EPPP practice test scores for those who passed

[SadMary]

In my case, during the month prior to sitting for the exam, I:

1. Took an initial practice test, scored it, and figured out the areas in which I needed the most and least help
2. Reviewed a couple of these sections in their entirety over the course of about 2 weeks, skimmed through the materials for some of the others, and took/reviewed another 2-3 practice tests; this averaged out to perhaps an hour of studying/day; this is the part I don't recommend, as aiming for perhaps 2-3 hours/day instead would've avoided #3 below, which was...
3. During the 2 weeks prior to the exam, I basically crammed for anywhere from 4-8 hours/day and took something like a dozen additional practice tests; I more carefully reviewed the answers for all questions, which was my primary method of studying, and then skimmed through the actual study materials to review concepts that I had trouble readily calling to mind, or that were discussed in the answers to test questions but didn't sound familiar

Thank you I appreciate your help.

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[SadMary]

After over a year of studying, two failed attempts, thousands of dollars spent, blood, sweat, and a lot of tears, I found out today that I PASSED the $%^ing EPPP!!!!!!!! I'm so relieved that this hell is finally over!!!!! Thank you for all your support

Hey Jersey doc tell me did you take the exam at the beginning of the month? I took both my others at the end I have this theory that if I take it before the 15th I would have a different test.

 

[SadMary]

I have a somewhat similar story to Jerseydoc. I just found out today that I failed for the second time with a score of 486. I'm devastated because even though I was unsure after I left the testing center, I was scoring between 75-80% on my AATBS practice tests and I took a couple other practice tests and scored a 73% and 80%. I thought I was ready and I don't know what happened. I now want to study for another month or two with a different exam prep company since I feel like I've exhausted AATBS. I'm choosing between Academic Review and PsychPrep. Can those of you who have studied with these companies please give me your reviews and tell me which you liked better? Thanks.

I used both and still failed twice sorry I know how you feel.

 

[WisNeuro]

There are different versions of the test technically, but all tests are normed around a certain number to control for difficulty according to IRT theory last time I checked.

 

[SadMary]

In my case, during the month prior to sitting for the exam, I:

1. Took an initial practice test, scored it, and figured out the areas in which I needed the most and least help
2. Reviewed a couple of these sections in their entirety over the course of about 2 weeks, skimmed through the materials for some of the others, and took/reviewed another 2-3 practice tests; this averaged out to perhaps an hour of studying/day; this is the part I don't recommend, as aiming for perhaps 2-3 hours/day instead would've avoided #3 below, which was...
3. During the 2 weeks prior to the exam, I basically crammed for anywhere from 4-8 hours/day and took something like a dozen additional practice tests; I more carefully reviewed the answers for all questions, which was my primary method of studying, and then skimmed through the actual study materials to review concepts that I had trouble readily calling to mind, or that were discussed in the answers to test questions but didn't sound familiar

Thank you.

 

[MCParent]

I just got my passing score.

I studied for 2 hours very second day two months out from the test, for two weeks. I took practice tests and coded my wrong answers, and only studied those parts. I resumed studying two weeks before the test for two hours a day, exclusively using practice tests and free online flash cards. I crammed I/o for two days before the test as I had trouble learning that stuff. I never got above 70 on a practice test and regularly got 50-60%. I also left the test having no clue how I did. Some of the questions are super confusing.

 

[OneNeuroDoctor]

I received good news today of passing EPPP. This was my third attempt so I was familiar with the material from prior study and test taking. I did intensive focused studying for four days during Christmas Holidays of reading memorizing AATBS six books.

 

[SadMary]

I just got my passing score.

I studied for 2 hours very second day two months out from the test, for two weeks. I took practice tests and coded my wrong answers, and only studied those parts. I resumed studying two weeks before the test for two hours a day, exclusively using practice tests and free online flash cards. I crammed I/o for two days before the test as I had trouble learning that stuff. I never got above 70 on a practice test and regularly got 50-60%. I also left the test having no clue how I did. Some of the questions are super confusing.

Congtrats!!!!! What material did you use? What time of the month did you take it?

 

[SadMary]

I received good news today of passing EPPP. This was my third attempt so I was familiar with the material from prior study and test taking. I did intensive focused studying for four days during Christmas Holidays of reading memorizing AATBS six books.

Congrats!!!!

 

[MCParent]

Congtrats!!!!! What material did you use? What time of the month did you take it?

I took the test in mid-november, and just got my scores on monday (I don't know when they actually arrived but it was after Dec 16, when I went home for holiday.

I only used the practice tests that are for sale on the EPPP web site, and free online flashcards (e.g., http://quizlet.com/2578808/eppp-io-flash-cards/).

 

[OneNeuroDoctor]

I have heard that some PhD programs require passing the EPPP and also having your dissertation published before you can graduate from their program. Would this be a good idea for all programs since many students procrastinate and take a year or two and sometimes four years before passing the EPPP?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I have heard that some PhD programs require passing the EPPP and also having your dissertation published before you can graduate from their program. Would this be a good idea for all programs since many students procrastinate and take a year or two and sometimes four years before passing the EPPP?

