PhD/PsyD EPPP - How to Prepare, Practice, & PASS

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I'd suggest putting in as many study hours as possible in those two weeks. If you have practice tests, stagger them out in that two week period and see how you do each time. I used a combination of practice exams, audio in the car, and taking copious notes on written materials. Seemed to work for me, but everyone's study needs are a little different. Just grind through those two weeks at your max capacity and hope for the best!

All isn't necessarily lost because the test is sooner than expected, but I would study as many hours as you possibly can to be as prepared as you can be. And yes, definitely work harder on the material you don't know as well!

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How many hours per week should I shoot for? I think I can do 20 to 25 each week, but is that enough or should I try to cram in more?
I'd suggest putting in as many study hours as possible in those two weeks. If you have practice tests, stagger them out in that two week period and see how you do each time. I used a combination of practice exams, audio in the car, and taking copious notes on written materials. Seemed to work for me, but everyone's study needs are a little different. Just grind through those two weeks at your max capacity and hope for the best!

All isn't necessarily lost because the test is sooner than expected, but I would study as many hours as you possibly can to be as prepared as you can be. And yes, definitely work harder on the material you don't know as well!
 
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How many hours per week should I shoot for? I think I can do 20 to 25 each week, but is that enough or should I try to cram in more?

How much time have you studied thus far?
I was told a general rule of thumb is to study ~100 hours total, but I stopped at 90, and a friend of mine stopped at 70-75, and some people in this forum said they studied less. Some people say two weeks is plenty if you cram intensely, some people study for 8 months and 200+ hours because they’ve been out of school for awhile, etc. Just depends on your confidence and knowledge (mixed with ability to test-take). I’d definitely suggest 40-50 hours in two weeks if you can swing it! I don’t think anything higher would be realistic if you want to sleep, given your schedule.

There’s a wide range of study hours in this forum from what people report, so don’t panic either way; just do the best you can.
 
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It's hard to say how many hours I've put in. I started in November and was going pretty strong, then the holidays hit and then I had a death in my family in mid January. By the time I resumed studying in early February, I had basically read all the aatbs books cover to cover, and taken the accompanying section quizzes. I've been hitting the books pretty hard for the last two weeks or so, focusing on my weaker sections (I/O and Developmental). Not an ideal study strategy, but sometimes life has other plans.
How much time have you studied thus far?
I was told a general rule of thumb is to study ~100 hours total, but I stopped at 90, and a friend of mine stopped at 70-75, and some people in this forum said they studied less. Some people say two weeks is plenty if you cram intensely, some people study for 8 months and 200+ hours because they’ve been out of school for awhile, etc. Just depends on your confidence and knowledge (mixed with ability to test-take). I’d definitely suggest 40-50 hours in two weeks if you can swing it! I don’t think anything higher would be realistic if you want to sleep, given your schedule.

There’s a wide range of study hours in this forum from what people report, so don’t panic either way; just do the best you can.
 
Thanks so much! Yup, I'm the same way. Been writing and writing and writing, but it's the best way for me to learn the info; the audio guides are basically useless to me. I did find some really great pens though, I've been digging the .38 extra fine tip pens. I also discovered the lovely TOR pen. The thought of having to study more if I fail pretty much knocks all the wind out of my sails. I feel horrible for people next year who may be required to take two exams

A good pen helps! I switch from ballpoint to rollerball to fine felt-tip depending on the task and my mood. I have a Mont Blanc that was a gift many years ago, but my all-time favorite is still the humble Pilot Precise V5.

Another exam is never something to look forward to. On the other hand, the EPPP 2 seems to be geared toward the same kind of content that is often assessed by state oral examinations (where they exist), so I don't see a big game-changing barrier on the horizon.
 
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I contemplated getting a Mont Blanc, but I'm too poor. I'll check out the Pilot Precise for sure. Right now I'm using the uni-ball signo. 38. It's good for cramming a bunch of info onto one page and they have different shades of blues.
A good pen helps! I switch from ballpoint to rollerball to fine felt-tip depending on the task and my mood. I have a Mont Blanc that was a gift many years ago, but my all-time favorite is still the humble Pilot Precise V5.

Another exam is never something to look forward to. On the other hand, the EPPP 2 seems to be geared toward the same kind of content that is often assessed by state oral examinations (where they exist), so I don't see a big game-changing barrier on the horizon.
 
