Hi all!! This thread was really helpful for me so I thought I would post my experience!! I just passed the EPPP today with a score of 685 (89 NY), first-time test taker. I altogether studied for about 11 weeks. Like someone else on here said, I may have overdone it, but I didn't want to under do it.
I used AATBS materials and some audio from PsychPrep. Before I started studying at all, I did an assessment exam from AATBS and got a 53%. I got AATBS Testmaster 30 days before my test and took 2 tests a week. The last practice test I took 3 days before the actual exam was a 74%. The ones before that were (from most recent to oldest) 70%, 76%, 72%, 74%, and 74%. So obviously I wasn't improving much despite more studying. I would take a test, study an area I was low in, then next time I would be fine in that area but low in another!
By the time I started taking Testmaster practice tests I had been studying using books from AATBS and flash cards for about 6 weeks. I spent a lot of time reviewing the practice tests I had taken and reading rationales, which was crucial. I used a few retired item banks in between, which was helpful for getting different types of questions. When I took the Testmaster tests again after a couple of weeks I usually got around 95% the second time. I used the PsychPrep flash card app for on-the-go, but I didn't think those questions were super helpful. The audio is really fantastic for making use of dead time while you are cooking or driving, especially for those of us with a commute.
All in all I felt the AATBS materials prepared me well.
It is a HARD TEST. Even though I had read of lots of people on this thread scoring in the 60s with AATBS tests and passing, I was still nervous and worked hard. The test itself I felt was similar enough in format to the AATBS Testmaster tests. I LOVED the strikethrough and highlight tools the real test had, though--super helpful. I agree with what other people said about not really having a good idea of how you are doing during the test. There were a lot of questions I had no idea on and had to eliminate as many responses as possible and then guess. I just kept reminding myself that a) I felt like this on all my practice tests and passed, and b) lots of the tricky ones were probably questions they were testing out.
Test stuff: I took two breaks, the first one about 10 minutes and the second one about 8 minutes. I used the bathroom, chatted with the testing center worker, had a small snack, and walked around. I had planned on maybe taking a third break but it's kind of a fuss to get checked in and out and I was feeling okay, so I just went with two. I ended up having plenty of time at the end, so I went through every question one more time just to make sure I hadn't made any stupid mistakes. READING QUESTIONS CAREFULLY is so, so crucial. One word in a big paragraph can totally change the meaning and lose you points. In all 225 questions I went through a second time, I only ended up changing 3 questions from my first answer. With practice tests, I encourage you to note when you
want to change an answer and if you did/did not change it--most people change from a correct to a wrong answer, so keeping track will give you an idea of if you should be changing answers or not.
I had my best friend taking the test soon after me and it was invaluable to have her to bounce questions off of, complain, and just commiserate. Misery loves miserable company
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I am so, SO RELIEVED that it is over. Best of luck to all of you!!!
I wanted to share my experiences!