I like the idea of it (although I also actually appreciate the comps process, and don't know that I'd want to see it entirely abandoned). However, I believe things can potentially get sticky with individual state licensing boards, as some may not accept scores that are taken prior to completion of the program. Also, some states (again, to the best of my knowledge) won't allow folks to sit for the exam until they're on/finished with internship, so schools in those states wouldn't have the option of requiring the EPPP currently. I could be wrong on that, though. I've never looked into it much myself.

 

[MCParent]

I have heard that some PhD programs require passing the EPPP and also having your dissertation published before you can graduate from their program. Would this be a good idea for all programs since many students procrastinate and take a year or two and sometimes four years before passing the EPPP?

Some programs require the EPPP instead of quals. There are a few papers about this out there. There are some clear advantages (e.g., actual practical value).

As a faculty member, there are complications. First, the test is expensive, so you're replacing free quals with something that costs every student a few hundred dollars to do. Second, how do you determine passing and failing? Often students get two shots at quals and if they fail both are kicked out of programs. Do we make students take the EPPP and if they fail twice, boot them? EPPP pass rates are a heck of a lot lower than qualifying exam pass rates.

 

[WisNeuro]

? EPPP pass rates are a heck of a lot lower than qualifying exam pass rates.

Opposite for my program, at least in the last five-ish years. I knew a handful who had to retake comps, but we have a 100% EPPP pass rate

 

[MCParent]

Opposite for my program, at least in the last five-ish years. I knew a handful who had to retake comps, but we have a 100% EPPP pass rate

Retake or full on fail and get booted? I'd think the latter is pretty uncommon.

On a profession level, the EPPP-as-quals thing would not be adopted at the programs at which it would actually make a significant impact.

 

[WisNeuro]

Just retake, and they only had to retake the sections that they had failed, not the whole comp test, luckily.

 

[OneNeuroDoctor]

Comps vary greatly between programs. We had a 200 multiple choice exam and a proxy case study where a case formulation with diagnosis and treatment plan were graded by three faculty and you had to receive passing by two of the scorers. Faculty did not know the student they were grading as a number ID system was used. We had eight hours to complete the proxy case study.

I've heard of some comps where you take a specific area test each day and you have to pass seven of the test to continue with program. You take one test per day over ten days with a 3-4 hour time limit per day. If you only pass five test you are on probation and you have to take the five failed test over. If on second administration, you fail four test, you are booted from program with terminal MA degree.

From my perspective, a EPPP type test universally administered during the second year as a comp for advancing to doctoral degree would be much easier for most of us to pass when we have just completed the general psychology courses. The information would be fresh and the evidence indicates the closer you take the EPPP to the time of the courses the higher the probability of passing. Some of us wait two-five years after graduating to take the EPPP and we have to relearn the material to pass the EPPP.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'd prefer a thesis or general exams to something like the EPPP that early on, considering that 1) the EPPP is designed to determine if someone has enough knowledge to practice independently as a psychologist (whether or not it effectively does that is up for debate, but still...), and 2) during the second year, most folks are barely removed from the GRE; another nationally-standardized test at that point would just be cruel.

In place of comps, perhaps, I could see. Although as I said above, I actually appreciated my particular comps process (it was heavily interest-area and case-based), as I feel I learned a good bit. There just seem to be too many hurdles currently for it to gain much traction in many places. Perhaps they could instead find a way to include it during internship at some point...? Especially if more programs begin utilizing captive internship programs.

 

[SadMary]

I took the test in mid-november, and just got my scores on monday (I don't know when they actually arrived but it was after Dec 16, when I went home for holiday.

I only used the practice tests that are for sale on the EPPP web site, and free online flashcards (e.g., http://quizlet.com/2578808/eppp-io-flash-cards/).

Thanks

 

[OneNeuroDoctor]

I reviewed both the AR and AATBS has University packages for Comps so my guess is they have some Universities who use their test for comps.

 

[Aribbean05]

I used AATBS and studied very slowly and sporadically over about a year, as I kept pushing it back given I hadn't finished reading the materials by the time I expected to. This "studying" basically amounted to just reading the books (essentially once over, making some notes, reviewing some sections I hard trouble remembering) and listening to the CD's, which if I averaged it out over the year was maybe 5 hours a week. In the last month I probably I was studying closer to 8-10 hours/week, but still just reading and listening. I started taking practice tests (only in total about 4) from various sources in the last week before the exam, and essentially never scored over a 60%. I did try and focus on every answer I got wrong in these practice exams and read the explanations and went back into the sections that covered those questions to get a bit more background. Ultimately though I didn't expect to "get" a few sections that were overly detailed, such as specific uses for statistical tests, various brain area/function info, and tried to focus on the bigger picture.