I’ve been studying since end of January almost everyday, going over each domain a week and reviewing a domain prior to a new domain. I have two weeks before my exam so I’m cramming. I took time off from work. So far I’m scoring well on the domain quizzes. My first practice test from AATBS test, I scored 68%. I hope I can improve it.
 
I’ve been studying since end of January almost everyday, going over each domain a week and reviewing a domain prior to a new domain. I have two weeks before my exam so I’m cramming. I took time off from work. So far I’m scoring well on the domain quizzes. My first practice test from AATBS test, I scored 68%. I hope I can improve it.

A 68 on an AATBS practice test should set you up for a comfortable pass on the EPPP. The AATBS exams are particularly difficult. I was scoring low- to mid-70's on AATBS exams prior to the exam (literally the final week or two) and nearly hit a score of 700 on the actual exam.
 
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I think you will be fine. I was scoring a 65, but dropped to a 62 on exam 4 (supposedly the hardest practice exam). Definitely didn't do much for my confidence, but I'm thinking I'm going to take the test next week anyway. One girl I know scored a 58 on her final aatbs exam and passed the EPPP, although she didn't pass by flying colors. I also know a girl who never got to the 70 mark but passed. And then there are people who scored in the low 60s and didn't pass.
I’ve been studying since end of January almost everyday, going over each domain a week and reviewing a domain prior to a new domain. I have two weeks before my exam so I’m cramming. I took time off from work. So far I’m scoring well on the domain quizzes. My first practice test from AATBS test, I scored 68%. I hope I can improve it.
 
I was told by the rep at AATBS that all 8 exams are the same as for difficulty level similar to the exam. I was a bit confused, so I know sometimes I feel like one exam is harder than the other, but it might just be the content or how the question is written that we perceive it to be harder.
 
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A good pen helps! I switch from ballpoint to rollerball to fine felt-tip depending on the task and my mood. I have a Mont Blanc that was a gift many years ago, but my all-time favorite is still the humble Pilot Precise V5.

Another exam is never something to look forward to. On the other hand, the EPPP 2 seems to be geared toward the same kind of content that is often assessed by state oral examinations (where they exist), so I don't see a big game-changing barrier on the horizon.
Oh yeah! Prob my favorite mass produced pen, it’s my daily driver. However, I love the weight of a large Mont Blanc pen, though obviously not cheap. I love the feel of a heavy pen...man....I really want to find a vintage Mont Blanc now...:laugh:
 
Oh yeah! Prob my favorite mass produced pen, it’s my daily driver. However, I love the weight of a large Mont Blanc pen, though obviously not cheap. I love the feel of a heavy pen...man....I really want to find a vintage Mont Blanc now...:laugh:

Should we leave you two (you and your pen) alone for a minute?
 
Oh yeah! Prob my favorite mass produced pen, it’s my daily driver. However, I love the weight of a large Mont Blanc pen, though obviously not cheap. I love the feel of a heavy pen...man....I really want to find a vintage Mont Blanc now...:laugh:

I would settle for finding my non-vintage Mont Blanc. I lost track of it in an office move a few years ago.
 
Just wanted to inform you the pilot precise pens are on their way to my doorstep any day. When I was a pre-teen using AOL dial-up on the one computer in the house, I never would have guessed I could some day have the ability to post to an online forum from a smartphone (on an aside I highly recommend the new S10). Or that I could order pens via my virtual assistant, Alexa. In my defense, they didn't have them at CV's last weekend. Now, Amazon is currently packaging and preparing them in some warehouse and they will soon arrive at my home. Alexa will also inform me when the package is on my porch.

I was really liking the signo pen, but I have gone through two pens in two weeks; both blue! Now I have to use the black one. They are good pens, but stingy on ink. I have purchased far too many pens in the last month.
 
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Is this conversion accurate? I called ASBBP and the lady told me she didn't know. I am trying not to obsess over it. Either way, I feel confident. I am doing better when it comes to answering the questions on the exam. Sometimes I second guessed myself..... WE GOT THIS!!!
 

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How many times are you allowed to take it? What percentage fail?
 
You can take the exam 4 times within a 12 month period. If I remembered correctly, there was a asbbp pdf that was out and the pass rate was a little above 60% for first time test takers.
 
I don't think there's a set conversion, as it can vary based on the particular form you get.

