EPPP success story

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Just wanted to provide a little hope for those of you that are preparing to take the EPPP. I studied long and hard for the exam (approximately 2 months as my full time job) using AATBS materials and found out today that I passed the exam. After never scoring above a 69% on the 8 AATBS practice tests I took I was somewhat worried going into the exam. However, I took my time (every second of the 4 hours 15 minutes to be exact), did not change any of my answers from my initial gut feeling and came out with a great score in the end. One note, I've read from others about how many questions they were "sure" on coming out of the exam - one person said 65 questions another said over 100 questions. Well, I was "sure" about what felt like maybe 10-15 of the questions on the test and the rest I was able to narrow down to 2 at which point I used educated guessing. As I said it turned out well in the end and I wish all others who have yet to take the test the best success - you too will get through this hurdle and will be able to use the skills you've worked so hard to earn.

Thanks for the encouraging words! I plan to take it in May and am gathering all my study materials this month. Hopefully I can pass my first time too!

Cool! That must be such a relief to have it taken care of.

Thanks for posting your success story. I am using academic review and also am scoring in the 60s and 70s and am a little nervous as I will take the test in three weeks. Congratulations on your HUGE accomplishment

Thanks for the encouragement and congrats on passing! I plan to take the exam in 2 weeks and am stuck right at 69% on my practice tests (psych prep and aatbs). I plan to take the retired test questions soon and everyone tells me to expect a much higher score on those.

Good luck O Gurl! We are in the same place!!

Originally Posted by QClinician

Good luck O Gurl! We are in the same place!!

Thanks!

Update: I took the retired test questions and my score improved by 12 points. I got 82% correct. Now I am a bit puzzled and peeved as to why the practice tests from the prep companies are so dang hard! What the heck are they trying to do? Inspire learned helplessness?

What the heck are they trying to do? Inspire learned helplessness?

convince you of the effectiveness of their training program

Originally Posted by Jon Snow

convince you of the effectiveness of their training program

Well, they'd get a lot farther in that regard if by exam 5 of their series of 5 practice tests, I could actually break over the minimum passing score.

If I were waiting for their metric to indicate readiness, I'd be taking the darn exam a year from now.

Edit to add: Btw, I don't doubt you've identified the logic behind their tomfoolery. I recall my GRE prep materials being similarly absurd at the beginning (e.g. the diagnostic test). But the difference is that my performance on those quizzes/practice tests acutally improved in a manner semi-consistent to my study efforts. Anyhoot.. I'm just ranting. Guess that is what 200 items worth of double negatives and "most correct" answers will do to a gal.

O Gurl, glad to hear your score on the retired questions was so high. I will take one this weekend and pray its better! I just finished my 7th academic review test with a 69! With 18 days to go i am feeling nervous!

Also, i do think all the practice tests try to introduce you to as many different questions as possible so you can learn the answer in the event it happens to be on the real exam. If they kept testing us on the same 200 things, we wouldn't really be improving (or at least this is what i tell myself)

Originally Posted by O Gurl

Thanks for the encouragement and congrats on passing! I plan to take the exam in 2 weeks and am stuck right at 69% on my practice tests (psych prep and aatbs). I plan to take the retired test questions soon and everyone tells me to expect a much higher score on those.

I was planning to take it in March but I have been procrastinating. I am only using PsyPrep and have only completed the first 3 practice tests so far. I still haven't finished reading the study material once. I am in the mid-70's range the first time I take each of the practice tests and when I redo the first two I got to the high-80's range. Part of me feels like I am ready but part of me feels that I MUST read everything at least once and complete all the practice tests first. I have an irrational fear that I'll do much worse in the real exam...Hmmmm...

Originally Posted by SingingCow

I was planning to take it in March but I have been procrastinating. I am only using PsyPrep and have only completed the first 3 practice tests so far. I still haven't finished reading the study material once. I am in the mid-70's range the first time I take each of the practice tests and when I redo the first two I got to the high-80's range. Part of me feels like I am ready but part of me feels that I MUST read everything at least once and complete all the practice tests first. I have an irrational fear that I'll do much worse in the real exam...Hmmmm...

SingingCow, did you take the retired questions exam? that may give you a better idea of how you will do.

Originally Posted by QClinician

SingingCow, did you take the retired questions exam? that may give you a better idea of how you will do.

I haven't. Good idea. I will check them out.

Originally Posted by SingingCow

I was planning to take it in March but I have been procrastinating. I am only using PsyPrep and have only completed the first 3 practice tests so far. I still haven't finished reading the study material once. I am in the mid-70's range the first time I take each of the practice tests and when I redo the first two I got to the high-80's range. Part of me feels like I am ready but part of me feels that I MUST read everything at least once and complete all the practice tests first. I have an irrational fear that I'll do much worse in the real exam...Hmmmm...

I would second the retired test questions. Also, ASPPB offers an online practice test that simulates the real exam. You can purchase it for $55 any time after your jurisdiction approves you to test. I scored much higher on both of those than on the practice tests from PsychPrep (max score on 1st pass was 71%) and AATBS (max score on first pass was 73%). I imagine you will also see a boost to your (already very high) scores.

I just took the real exam today and can honestly say that the retired questions and online ASPBB practice test were truer to the items on the real test. I walked out of the test a few hours ago feeling far better than I did after any of the test company versions.