The most helpful one thing I did was take the EPPP practice exam in the testing center which is based on retired questions, as opposed to the prep-study practice exams which in my estimate is 20-25% more difficult than the level of difficulty on EPPP questions. I got a 64% on this practice exam at the center, on very little sleep and having only finished reading about 2/3 of the prep material. I took the actual exam about 3 months later, and used the practice as more of an assessment (since it breaks down your score by topic area).

Ultimately I took the exam before I really felt "ready" and before my prep-material practice exam probably would suggest I do, as I was scoring in the 55-60% range. My actual EPPP exam score ended up being 80% or 573. I felt the real exam was equally difficult to the practice in the center and significantly easier than the prep-material exams, and actually much more "fair" and less "tricky" than you're led to believe by the prep materials. However after the exam, I did feel like many others have mentioned here before--confused, unsure, not confident, and basically without a clue of how I did. I felt strongly about the first half of the exam, but with so many questions by the end of it you just can't know, but I would have bet against me, and yet I passed fairly comfortably. Obviously this is my individual experience, and I happen to be a historically good exam taker, and don't experience much anxiety when taking them, but I would say if you are at least an average test-taker and focused mostly on the practice questions and reasons, and don't get bogged down in knowing every detail (you are aiming for passing not mastery), then you should be worrying less than you probably are, and if you can afford it take the real "practice" well before you're ready and then the real exam a bit before you feel "really prepared."

 

[DoctorofSun]

I found this thread a few days before I took the EPPP and I found it reassuring. Wanted to add my experience to the mix.

STUDYING
I studied for 3mos, gradually increasing from a few hours a week up to 24hrs/week in the last two weeks. I used hand-me-down AATBS materials from 2013 and a variety of practice tests (some as old as 2008, WAIS-III anyone?!) that I got from several different people. I took 8 prac tests total, scoring in order 53 (base rate without any studying), 55 (having only reviewed previous practice test), 60, 70, 64, 65, 71, 70%. Coming into studying I knew that Bio and Stats would be my weakest. My strategy was to put my effort into where I thought I could get the max gains for the time spent. Stats is a small section so I didn't even study it till less than a week before (knowing I could only hold it in my brain for a short period of time). I put more time into Bio because I felt confident that with effort, I could learn the material. I invested more time into strengths to get them super solid, knowing I could count on them bolstering my total score. I read through each section once with the purpose of understanding it, but not trying to memorize or commit too much to memory. Because the test is recognition (vs. recall), I just wanted my brain to see the information and then rely that somewhere in my brain would lead me to the right answer, even if I didn't feel like I actually knew it! I am not trained in the new DSM and have not used it at all since it came out. I did purchase it and skim through two days before the test. This was not an issue for me on test day.

I also tried to use what I was learning in my studying as well as everyday life. In studying, I put myself on a intermittent ratio schedule of reinforcement (dark chocolate for sitting down to study) and would also eat high protein snacks while studying (helps memory). Section on learning and memory was particularly helpful! I offered my husband I/O consultations, also informed him that our 3yo wants to kill him because he loves his Mommy! I would hide objects from my infant to test his object permanence. I even informed my parents about changes to expect in their sex lives as they age. I was seriously bringing the material into my life as much as possible. I think it really helped and it made it more fun. Reminded me why I entered the field way back in undergrad days- because I seriously love psychology and love learning about people.

TEST DAY
I felt pretty good taking the test. I was pretty confident going in that I would pass and when I was about 50?s in, I pretty much knew I was going to pass. Just kept telling myself, "just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be good!" It felt pretty much the same as doing the practice tests though it did seem a bit easier. I took one break in the middle. Used the restroom, drank some water, did some yoga breathing and stretching, and went back to finish the test. With the new system, you get your score as soon as you sign out. I passed easily with a 593.

It feels pretty incredible on the other side! Good luck to all those still studying!

 

[Loansforlife]

I too found this thread both useful and scary when I was studying. I remember reading so many posts on length of study time and feeling I had no chance.

For circumstances I don't want to discuss I have a deadline for my licensing, so I pretty much had a month to really study as I moved up my test date due to the time crunch.

Good news is, I took the test yesterday and passed with a 558. I called aspbb to confirm and such after some confusion about the unofficial scaled score printout they give you.

Background
I am generally a good test taker. In college I mostly earned straight A's cramming for tests last minute (undergraduate mostly). What can I say, procrastinating works for me...except on dissertation stuff (I digress). I am also a very fast test taker and have very good recognition memory for multiple choice exams.
My degree is a Psy.D in MFT. I graduated in 2012 but finished my coursework in 2008. So its been about 7 years since classes for me. I worked as a registered psych assistant in California for 4 years and a Postdoctoral resident in an outpatient hospital for the past 2 years. I felt having so much clinical experience was helpful in knowing some of the content for this exam.

Studying
Before the deadlines I had purchased some 2012 materials (pre DSM V) and audio tapes (aatbs). I found the audios very helpful to listen to while driving, while walking the dog, doing chores around the house etc. I had read the ethics and clinical portions when I had to move my test up.