Is the question worth different points? Or it’s about number correct? I would feel better if it’s based on the number correct.
 
I am looking for a study partner for the EPPP. Aiming to take the test in August. I live in the NYC area. I have lots of old practice exams, some (old) materials, and audio CD's but would really benefit from a study partner to help motivate me.
 
Hello! Would really appreciate anyone's help on this: So I took the EPPP end of June this year and fell shy of passing by 25 points :( I went into it fairly confident as I was receiving anywhere between 60-90% on AR domain quizzes. Gave myself 4 months to study. I passed the in-person EPPP 2 weeks before my scheduled date and spent the next two weeks reviewing earlier material and reading through some I/O and research/stats stuff. Alas I was very shocked I didn't pass. I remember feeling as though the practice EPPP questions were MUCH easier and straight forward than the real test which really threw me off half way through the test. I'm re-taking in 1.5 weeks. I've focused the past month on making more flash cards and trying to memorize details (percentages, ages, specifics etc) because I'm thinking that's where I lost points, as well continuing to do questions. But I'm honestly not sure. The graph that you get after the in-person practice and if you don't pass the real test wasn't helpful because areas I did not do so well on in the practice test I improved dramatically on the real one and other areas I did ok/well on in the practice I did less so on the real exam. So basically, I felt things just got flip-flopped.

Any suggestions on what else I may be missing here?? Study strategies, anxiety mgmt techniques that I'm somehow not aware of, unique test taking strategies, self care?? Multiple choice is NOT my forte so I had some anxiety going in but felt I was able to manage it. I caved and got an rx for propanalol this time, which I'll be taking as a trial with an at home practice test before the real one.

Any ideas, help, or suggestions are appreciated.
 
Hi all,

I’m taking the exam soon and just stumbled upon this thread. Wish I would have seen it earlier! I have a lot of resources I’ve gathered in prepping, including audio from AATBS and psyc prep. If anyone would like these or any of the other study material, please let me know! Not to be cliche, but we are all in this together. I know how hard we have worked to get here and I am strongly rooting for each and every one of us to conquer this big hurdle! Please reach out if I can help at all :)
 
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Hello! Would really appreciate anyone's help on this: So I took the EPPP end of June this year and fell shy of passing by 25 points :( I went into it fairly confident as I was receiving anywhere between 60-90% on AR domain quizzes. Gave myself 4 months to study. I passed the in-person EPPP 2 weeks before my scheduled date and spent the next two weeks reviewing earlier material and reading through some I/O and research/stats stuff. Alas I was very shocked I didn't pass. I remember feeling as though the practice EPPP questions were MUCH easier and straight forward than the real test which really threw me off half way through the test. I'm re-taking in 1.5 weeks. I've focused the past month on making more flash cards and trying to memorize details (percentages, ages, specifics etc) because I'm thinking that's where I lost points, as well continuing to do questions. But I'm honestly not sure. The graph that you get after the in-person practice and if you don't pass the real test wasn't helpful because areas I did not do so well on in the practice test I improved dramatically on the real one and other areas I did ok/well on in the practice I did less so on the real exam. So basically, I felt things just got flip-flopped.

Any suggestions on what else I may be missing here?? Study strategies, anxiety mgmt techniques that I'm somehow not aware of, unique test taking strategies, self care?? Multiple choice is NOT my forte so I had some anxiety going in but felt I was able to manage it. I caved and got an rx for propanalol this time, which I'll be taking as a trial with an at home practice test before the real one.

Any ideas, help, or suggestions are appreciated.
I missed by 50 points today. SO FRUSTRATING. I was making 80 - 87 on practice exams. I know my anxiety is definitely something i have to manager. I am not sure where to start!
 
I just baught the 2019 AATBS materials and noticed that there sections don't line up with what is published by ASPPB. It seems like they reused old resources; there are now 8 sections. Anybody know if they update their guides? They have not responded to me.
 
So are any other folks trying to debate rushing to take the exam before December to avoid having to complete the 'enhanced EPPP' come January?
 
So are any other folks trying to debate rushing to take the exam before December to avoid having to complete the 'enhanced EPPP' come January?

Ask your local board if they plan to be early adopters of the part 2. The rollout is a disaster.
 
I just passed the EPPP today on the first attempt, and although I’ve never posted on SDN, I wanted to share some of my experience because I discovered the EPPP-related threads here several days ago and found them very supportive as I was getting closer to exam day.