Maybe that is false confidence... I will let you all know in a few weeks when I get my scores.

CONGRATS! Hope you passed!!

Originally Posted by QClinician

CONGRATS! Hope you passed!!

Thank you.

Well if it encourages anyone.... I studied for about a week and a half intensely and didn't do much else to prepare....took the test two weeks ago. I have also been out of school for a LONG time...graduated in 2008. Got the email that online score was available so of course went and checked it... online it give no information but you name, date taken (for me March 5th 2012) and your scaled score. They say anything over 500 scaled score is passing.....I was well over 500. I have not got the letter in the mail yet...so am hoping that info in accurate (please tell me if its not!). Also....I was NOT passing any of the practice tests...took four...got in the low 60s on all of them. So I for one can say... the practice tests are not really the best indicator for if you are going to pass the actual exam...and don't be discrouaged if you are failing them (I know I was but took it anyway and I am glad I did). Also, don't be discouraged if you have not studied the insane amount of hours and MONTHS so many people claim they have. I can honestly say... I don't know that it would have made a bit of difference if I had studied for months.....or a week very intensely. I'm confused why people prepare for so long or put so much into the practice tests results. Don't get me wrong, its good to run through a few practice tests to get an idea of the questions...especially the ethics ones...but some people say they did 8 or even 10 of them and are passing them in the 80s....that seems a bit OVER KILL... so I wouldn't be intimadated if you are not near that level of OVER preparation. Just extra stress that is unecessary trying to achieve that.

^ Agreed. I think if someone is scoring in the 80s, it is time to take it.

Passed!

I also took the exam March 5, nichvasq. I agree with your assessment. Trying to get to 80s on the practice tests is probably overkill. I already spoke about my experience with those. I only made one pass through, but never scored above 72. I certainly did much better on the real one.

Originally Posted by O Gurl

Passed!

I also took the exam March 5, nichvasq. I agree with your assessment. Trying to get to 80s on the practice tests is probably overkill. I already spoke about my experience with those. I only made one pass through, but never scored above 72. I certainly did much better on the real one.

Great news, congratulations to ya

Originally Posted by AcronymAllergy

Great news, congratulations to ya

Thanks! This news couldn't be timed better. Birthday weekend (this weekend) will be EPIC

Would anybody recommend any particular program for just the online practice tests? I understand that the practice exams typically underestimate the score...but I bought 2011 EPPP study materials from a friend and she used the online tests it came with so I need to add some for me.

The cheapest I found after a quick search was $400 from Academic Review - that's 8 full practice tests but each test can only be taken once and the whole thing can only be accessed for 3 months (compared to their other test packages where you can take the tests multiple times and have longer access to it to spread out the tests more).

Also - any notecard recommendations from all the sets available out there? I absolutely love studying with notecards and would like to add them to the set as well

Originally Posted by O Gurl

Passed!

I also took the exam March 5, nichvasq. I agree with your assessment. Trying to get to 80s on the practice tests is probably overkill. I already spoke about my experience with those. I only made one pass through, but never scored above 72. I certainly did much better on the real one.

Congrats!

Originally Posted by blindchaos

Would anybody recommend any particular program for just the online practice tests? I understand that the practice exams typically underestimate the score...but I bought 2011 EPPP study materials from a friend and she used the online tests it came with so I need to add some for me.

The cheapest I found after a quick search was $400 from Academic Review - that's 8 full practice tests but each test can only be taken once and the whole thing can only be accessed for 3 months (compared to their other test packages where you can take the tests multiple times and have longer access to it to spread out the tests more).

Also - any notecard recommendations from all the sets available out there? I absolutely love studying with notecards and would like to add them to the set as well

I am using psych prep and really like it. I also purchased the EPPP notecards on my iPad and that is an awesome product.

How did you do on the EPPP?

Originally Posted by blindchaos

Would anybody recommend any particular program for just the online practice tests?.

I used Psych Prep, and it was $400 for access to the online tests...there are five of them you can take each of them three times (they encourage this, in fact, for mastery of the material), plus "quizzes"for each content area. I really liked PsychPrep; the materials were easy to follow, the quizzes were difficult but helpful (the first two times you take them, you get feedback after each question), and I passed on the first try with a score of 666.

Of note, Psych Prep actually recommends against using note cards. I think they give you the "study strategies workshop" materials and audio file for free and explain their rationale there. I actually found that reading/listening to the lectures and taking the quizzes was enough without flash cards. Yes, the EPPP is a lot of memorization, but it's also a lot of application, and the flash cards just won't give you that. But hey, if you love flashcards, I say use whatever strategies you enjoy. Make the EPPP study process as fun as possible.

Where did you guys find/download/purchase the retired EPPP questions?

I took the EPPP once and failed. I studied for it using Academic Review the first time. Since then, I purchased the Psych Prep study guide and feel much more confident. The Psych Prep materials are MUCH more user friendly than AR...I also felt the AR study materials were unnecessarily dense. I've been scoring in the high 60's to low 80's on most of the Psych Prep tests. I went back and took 2 of the AR practice tests and scored a 72% on one and a 65% on the other. I was a little discouraged because there were a lot of questions on the AR practice tests that were not covered in the Psych Prep study guides...but for the most part I was able to reason through most of them. I'm retaking the EPPP on June 11th so I have a few more weeks to study and take more practice tests.