After that I pretty much made studying my full time job. I kept the same routine as work and studied 4 hrs in the morning and 4-5 in the afternoon evening. Mid-day I would take a walk for some exercise and listen to an audio. I did end up purchasing the silver package from AATBS to help with new content (DSM V). I ended up reading both sets of books and using the active study tool outlines for each domain. I would take section/domain tests at the end of each study section and "punish" myself by re-writing any questions I missed (I guess that is really overcorrection.) I stopped watching TV, reading non study stuff before bed to reduce interference affects. I don't really recommended this study route, but I just want to say it CAN be done.

Assessment/Pretests
Assessment test 1: 74%
Assessment Test 2: 71%
Testmaster Test 3: 70%

Due to my downward trend I decided to stop taking the Testmaster tests a few days prior to my exam.

Test Impressions
Very different language from my study materials, and a lot of "huh"? I don't remember that being in any of the two sets of books...I suck at math so I always perceive a bigger number of statistical questions.
Also the environment/computer was very different for me and took me about 5 minutes (after deciding I would not throw up) to pull it together and focus. I usually finished the practice tests in 2 hours but finished with only 10 minutes left on the actual exam.

Takeaway Advice

Skip the caffeine before the test, you won't need it...

Much of what you study out of books will require some concept knowledge which you will then have to apply to the questions format they give you. So don't get too attached to certain words/phrases, because they may not be there.

Also remember test construction, stats and research, part of I/O, and the psych assessment stuff is all sort of statistic related, so don't avoid those areas thinking there won't be much on the exam.

If you can take the pre-test at the practice center or online PEPPO, do it. This will give you a better idea of conditions and language used.

Last but not least, be healthy! I tried to eat really well, exercise or stretch daily, and took lots of vitamins.

I wish you all the best, this is a difficult hurdle but the reward will be worth it.

 

[dmartin0830]

I am getting very nervous and discouraged. I have failed the test twice and am scheduled to take it again in a few weeks. I have been studying every day and feel like I know the material well enough that I should pass the test. However, when I take the AR practice tests I haven't scored above a 68%. I used AATBS for my first two attempt and am now studying with Academic Review. Do you guys think I'm ok or do I need to be scoring higher on the practice tests? I feel like the AR practice tests are more difficult than the AATSB practice tests.

 

[PsychScience]

I am getting very nervous and discouraged. I have failed the test twice and am scheduled to take it again in a few weeks. I have been studying every day and feel like I know the material well enough that I should pass the test. However, when I take the AR practice tests I haven't scored above a 68%. I used AATBS for my first two attempt and am now studying with Academic Review. Do you guys think I'm ok or do I need to be scoring higher on the practice tests? I feel like the AR practice tests are more difficult than the AATSB practice tests.

I will also be sitting for the exam soon, and have primarily relied on Academic Review text for studying and have taken a mixture of Academic Review exams and PsychPrep exams. I am not familiar with the AATSB practice tests, so can't compare, but personally, if I was not consistently scoring over or around 70% I would not feel prepared to take the exam and would probably reschedule. However, I am somewhat risk aversive, and the exam is expensive- you may have a slightly different perspective. Have you taken the PEPPO? Perhaps that would give you a better indicator of your preparedness to take the exam or not?

 

[LPPSYD]

I found this thread a few days before I took the EPPP and I found it reassuring. Wanted to add my experience to the mix.

STUDYING
I studied for 3mos, gradually increasing from a few hours a week up to 24hrs/week in the last two weeks. I used hand-me-down AATBS materials from 2013 and a variety of practice tests (some as old as 2008, WAIS-III anyone?!) that I got from several different people. I took 8 prac tests total, scoring in order 53 (base rate without any studying), 55 (having only reviewed previous practice test), 60, 70, 64, 65, 71, 70%. Coming into studying I knew that Bio and Stats would be my weakest. My strategy was to put my effort into where I thought I could get the max gains for the time spent. Stats is a small section so I didn't even study it till less than a week before (knowing I could only hold it in my brain for a short period of time). I put more time into Bio because I felt confident that with effort, I could learn the material. I invested more time into strengths to get them super solid, knowing I could count on them bolstering my total score. I read through each section once with the purpose of understanding it, but not trying to memorize or commit too much to memory. Because the test is recognition (vs. recall), I just wanted my brain to see the information and then rely that somewhere in my brain would lead me to the right answer, even if I didn't feel like I actually knew it! I am not trained in the new DSM and have not used it at all since it came out. I did purchase it and skim through two days before the test. This was not an issue for me on test day.

