I'm taking the EPPP July 31, when is the earliest I should expect to get my score (California)? Would Monday be possible?
psyman, if you're taking it on the 31st, Monday might be too soon to hope for. In CA, scores are supposed to be released within 6 business days after the 15th and last day of the month. I took my exam on July 11 and my score was posted on July 21, which was four business days after the 15th. I still haven't received the email notification about anything posted, so I found my posted score by compulsively checking the ASPPB website every day. I know it's a gut wrenching wait period, particularly because I honestly didn't have a good sense of whether I passed or not...so there was a big sigh of relief when I saw that I passed with a comfortable margin. Now I'm prepping to squeeze in the CPSE by the end of the month.
As other members have shared, this forum was comforting for me to visit when I needed a boost of encouragement while studying for the EPPP (and during the agonizing wait period). I vowed to pay it forward once I cleared the hurdle. I agree with previous posts about unnecessary overkill with studying, because it can easily consume your life (and does anyone EVER feel completely prepared going into it?). However, I have significant anxiety with standardized tests. I knew my anxiety would be more problematic than getting the content down, so my strategy was to ease into it without self-imposed pressure, and then concentrate my efforts as efficiently as possible within a short time frame by focusing on practice tests. I used the PsychPrep weekend workshop audio and quizzes and "studied" ~2 hours on weekends (a couple of quizzes) for about 4 weeks and listened to the CDs that reviewed the quizzes while driving or running. I had a lot of TA and teaching experience while in grad school, and so most of the material was a familiar review. I didn’t seriously review study guides (PsychPrep 2010 and some AR) until the last two weeks before the exam. Instead, I jumped straight into the quizzes to get a sense of my baseline.
Serious studying happened two weeks before the exam. I took 4 full practice tests, half of the retired items, and several content-specific quizzes. After each practice test, I tallied my incorrect questions by content area and then concentrated my studying on only those 2-3 weak areas and items. I highly recommend taking as many practice tests as you can and identifying your weaknesses early on so you can tailor your studying. All of my practice tests were in the 68-78% range. I believe that the short quizzes I initially took helped prep me for the practice tests during the final two weeks. I made some flashcards using the “Flashcards+” iPhone app for the I/O stuff and other random info that I needed to know cold so I wouldn’t waste time thinking about it in the real test (easy and portable to study anywhere). The Quizlet and Cram sites and iPhone apps can also be helpful (I’m using those for the CPSE right now).
In sum, for those going through this hazing process, I suggest that you spend nearly all of your time on practice tests over rote memorization or reading through entire study guides or chapters. Focus on your weaknesses and trust in your strengths (degree/specialization). Brush up on test taking strategies if you are anxiety prone. Force yourself to do at least one full mock practice exam within the timed 4 hr 15 min. so you can gauge your pace and threshold for mental fatigue. Be prepared to see questions on the exam that will freak you out because you’ve never seen the content before. And almost always go with your first answer unless you completely misread the question.