I’m a couple months into a postdoc, and probably would have waited until next year to take the EPPP were it not for concern that PA might adopt Part 2 in January (it now looks like the PA Board has no immediate plans to adopt Part 2, but back when I started my intensive studying, that wasn’t clear).

Some background: I attended a highly theoretical PhD program that emphasized phenomenology, existentialism, and qualitative research. It was APA accredited and definitely the right program to prepare me for the kind of work I want to do, but it did very little to transmit the kind of knowledge necessary to do well on the EPPP. As in, I learned a lot about Derrida and Lacan, but virtually nothing about physiology, major developmental models, CBT, conditioning, quantitative research design...my development class was called “Phenomenology of Human Development” and my emotion/motivation/behavior class consisted entirely of reading Sass’ “Madness and Modernism” and McGilchrist’s “The Master and His Emissary.” All this to say that when I began studying, I felt that I was starting from scratch. I was extremely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material I had never learned before.

For that reason, I gave myself a full six months to study, starting during my internship. And I’m glad I did. I passed today by a wide margin, but would have been perfectly content with a 501. Did I end up overprepared? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Not for me — but no one else can tell you what kind of studying or what degree of preparation is best for you. I’ve heard/read many folks saying that they studied for a far shorter period of time and did well. That would not have been a good fit for me.

I decided early on I didn’t want to spend any money on preparation if at all possible. Someone at my internship site generously gave me his 2017 AATBS books for free, and I used a free flashcard app to create my own flashcards as I worked my way through every page of every book. Making my own flashcards felt like a lot of work, but it allowed me to digest the material better than if I had relied on pre-made cards. I reviewed my flashcards really frequently, using moments between therapy sessions, bus rides, and setting aside several hours on the weekend just to review flashcards. I also enlisted my husband — I gave him the login info to my flashcards app, and he texted me random cards three times a day for months! It was really helpful and made me feel less alone with my studying. My goal was to overlearn, and I eventually got to the point where remembering the bulk of the material in the books became automatic for me.

I started using free practice exams (lots of these are widely available online or through folks at your training site) only after getting more than halfway through learning the material (again, for me it wasn’t review, it was learning it for the first time — probably makes sense to start with practice exams earlier if you have a history with the material). The practice exams were wildly useful. Taking the exams was partly a chance to test my knowledge of the material, but primarily an opportunity to learn *how the test wanted me to think.* That’s such a crucial component of test-taking — getting into the minds of the test designers and understanding how they want you to think, especially for topics like ethics. Also, as others on this site have mentioned, there ended up being a lot of overlap between what questions I encountered on practice exams and what questions I encountered on the actual exam. Can’t emphasize enough how useful it is to take as many practice exams as possible.

Because my practice exams were free and came without branding, I don’t know which company’s tests I was using. I never scored above 75% on any of them. I found that worrying — until I discovered this site and realized that’s a common experience, even for people who are well-prepared. A couple days before my exam, I tried 225 retired EPPP questions (also available for free — just search for them) and got 90% correct. That calmed me way down going in.

The most important part of my preparation was this: understanding that my life would be a full and fun one, and that I would find my way through the world, whether or not I ever passed the EPPP. I think this exam is hogwash in a lot of ways, but I have no interest in going into that here. The most important thing I got from studying for it was a reminder of the deep necessity of perspective. No exam is worth your mental health or your sense of self. I lost my perspective at a few different points along the way, and had a couple impressive meltdowns, both from the senioritis of having completed a 6-year program and *still* feeling like I was in school, and from anxiety about the potential financial burden of not passing. But others who loved me were there along the way to remind me that my heart is too big to be reduced to worrying about an exam result, and too big even to be reduced to my career. It was my job to believe them, and to remember that that’s what I already knew to be true anyway. Most of the messages of support I got in the week before I took the exam weren’t about hoping I would pass — they were about hoping that no matter whether I passed or failed, I’d remember I was cared about. My best advice is to be radically gentle with yourself and to surround yourself with support. Make passing, if passing happens, the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself. If you can find your way into that headspace, you’ll owe yourself gratitude, whether exam day ends with laughter and relief or with tears and rebuilding.
 