I also tried to use what I was learning in my studying as well as everyday life. In studying, I put myself on a intermittent ratio schedule of reinforcement (dark chocolate for sitting down to study) and would also eat high protein snacks while studying (helps memory). Section on learning and memory was particularly helpful! I offered my husband I/O consultations, also informed him that our 3yo wants to kill him because he loves his Mommy! I would hide objects from my infant to test his object permanence. I even informed my parents about changes to expect in their sex lives as they age. I was seriously bringing the material into my life as much as possible. I think it really helped and it made it more fun. Reminded me why I entered the field way back in undergrad days- because I seriously love psychology and love learning about people.

TEST DAY
I felt pretty good taking the test. I was pretty confident going in that I would pass and when I was about 50?s in, I pretty much knew I was going to pass. Just kept telling myself, "just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll be good!" It felt pretty much the same as doing the practice tests though it did seem a bit easier. I took one break in the middle. Used the restroom, drank some water, did some yoga breathing and stretching, and went back to finish the test. With the new system, you get your score as soon as you sign out. I passed easily with a 593.

It feels pretty incredible on the other side! Good luck to all those still studying!

I just wanted to say I love the attitude you took studying for the test. Your approach is inspiring me to push through this dreaded I/O section I am loathing. Thanks for the laugh and motivation. And congratulations on passing

 

[DrDanielle]

I passed!

 

[dmartin0830]

For those of you who took the PEPPO, do you feel like it was a good indicator of your EPPP score? Is it even worth taking the PEPPO? Please tell me your thoughts.

 

[Prof_Snuffles]

Paying it forward...

I read this thread prior to taking the EPPP and benefited from seeing pretest scores to EPPP performance. I used AATBS and studied over a 2 month period. 1st month I read the 8 or so booklets, and the 2nd month I took the pre-assessment, 8 exams, and one final exam (two days before the actual EPPP for the final). I got a 75 on the pre-assessment exam, and generally between a 70-77 on the 8 Exams the first time through (only took them in exam mode). I took each exam a day or two after reviewing the 225 questions, and got between a 95-97 on re-test. To clarify, over the 2nd month, I only studied the items of these 9 exams. It was a confidence booster to get a 75 on the final exam two days before the EPPP, but made a huge mistake in taking the final test (e) from psychprep the day before the test (70; rattled my confidence a bit). I definitely encourage you to take your last exam at least 3-4 days prior. I did not study the day prior to the exam or the day of as recommended by the AATBS book, and support this as well as my brain was fried (and still is to some extent).

Anyhow, I got a 625 on the actual EPPP yesterday and would recommend the aforementioned study plan. I'd wager I spent about 120-140 hours over the two months. I read each booklet with full attention but never went back to them. I emphasized mastering Stats/Test Construction and regularly got about 70-90% of those questions correct on the last few AATBS exams. My thought was I'd do comparably to most test takers on all other content areas, and kill it on the two that seem to get people to ensure I get over the 500 mark (may not be the best plan given the % of questions on the exam, but it worked). The DSM5 questions killed me on the testmaster stuff, and it was good to come across those. That said, I don't think it was near as much of an issue on the actual test. Also, I somewhat regret spending the 100 bucks on the final exam, and think the preassessment and 8 exams is sufficient.

Finally, I did not feel comfortable hitting submit for the final time the day of the EPPP. I was 50/50 if I passed. I did the 225 questions in about 100 minutes, reviewed my 40 flagged items, and after reviewing the 1st 10 questions when I considered going over all of them, I had a headache, thought f-it, and submitted. Talk about thought errors, the proctor looked so sad when she closed out my computer I was convinced I didn't pass, but it turned out alright (and I exploded in the parking lot with some primal screams and erratic jumping).

Side note, can anyone help me assess what the 625 (85 NY score) means or where I fell at? Curious what percentile this landed me or what rough percentage of questions I ended up getting correct. I have a feeling the 50 experimental questions threw me off...

Extended cheers to all thread contributors. Best of luck to those who haven't taken it, and all the admiration for those who didn't get their scores right away. That would have been horrible. To those who have yet to take it or are about to do it again, you got this. Keep working on your approach to answering MC questions, and hammering practice tests and rationales after getting a solid base served me well.

 

[CourageToGrow]

For those of you who took the PEPPO, do you feel like it was a good indicator of your EPPP score? Is it even worth taking the PEPPO? Please tell me your thoughts.

I took the practice test at the Pearson Vue exam center one month before the actual exam and scored a 460 before doing much studying other than trying to use the Study Psych EPPP flashcards app more days than not. After getting a failing score, I began to study more intensely and passed the exam last Saturday (unofficial score) with a 537. Since I had already taken the test at the center, the check-in process was easier and I was familiar with the test setting. It was worth it to me.

Regarding the original question, I used Psych Prep tests A-D with my scores all falling in the 63-66% range with the exception of test D, which was 58% (during week before my test, mind you), one AATBS test (64%) and the retired test questions (65%) I never earned a score over 70 on any practice test, but passed the EPPP (barring any significant scoring changes).

 

[Shooter]

Underestimates it: PEPPO-510/EPPP-593

 

[Almost_there355]

Just took the EPPP today, and I can't believe I passed with a 725!

