a course you took actually satisfies a program's requirement. CASAA leaves that to the discretion of each program.


For example, let's say that the program you've applied to does not accept survey courses for the science prerequisites, but you matched a survey course to the prerequisite.


Referring to the course catalog photo below, let's say you matched CH2010/CH2020, "Survey of Organic Chemistry" to the organic chemistry requirement. Well, CASAA did their part of verifying that you indeed actually took that course, but CASAA doesn't have the final say over whether that prerequisite satisfies the programmatic requirement. If the program does not accept survey courses, then the courses that would satisfy the prerequisite are actually CH2230/2270.

In this situation, you would technically have a "verified" application but it would not be considered fully complete by the program because you have not met the prerequisites.


Remember, verification is simply fact checking on CASAA's end (as well as GPA calculation).


Ultimately, keep in mind that the onus is on you as the applicant to ensure you're meeting all program-specific requirements.

Let's Close With Nuance

Here's a nuanced version of the CASAA application status. Think of it like this:

Rapid Fire FAQs

Can I submit my application even though I have not submitted my standardized test scores yet?

Yes, you can. You'll be placed in que for verification when you submit your application. Keep in mind that programs typically will not review your application until you also send official scores.

Can my application become verified even if I have not yet completed all the prerequisites?

Yes, your overall application status can be verified even though future planned courses themselves are unverified. It is relatively common to apply even with outstanding prerequisite(s). Programs will require final transcripts prior to matriculation to confirm you've completed all the prerequisite courses.

Can I submit my application for verification if one or more of my evaluators have not completed their evaluation (ie. letter of recommendation)?

No. All 3 evaluations must be complete in order to submit a complete application for verification. In other words, your application cannot achieve the verified status without the completion of all 3 evaluations.

If I have achieved the "verified" status, is there anything else I need to do?

Maybe. Keep in mind that you can have a complete and verified application for CASAA but still not have a complete application for a specific program if they require additional documents. Be sure you've met any supplemental requirements laid out by each individual program and ensure you've submitted official standardized test scores.

How long does verification take?

It depends on the volume of applications. During a low-volume time, verification may take a couple of days. During high volume, verification can take up to ten days.

Can I speed up the verification process?

No. It's a waiting game. Be sure you plan enough time prior to the application deadline to account for verification.

Will CASAA update me on a status change of my application?

Yes. CASAA will notify you when you are verified. Additionally, you can check your status for each program by looking in the "Check Status" section of the application.

During verification, does CASAA contact the supervisors I listed in the "Experiences" section?

No. CASAA does not contact your supervisors to verify each experience. These are the four things that happen during verification:

  • Every course you entered in the Transcript Entry section of your application gets put into a specific course subject category
  • Every grade you entered in the Transcript Entry section is converted into a CASAA grade value
  • GPAs are then calculated using the converted grade values
  • Degrees awarded are confirmed

It is up to the discretion of each program to reach out to a supervisor during their application review process.

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Sarah is the founder of Aspiring CAA, a practicing certified anesthesiologist assistant, clinical preceptor, and assistant professor at a master of medical science program. With admission committee experience and an intricate knowledge of the admissions process, she helps guide prospective CAA students on their career journey.

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About this blog

Aspiring CAA is the go-to blog for expert advice on how to become a CAA. Founded by a practicing certified anesthesiologist assistant, clinical preceptor, and assistant professor at a master of medical science program in anesthesiology, Aspiring CAA makes admissions guidance readily available to all aspiring anesthesiologist assistants. With admission committee experience and an intricate knowledge of the admissions process, Aspiring CAA takes the guess work out of applying to CAA school.

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