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The most important part of my preparation was this: understanding that my life would be a full and fun one, and that I would find my way through the world, whether or not I ever passed the EPPP. I think this exam is hogwash in a lot of ways, but I have no interest in going into that here. The most important thing I got from studying for it was a reminder of the deep necessity of perspective. No exam is worth your mental health or your sense of self. I lost my perspective at a few different points along the way, and had a couple impressive meltdowns, both from the senioritis of having completed a 6-year program and *still* feeling like I was in school, and from anxiety about the potential financial burden of not passing. But others who loved me were there along the way to remind me that my heart is too big to be reduced to worrying about an exam result, and too big even to be reduced to my career. It was my job to believe them, and to remember that that’s what I already knew to be true anyway. Most of the messages of support I got in the week before I took the exam weren’t about hoping I would pass — they were about hoping that no matter whether I passed or failed, I’d remember I was cared about. My best advice is to be radically gentle with yourself and to surround yourself with support. Make passing, if passing happens, the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself. If you can find your way into that headspace, you’ll owe yourself gratitude, whether exam day ends with laughter and relief or with tears and rebuilding.

Congratulations! :woot:

Thank you so much for your post -- I'm taking the exam next Friday and these are excellent reminders. This past week I have felt so burnt out and resentful about studying every day after work. Today more depressive feelings set in and I have been fairly discouraged all day. My practice tests are getting as high as 90% on re-take modes and 75% on "fresh" tests but I'm scared this is just due to practice effects and that I am falsely doing well somehow. I was just reduced to tears looking over the incorrect answers on my latest test from tonight -- how can I possibly know all of this information?

Anyway, thank you again for a more compassionate and un-pressured view on this whole process.
 
i finally passed the EPPP in Oct.. and of course it was less than a month after I renewed my AATBS subscription for 9 months.. not sure if this is allowed but trying to sell:
Series ID:257
Date Registered:March 29, 2019
TestMASTER Expiration Date:June 20, 2020
Section Quiz Expiration Date:June 11, 2020
Chapter Quiz Expiration Date:June 20, 2020
Online FlashCards Expiration Date:Not Yet Started
$750, bought for $1500.
 
Any suggestions on studying the part of "research and statistics"?
 
I just passed the EPPP today on the first attempt, and although I’ve never posted on SDN, I wanted to share some of my experience because I discovered the EPPP-related threads here several days ago and found them very supportive as I was getting closer to exam day.

I’m a couple months into a postdoc, and probably would have waited until next year to take the EPPP were it not for concern that PA might adopt Part 2 in January (it now looks like the PA Board has no immediate plans to adopt Part 2, but back when I started my intensive studying, that wasn’t clear).

Some background: I attended a highly theoretical PhD program that emphasized phenomenology, existentialism, and qualitative research. It was APA accredited and definitely the right program to prepare me for the kind of work I want to do, but it did very little to transmit the kind of knowledge necessary to do well on the EPPP. As in, I learned a lot about Derrida and Lacan, but virtually nothing about physiology, major developmental models, CBT, conditioning, quantitative research design...my development class was called “Phenomenology of Human Development” and my emotion/motivation/behavior class consisted entirely of reading Sass’ “Madness and Modernism” and McGilchrist’s “The Master and His Emissary.” All this to say that when I began studying, I felt that I was starting from scratch. I was extremely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material I had never learned before.

For that reason, I gave myself a full six months to study, starting during my internship. And I’m glad I did. I passed today by a wide margin, but would have been perfectly content with a 501. Did I end up overprepared? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Not for me — but no one else can tell you what kind of studying or what degree of preparation is best for you. I’ve heard/read many folks saying that they studied for a far shorter period of time and did well. That would not have been a good fit for me.

I decided early on I didn’t want to spend any money on preparation if at all possible. Someone at my internship site generously gave me his 2017 AATBS books for free, and I used a free flashcard app to create my own flashcards as I worked my way through every page of every book. Making my own flashcards felt like a lot of work, but it allowed me to digest the material better than if I had relied on pre-made cards. I reviewed my flashcards really frequently, using moments between therapy sessions, bus rides, and setting aside several hours on the weekend just to review flashcards. I also enlisted my husband — I gave him the login info to my flashcards app, and he texted me random cards three times a day for months! It was really helpful and made me feel less alone with my studying. My goal was to overlearn, and I eventually got to the point where remembering the bulk of the material in the books became automatic for me.