This is especially because I took the PEPPO about a week ago and failed with a 440. I was really confused because up to that point I had been scoring above 70% on the few 2010 PsychPrep practice tests I took. Yesterday, when I took the final two PsychPrep practice exams, I was in the 76% range.

I also had 2013 Academic Review practice tests, and I consistently scored in the mid-60s to about 70 on those. A friend of mine who shared the study materials said she found the same discrepancy in her practice test scores between PP and AR, and decided AR practice tests were just too hard and demoralizing and stopped taking them.

I should add my study materials were 2011 AATBS chapters. (I know, talk about a mish mash of materials, right?) I had been slowly studying the materials for the last 2 months, and for the last two weeks really focused on the practice exams. I don't really know why my PEPPO score was so low, but in any case, it doesn't matter now!

Good luck to those who are still studying. You can do it!

 

[Shooter]

Just took the EPPP today, and I can't believe I passed with a 725!

This is especially because I took the PEPPO about a week ago and failed with a 440. I was really confused because up to that point I had been scoring above 70% on the few 2010 PsychPrep practice tests I took. Yesterday, when I took the final two PsychPrep practice exams, I was in the 76% range.

I also had 2013 Academic Review practice tests, and I consistently scored in the mid-60s to about 70 on those. A friend of mine who shared the study materials said she found the same discrepancy in her practice test scores between PP and AR, and decided AR practice tests were just too hard and demoralizing and stopped taking them.

I should add my study materials were 2011 AATBS chapters. (I know, talk about a mish mash of materials, right?) I had been slowly studying the materials for the last 2 months, and for the last two weeks really focused on the practice exams. I don't really know why my PEPPO score was so low, but in any case, it doesn't matter now!

Good luck to those who are still studying. You can do it!

WoW thats great! U were super prepared. All commercial practice exams underestimate actual scores. Retired questions seem to be the most representative if it. Congrats Champ!

 

[okpsych]

Like so many others, it was helpful during my season of preparation and freaking out to look at this board and see some real life success stories. I thought I'd post my experience as well.

After an extra year off to finish dissertation post-internship, I started post-doc year and took EPPP at the end of the year (so 3 yrs from completion of doc coursework). I took EPPP end of July, started studying late April/early May. I purchased access to TSM for 3 months: Dx assess with TSM- 50% (self talk: "I'm screwed"). Started half-heartedly working their study system with reading through key terms/concepts and taking quizzes (didn't review flashcards, didn't study every day). Continued taking practice tests and, by end of subscription period, abandoned lessons and just kept taking practice tests and domain quizzes based on results. Practice test progression with TSM- 63, 66, 66, 68, 74, 69, 74, 82. Was some of this improvement due to memorization of items? Most definitely. However, it def increased confidence and the reality is quite a bit of the EPPP is related to memorizing concepts/terms. After I scored in the 80's on TSM, I felt like I needed to diversify the content source of my studies. I was seeing a significant # of questions repeated on each exam, so I didn't feel like I was really being tested on comprehension but knew the answer after a couple of words from the question bc I'd remembered it from previous tests and quizzes.

So, with two weeks to go before exam date, I subscribed to Academic Review's online content. A friend lent me the AATBS cd's that I started listening to in the car- these were really helpful, would recommend. I also had friends that gave me hard copies of AATBS and AR books; I love to read, but when I tried to use the books to study, I had a harder time staying focused and felt less engaged than when using the computer-based content. Also, the exam is on a computer so maybe there are some transfer effects there, at least that's what I told myself.

AR initial assessment- 65% (less screwed than before, but still discouraged about failing score). Subsequent mock exam scores: 67, 68, 68, 72, 74. The week before exam I took off work to study. I took a mock exam in morning, afternoon went through results and wrote down all terms/concepts I missed or didn't really know, then took domain quizzes on top 3 areas of recommended study until I got scores over 70 on quizzes of 10-15 questions each. I then re-read my notes from trouble areas in bed before I went to sleep. Woke up next day, re-read notes again and then started with another mock exam and same routine. Did that 6 days prior to taking exam on a Sat morning. Passed EPPP with a 602 (NY- 83).

I felt like AR's mock exams were more difficult than TSM. Also, I didn't find myself memorizing questions after repeated exams and quizzes with AR like I did with TSM. One thing that left me feeling more reassured as I studied was that on the actual EPPP you're only scored on 175 questions (on the mock exams you are scored on all 225). So, you hypothetically need fewer correctly answered questions on the real thing than the mock exams to achieve a passing score. Example: If I scored a 65 on a mock exam of 225 ?'s that means I answered approx 146 questions correctly. On EPPP if I correctly answered 146 out of the 175 questions that count, I'm going to pass. Now I know number of correct items needed varies depending on form difficulty, so you can't depend on this to know exact # needed to pass. However, the concept helped me not to despair (or at least despair less) about my lower, or even non-passing, mock exam scores.

