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- Nov 16, 2021
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those that are on post doc this year, how are you navigating time and studying for the EPPP?
That seems like a good amount of time. How long have you been studying and when are you taking it?It has been tricky to get enough studying time in but I've gotten into the mode of studying for about 1.5 hours after work and 5-8 hours on the weekends!
When are you taking it?It is miserable but I've also have gotten into the swing of things since January! Studying about 3 weekdays/week in the evenings (1-2 hours) and both weekend days (3ish hours each). Generally taking a practice test every other weekend at this point--have taken three so far. I also scheduled my test date so that is helping me feel a sense of urgency.
Taking it in mid-April. Using AATBS program and have some hand me down practice tests from other study programsWhen are you taking it?
What study materials are you using?
I like my post-doc but not planning to stay for geographical reasons!Also, my initial post was about how many of you like your post doc and are planning on staying. I thought I was going to love it here but I am ready for it to end.
Mine is end of April but had this past week I studied like 10 minutes since I got sickThe best way to study would be spaced repetition flashcards designed as short answer questions (not multiple choice) a la Anki and/or Quizlet Learn, with a practice exam before and after studying to measure progress and provide exposure to testing situation/context. Don't spend more than 3 months studying. This is all evidence-based advice.
Agreed with all of the above. I didn't use passive listening, but the majority of my study consisted of taking practice tests and reading through the provided rationale for any items I missed. It also then gave me areas to focus on in my "normal" studying, allowing me to skip topics I consistently did well with. And as Freud'sMommy suggested, I also used practice tests to gauge the efficacy of my targeted studying.Although my colleagues have great opinions, I’ll offer a complimentary divergent opinion:
1) This is a test of crystallized knowledge, not ability. You don’t have to know why an answer is correct; only what the correct answer is.
2) learn basic test taking strategies. Exclude two choices, most frequent selection, etc.
3) Most importantly: find practice questions. Especially the official sample questions. Use something like a kindle that can translate text to speech. That is now the soundtrack of your life. Slap some headphones in, press play, listen passively for 4hrs/day. That sounds like a lot, but it isn’t if you’re not paying attention. Listen passively, not actively. Wake up, throw it on when you’re in the shower or getting ready, keep it going in the car, continue at lunch, then evening commute, while your SO is watching TV, in the gym, in bed, etc. You don’t have to pay attention. Just let it play. After 50+ repetitions, many things will get passively memorized. It will drive you nuts, but keep going. After the “this is miserable” phase, you can get amused by it.
4) After #3, spend some time taking practice tests. You’re going to do better than you think because you passively memorized things in step 3. Identify what you’re missing, isolate those questions, and just memorize the correct answer. Take at least one a day. When you hit your limit for paying attention, spend another 5-10 minutes visually scanning the visual form of the question. Some are 4 lines, some 8, some have weird indentations to them, others have a series of short words followed by one king word. Pure rote memory. That can be used to identify a question and associated answer on a real test. When the question looks like 4 long lines that end in the middle of the 4th line, the answer is “coefficient of who cares”.
5) ASPPB has like 5 sample questions in the manual, and there are 175 real questions, so you only have to memorize like 170 more answers.
Well said and spot on.Although my colleagues have great opinions, I’ll offer a complimentary divergent opinion:
1) This is a test of crystallized knowledge, not ability. You don’t have to know why an answer is correct; only what the correct answer is.
2) learn basic test taking strategies. Exclude two choices, most frequent selection, etc.
3) Most importantly: find practice questions. Especially the official sample questions. Use something like a kindle that can translate text to speech. That is now the soundtrack of your life. Slap some headphones in, press play, listen passively for 4hrs/day. That sounds like a lot, but it isn’t if you’re not paying attention. Listen passively, not actively. Wake up, throw it on when you’re in the shower or getting ready, keep it going in the car, continue at lunch, then evening commute, while your SO is watching TV, in the gym, in bed, etc. You don’t have to pay attention. Just let it play. After 50+ repetitions, many things will get passively memorized. It will drive you nuts, but keep going. After the “this is miserable” phase, you can get amused by it.
4) After #3, spend some time taking practice tests. You’re going to do better than you think because you passively memorized things in step 3. Identify what you’re missing, isolate those questions, and just memorize the correct answer. Take at least one a day. When you hit your limit for paying attention, spend another 5-10 minutes visually scanning the visual form of the question. Some are 4 lines, some 8, some have weird indentations to them, others have a series of short words followed by one king word. Pure rote memory. That can be used to identify a question and associated answer on a real test. When the question looks like 4 long lines that end in the middle of the 4th line, the answer is “coefficient of who cares”.
5) ASPPB has like 5 sample questions in the manual, and there are 175 real questions, so you only have to memorize like 170 more answers.