I started using free practice exams (lots of these are widely available online or through folks at your training site) only after getting more than halfway through learning the material (again, for me it wasn’t review, it was learning it for the first time — probably makes sense to start with practice exams earlier if you have a history with the material). The practice exams were wildly useful. Taking the exams was partly a chance to test my knowledge of the material, but primarily an opportunity to learn *how the test wanted me to think.* That’s such a crucial component of test-taking — getting into the minds of the test designers and understanding how they want you to think, especially for topics like ethics. Also, as others on this site have mentioned, there ended up being a lot of overlap between what questions I encountered on practice exams and what questions I encountered on the actual exam. Can’t emphasize enough how useful it is to take as many practice exams as possible.

Because my practice exams were free and came without branding, I don’t know which company’s tests I was using. I never scored above 75% on any of them. I found that worrying — until I discovered this site and realized that’s a common experience, even for people who are well-prepared. A couple days before my exam, I tried 225 retired EPPP questions (also available for free — just search for them) and got 90% correct. That calmed me way down going in.

The most important part of my preparation was this: understanding that my life would be a full and fun one, and that I would find my way through the world, whether or not I ever passed the EPPP. I think this exam is hogwash in a lot of ways, but I have no interest in going into that here. The most important thing I got from studying for it was a reminder of the deep necessity of perspective. No exam is worth your mental health or your sense of self. I lost my perspective at a few different points along the way, and had a couple impressive meltdowns, both from the senioritis of having completed a 6-year program and *still* feeling like I was in school, and from anxiety about the potential financial burden of not passing. But others who loved me were there along the way to remind me that my heart is too big to be reduced to worrying about an exam result, and too big even to be reduced to my career. It was my job to believe them, and to remember that that’s what I already knew to be true anyway. Most of the messages of support I got in the week before I took the exam weren’t about hoping I would pass — they were about hoping that no matter whether I passed or failed, I’d remember I was cared about. My best advice is to be radically gentle with yourself and to surround yourself with support. Make passing, if passing happens, the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself. If you can find your way into that headspace, you’ll owe yourself gratitude, whether exam day ends with laughter and relief or with tears and rebuilding.
Question for those who used materials passed down from other people-- did you have answer keys for prior practice tests? I was given 5 practice tests but no answer keys, and I'm wondering how useful these will be, if at all. And should I pay the $350 for the practice tests from PsychPrep?
 
Hi all. I am taking my EPPP in January and want to begin studying. Does anyone have any old materials they wouldn't mind sharing with me? (e.g., practice exams (the best option!) but also any flash cards, notes, audio files, etc.). Thank you in advance!!!
 
I'm scheduled for Wednesday, November 15. I'm feeling ill-prepared. I have failed both online practice tests offered by ASPBB. It doesn't give me a scaled score so I don't know how close I got. I used psych prep and think it's been ok. Found a free trial through Prepjet- does anyone know anything about this company?
I studied AATBS books for approximately a year (last 4 months regularly) and failed. I then studied PrepJet study guides and took their practice tests. I not only passed but boosted my score by about 135 pts.
 
Hola! I passed the EPPP today and I wanted to post a couple thoughts about the experience while its still fresh in my mind, in case it helps anyone.

I started by studying PsychPrep, then switched to AATBS because it was more comprehensive.

I was not 100% confident with about 85% of my answers on the exam (often narrowed it down to two possibilities). I studied and memorized a gigantic volume of material, to fine detail, and it was barely measured by this exam. No matter how hard you study you will likely be guessing to some extent on MOST questions. I literally memorized everything and it was total overkill.

The ability to think through answer choices and eliminate one by one was the main skill on this exam, and manage anxiety from not knowing the answers to many questions (which you won’t).

It’s too bad this test isn’t more straightforward. If I could do this again = I would have just reviewed general concepts and terms, practiced answering questions I didn’t know, and went for it MUCH sooner.

Buena suerte!
 
Hola! I passed the EPPP today and I wanted to post a couple thoughts about the experience while its still fresh in my mind, in case it helps anyone.

I started by studying PsychPrep, then switched to AATBS because it was more comprehensive.

I was not 100% confident with about 85% of my answers on the exam (often narrowed it down to two possibilities). I studied and memorized a gigantic volume of material, to fine detail, and it was barely measured by this exam. No matter how hard you study you will likely be guessing to some extent on MOST questions. I literally memorized everything and it was total overkill.