Sorry for the long post. Hopefully, its helpful to someone. Good luck!

 

[layla1]

Have been getting 68 and 69s on AATBS tests in last 2 weeks. Anyone who got high 60s on AATBS wanna share their EPPP scores? Feeling nervous and need some reassurance. Test in 4 days

 

[apsera1980]

Test in 2 days, holy cow. Got a 550 on the PEPPP and am really glad that I went to the test center to do that... but spending the last few days studying the "harder" to learn materials is a bit deflating. Getting in the low to mid 70's on all Academic Review and Aatbs practice exams, and wish that those were a liiiiiitle bit higher for confidence-sake.

 

[Shooter]

Test in 2 days, holy cow. Got a 550 on the PEPPP and am really glad that I went to the test center to do that... but spending the last few days studying the "harder" to learn materials is a bit deflating. Getting in the low to mid 70's on all Academic Review and Aatbs practice exams, and wish that those were a liiiiiitle bit higher for confidence-sake.

u doin good.. scoring over 70 is the sweet number, and many ppl have passed with high 60s too...u almost there

 

[apsera1980]

Just took the test and got my initial report score of 654, which I think puts me fully in the "PASS" zone! Woot!

 

[Shooter]

Just took the test and got my initial report score of 654, which I think puts me fully in the "PASS" zone! Woot!

Super!

 

[Quynh2007]

Just thought I would share my experience and give back. Shooter, thanks for the old practice test, it was very helpful!

My schedule:
7/05 signed up for AATBS - did assessment and got 53%
7/05-8/08 studied off and on, took section quizzes after studying each section
8/08-8/09 signed up to take the test on 8/21 so started studying seriously and studied 13 hours each day, took 3 diagnostic tests (62, 65, 72%) and old retired test questions (73%)
8/10-8/14 studied 4-5 hours each day, took a diagnostic test a day (64, 72, 73, 69). Held off on #8 because wanted to wait until a few days before test
8/15-8/16 studied 13 hours each day, did AR diagnostic exam and got 80%, reviewed missed questions from previous exams, and continued focusing on areas of weaknesses
8/17-8/20 took #8, got 80%. PEPPPO was 510. Got burnt out by Wednesday and only studied 1-2 hours each Wed and Thurs
8/21 could not find my wallet the morning of so I went searching for it instead of cramming last minute details into my brain. Found it thankfully as I was driving to the testing center (it fell out of my bag into the floor of my car).

Exam feedback:
Like others, I found the exam questions more straight forward. I would say maybe 10-15% of questions were out of left field and I could only eliminate 1 answer (if at all), 30% I narrowed it down to 2 choices, but the rest were solid "I know the answer to this question." I saw a handful of questions from my practice exams. One thing I will note is that I found the ethics questions on the exam a LOT easier than the practice tests. I was getting 50-60% in ethics on my practice exams, got 97% on the PEPPPO, and felt they were more similar to the PEPPPO than on the practice exam. Finished the exam in 2 hours (my typical time when I took the practice exams), and spent another 30 minutes going through flagged questions. Although I felt good about how I did, I was anxious to NOT end the exam. To allay some anxiety, I reviewed the back half of the test (since I flagged less items for them). I even changed a few answers after having a clearer understanding of the question and/or answer choices. Finally got the nerve to push the end exam button, and as I was leaving they handed me my score. I got 664, so very comfortable margin of passing. The extra time reviewing and changing answers probably didn't affect whether I passed.

Overall, I felt like I overstudied and got burnt out as evidence by my lack of studying the last two days. I could have done a better job spacing out my studying, but I didn't decide to take the EPPP until 2 weeks ago, and when I looked up the schedule, my options were limited to what day/time I could take the test.

 

[layla1]

Passed with a 569

 

[Shooter]

Just thought I would share my experience and give back. Shooter, thanks for the old practice test, it was very helpful!

My schedule:
7/05 signed up for AATBS - did assessment and got 53%
7/05-8/08 studied off and on, took section quizzes after studying each section
8/08-8/09 signed up to take the test on 8/21 so started studying seriously and studied 13 hours each day, took 3 diagnostic tests (62, 65, 72%) and old retired test questions (73%)
8/10-8/14 studied 4-5 hours each day, took a diagnostic test a day (64, 72, 73, 69). Held off on #8 because wanted to wait until a few days before test
8/15-8/16 studied 13 hours each day, did AR diagnostic exam and got 80%, reviewed missed questions from previous exams, and continued focusing on areas of weaknesses
8/17-8/20 took #8, got 80%. PEPPPO was 510. Got burnt out by Wednesday and only studied 1-2 hours each Wed and Thurs
8/21 could not find my wallet the morning of so I went searching for it instead of cramming last minute details into my brain. Found it thankfully as I was driving to the testing center (it fell out of my bag into the floor of my car).

