Hey friends!
I wanted to post here to keep this thread current, and because I know I pored over it in the 1-2 weeks before the EPPP, and was much helped by other posts and threads here on Student Doctor. I just passed on 3/30, and there is hope!! I was NOT feeling confident going in (and I am typically a very confident test taker) and yet am here, on the other side, with a well passing score. I know this is a super long post, but I was really helped by people including their comprehensive info, and so wanted to do the same. TLDR important bits are underlined!
My background: went to a weirdo PhD program specializing in existential and psychoanalytic psych so did not learn MOST of this stuff upfront. Did have a background teaching Intro Psych, and Social Psych, both of which helped. Took 2 years off between graduating and taking the test, so the material (if there at all) was by no means fresh.
My prep: I collected a TON of materials from classmates and generous colleagues on internship, ultimately including: full set of audio files (PsychPrep), guided review volumes (AATBS), practice quizzes for each section (AATBS), about 6 full exams (some AATBS, some unidentified), slides from someone’s workshop attendance, and flashcards. Most was from 2011-2014, and I had limited access to DSM-V stuff (some audio and a guided review packet, but all the volumes, quizzes, exams, slides, flashcards, etc were DSM-IV). I used predominantly slide review, a little guided volume review, and a LOT of audio review and quizzes. I also took 3 practice exams. I did not really use the flashcards, or the guided volumes in total, as they seemed like overkill to me - SO much information, and you don’t really need to know it by recall (flashcards) but only by recognition (quizzes and exams).
My timeline: I studied for about 10 weeks, averaging 12 hours per week. I work a compressed work week of three 12 hour days (MWTH) and a 4 hour day Friday, so every week I studied 6 hours Tuesdays, 2-4 hours Friday, and 2-4 hours on a weekend day. I did not accelerate towards the finish line, but did take the day off before the exam to do a final review and practice exam. I was glad I did - I would not have wanted to be seeing patients that day!
My practice and final exam scores: I took 3 AATBS exams in the three weeks before the exam, and scored consecutively, 68, 60, and 64 (day before the exam). Final score on the exam was 644, well, well above what I anticipated. I relied more on quiz scores, and used the percentages available regarding how much of the test pulls from each domain to guide my progress. That is, I focused the most on scoring highly in ethics, interventions, and abnormal, since those are the highest content domain areas, and I made sure to be quizzing in the high 70s low 80s in those areas. I never quizzed above mid 60s for bio bases, and didn’t even try on RD, so I can’t say, but figured these two content areas would be offset by the more significant domains in which I was quizzing well. For I/O, Social, Assessment, Lifespan, and LT/CBT I got the point where I was passing with a 70 on quizzes, then moved on.
My takeaway: It is FOR SURE true what people say that how you feel about the test is not representative of your score. I was pretty sure I hadn’t passed, and felt totally unsure about at least 50% of the material. I would honestly say I knew no more than 50 questions cold (and I felt like I had learned a lot of material!) and maybe another 50 or so where I was familiar enough with the options to at least feel like I was taking an educated guess ruling out options. For the rest, it truly was test taking strategies. I always have been a good test taker, so I didn’t take it that seriously when people emphasized the importance of learning the test specific strategies, but honestly, that’s where it’s at. I found the audio most helpful in that respect for walking through quiz questions and how the wording worked, and why answers were wrong or right. Even when sometimes the audio was the workshop leader going over questions that I couldn’t see, she would eventually read the answers and question (often in a way where I could participate on my own in the question, sometimes not) and the dissecting of the question and answers was KEY. I also knew basically none of stats/test construction/research design, and opted to just not learn it and spend my efforts studying elsewhere, which, for me, paid off. I felt I could reason my way through some of the stats/RD stuff, and the rest I just randomly guessed at and counted on points elsewhere. For me, that worked. I didn’t really find that having dated materials caused a big issue either. If you’re freaking out with low practice exam scores, I beseech you to calm yourself down! I truly thought my 60s were evidence that I was not really prepared, and, to be honest, I felt somewhat unprepared - I had learned so much, but there was still so much slipping through the cracks in terms of material. In the test situation itself, none of that mattered - the little details were asked about NOWHERE (even the concepts that showed up on Every. Single. Exam. I took!) and the test itself was SO different. I’m almost mad I spent as much time studying as I did!
My tips: Because it was so different than I had trained on, I got very discouraged like 20-50 questions in, and had to really fight that. I took a break, did a brief meditative exercise that I’d been using all week, and got back in there. Once you’re in the test, there’s nothing to do but try. It sounds super corny, but I also wrote a quick note to myself on my white board to remember that negative experiences will always stand out more, and that I was doing great, and answering a lot right. Every time I knew I answered a question right, I would tap that little note, reminding myself of my competence, and replacing the anxiety and focusing on the ones I didn’t know with a sense of achievement and knowledge that I DID know some. Also, the timing thing is real - it never took me more than 2-2.5 hours to complete my practice exams, but I took a full 3 hours to complete the real exam, and spent the last 45 minutes reviewing flagged questions. I flagged everything I was remotely unsure about, but also made sure NOT to change my answer unless I really read something differently. On my final practice exam, I recorded the times I changed my answers and found that, 5 out of 7 times, I changed from a right answer to a wrong one. That was really useful to know, and I’d suggest tracking it in your practice exams. Lastly, TAKE BREAKS - I took 4 breaks total during the exam, to take a quick walk around the building, give myself a little forehead massage in the bathroom, or get some water. It really helps your mind to reset, and to come back with renewed strength.
Good luck all!! You can do it! Use the strategies that you know work best for you, focus on the HOW of the test as much (or more) than the what, put in an appropriate amount of time, and you’ll get through it! Can’t wait to see you on the other side!