The ability to think through answer choices and eliminate one by one was the main skill on this exam, and manage anxiety from not knowing the answers to many questions (which you won’t).

It’s too bad this test isn’t more straightforward. If I could do this again = I would have just reviewed general concepts and terms, practiced answering questions I didn’t know, and went for it MUCH sooner.

Buena suerte!

I was not 100% confident with about 85% of my answers on the exam (often narrowed it down to two possibilities). I studied and memorized a gigantic volume of material, to fine detail, and it was barely measured by this exam. No matter how hard you study you will likely be guessing to some extent on MOST questions. I literally memorized everything and it was total overkill.

The ability to think through answer choices and eliminate one by one was the main skill on this exam, and manage anxiety from not knowing the answers to many questions (which you won’t).

It’s too bad this test isn’t more straightforward. If I could do this again = I would have just reviewed general concepts and terms, practiced answering questions I didn’t know, and went for it MUCH sooner.

This! ! I too took the exam today and passed and this so accurately sums it up.

For studying, I mainly used a lot of hand-me-down materials (some dated and some newer) + Prepjet and AATBS books. I made visuals since I’m a visual learner & that really helped for most domains.

I studied for about 3 months, did practice questions (~50 or so a day give and take), & took a practice exam weekly until the last month when I started doing 2/wk. I bought the AATBS Final Exams & did them last week & that was probably the most similar to the exam.

I literally thought I was failing the whole way through & still passed, & I agree that managing anxiety was the hardest part because of that. I definitely overstudied & concurrent with most people’s feedback—the questions on the test were not really similar to any of the practice questions I had.
 
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This! ! I too took the exam today and passed and this so accurately sums it up.

For studying, I mainly used a lot of hand-me-down materials (some dated and some newer) + Prepjet and AATBS books. I made visuals since I’m a visual learner & that really helped for most domains.

I studied for about 3 months, did practice questions (~50 or so a day give and take), & took a practice exam weekly until the last month when I started doing 2/wk. I bought the AATBS Final Exams & did them last week & that was probably the most similar to the exam.

I literally thought I was failing the whole way through & still passed, & I agree that managing anxiety was the hardest part because of that. I definitely overstudied & concurrent with most people’s feedback—the questions on the test were not really similar to any of the practice questions I had.
Oh my goodness right?! Thank you for relating!
 
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first time poster, long time lurker.

I took the EPPP for the first time earlier this month & passed so I thought I would pass on some things that worked for me -reading this thread helped calm my nerves so I wanted to return the favor.

I think the most important thing is that- & I cannot stress this enough- mindset is everything. Everyone I knew that took the EPPP in the last year (5+ people) failed, with some having so much anxiety they barely even got through the test. The two weeks before the exam, I worked on my mindset as I reviewed the material. I did all the things- positive imagery, grounding, tedtalks, deep breathing exercises, reading this forum etc. My practice test scores only improved (& dramatically) when I was able to control my anxiety and fear. Mindset is everything. Be your own best friend.

The next important thing, that is almost as important as your mindset is test-taking strategy. In all honesty, I didn't really study Stats/test construction. I suck at it & honestly have no interest in it. I studied some basic concepts like validity and reliability, right/left skew stuff etc. but not much. I was surprised at the amount of stats/test construction questions I got & the only thing to get me through these questions was test-strategy. PsychPrep has a great test-taking strategy they teach in the weekend mastery workshop which helped me a lot. Similar to what others said on this forum previously, overall, I would say I actually knew less than 20% of what was asked. However, I was able to narrow it down & make educated guesses on most questions. I recommend reviewing your own test strategy in an honest manner to help understand how you approach questions.

Lastly, I used the Taylor Study Method primarily for approximately 3 months. I do not recommend this program for many reasons so I also supplemented it with PsychPrep for the last month. I was getting ~65% consistently on practice tests until I started focusing on my mindset. When I took a more aggressive approach to calm my anxiety my scores jumped to the high 70s immediately. My score on the EPPP was mid-500s so I feel I studied just the right amount. Another thing that helped me, was making flashcards on Quizlet & then paying $8 for a month subscription which allowed me to take "practice tests" with my flashcards.

Take breaks, take care of yourself, & at the end of the day remember- it's just a test (not even a good one at that).

Best of luck, you got this!!
 
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