Exam feedback:
Like others, I found the exam questions more straight forward. I would say maybe 10-15% of questions were out of left field and I could only eliminate 1 answer (if at all), 30% I narrowed it down to 2 choices, but the rest were solid "I know the answer to this question." I saw a handful of questions from my practice exams. One thing I will note is that I found the ethics questions on the exam a LOT easier than the practice tests. I was getting 50-60% in ethics on my practice exams, got 97% on the PEPPPO, and felt they were more similar to the PEPPPO than on the practice exam. Finished the exam in 2 hours (my typical time when I took the practice exams), and spent another 30 minutes going through flagged questions. Although I felt good about how I did, I was anxious to NOT end the exam. To allay some anxiety, I reviewed the back half of the test (since I flagged less items for them). I even changed a few answers after having a clearer understanding of the question and/or answer choices. Finally got the nerve to push the end exam button, and as I was leaving they handed me my score. I got 664, so very comfortable margin of passing. The extra time reviewing and changing answers probably didn't affect whether I passed.

Overall, I felt like I overstudied and got burnt out as evidence by my lack of studying the last two days. I could have done a better job spacing out my studying, but I didn't decide to take the EPPP until 2 weeks ago, and when I looked up the schedule, my options were limited to what day/time I could take the test.

U r welcome @Quynh2007 ! Thank you for sharing your experience with us

 

[Shooter]

Passed with a 569

Sweet.. u did it! @layla1 glad 2 hear feel free to share you strategy/experience with us...after u celebrate

 

[BuckeyeLove]

I just couldn't get myself to study all of that content. Studying for 6 months wasn't gonna work for me. Took about 10 practice tests, never got above 64. Passed the actual test fine. Got it down to 2 on most questions that I didn't know from direct recall. Now onto boarding prep, which I will actually enjoy (and have to) study for.

Edit: I should have specified that I tend to procrastinate but also work best under tight, last minute conditions. If this does not describe you, I'd probably avoid only taking practice tests a few weeks before and not actually studying any content as I did. Know your style and what you've needed to do in the past to be successful.

 

[psy15]

I studied a total of approximately 65 hours over about 5 weeks. This included looking over 2010 AR books (with detail on I/O, Multicultural, and Social Psych areas) and listened to audio CDs while driving, which would increase the study hours. I took 5 practice exams 57, 64, 64, 70, 72 and reviewed test taking strategies. Read explanations for the questions I missed.
Yes, it was a short study time. I am a good test taker, taught undergrad psych for 2 years, and felt well prepared by my program. I test prep well under pressure as compared to slowly over time.
I took the approach of viewing the EPPP as an exam of strategy and recognition and not rote memorization. It worked well for me. Of course, given this approach I was more anxious and panicky I would fail, but it worked out.
I found psych prep test E most predictive of my actual score. I scored a 582.

 

[poppum7]

Paying it forward.....passed the exam yesterday and used PsychPrep. The exam itself was horrible, I think I only felt confident in 5 or so answers and the rest were pretty rough but I somehow got a 601. I've pasted my scores for the psychprep tests below. They wanted me to delay my test date when I didn't hit 130+ on test D the first time around. I freaked out and ignored their advice and am glad I did! I never hit their benchmark scores though I got close on Test E getting a 125 (goal is 130+). I also took the 175 question retired question test and got a 70% on that three days prior to my EPPP test date. So, grist for the mill.....

 

[EPPPtester]

thanks to others who've posted their practice test scores and EPPP score.

my practice test scores (below) in chronological order, taken at a rate of ~1.5/wk. made for ~25hrs of solo studying after including review of practice test correct answer explanations and Wikipedia pages on topics of incorrect answers (e.g. Freud, Piaget, etc):
61%, 64%, 66%, 70%, [unforeseen ~1 month study break], 69%, 65%, 68%.
EPPP passed with score of ~600.

 

[sek2001]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum. Thanks for posting and sharing your thoughts.

I took the EPPP today and I think I passed. Is the "unofficial" score your official score? Will it change?

The passing score is 500?! Is this the same for NY? I'm a little confused about NY scoring system (75).

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

 

[madeincanada]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum. Thanks for posting and sharing your thoughts.

I took the EPPP today and I think I passed. Is the "unofficial" score your official score? Will it change?

The passing score is 500?! Is this the same for NY? I'm a little confused about NY scoring system (75).

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

Congratulations (and welcome)!

I have not heard of a case where an unofficial score changed after the fact, so I think you are pretty safe.

The passing score depends on what state you are in. You will receive a converted score for NY (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/psych/psychlic.htm).

 

[madeincanada]

thanks to others who've posted their practice test scores and EPPP score.

my practice test scores (below) in chronological order, taken at a rate of ~1.5/wk. made for ~25hrs of solo studying after including review of practice test correct answer explanations and Wikipedia pages on topics of incorrect answers (e.g. Freud, Piaget, etc):
61%, 64%, 66%, 70%, [unforeseen ~1 month study break], 69%, 65%, 68%.
EPPP passed with score of ~600.

That sounds about right!