Hey guys, long term lurker first time poster. I am feeling very depressed today. I took the exam yesterday and failed. This was my second attempt and I am feeling defeated. I’m currently in a post doctoral program and one of my requirements for finishing the post doc is to pass the eppp. I haven’t told anyone that I have taken the exam twice already and failed. I am embarrassed and ashamed and not sure how to move forward. I used the aatbs materials and to be really honest I didn’t score in the 60s or above. I just thought I’d take my chances and just get this thing over with and now I’m here sharing my ****ty experience with complete strangers because I don’t have anyone else to share it with due to embarrassment. I’m the biggest critic of myself so I felt that I’d i messaged the tread then at least you guys may not judge me having been through something kind similar as far as the anxiety. I felt like I was doing just fine and that I knew the answers on the exam yesterday and I blew it. My supervisor is also putting pressure on me to take the exam which is freaking me out. Any advice? I don’t like any of the aatbs questions I don’t feel they are worded similarliky to the actual exam in fact I have some hand me downs of AR stuff from friends and they seem more similar. How should I get back into studying after a horrible experience yesterday.
EPPP practice test scores for those who passed
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First of all, I’m sorry to hear that it’s been so difficult. How frustrating!
It might help to know a little more info about the situation to tailor the advice better. How many hours did you study and what were your study methods (reading, audio, taking notes, practice tests, PEPPP, tutor/study buddy, workshop, etc.)? Did you get a sense of what specific domain areas you struggled with or was it global? Do you have test anxiety in general? Were the questions more difficult than expected? Did you feel fully prepared but “blank out” on the test questions?
If you’re willing to provide some more info, it would give us a sense of perhaps where you might be getting stuck. In the meantime, you might read this:
What I Learned from Failing the EPPP | Time2Track Blog
blog.time2track.com
You might feel like you’re the only one who has failed (there tends to be a lot of celebrating passing in this thread), but plenty of folks have hit up against this challenge, as well.
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Firstly, I'm sorry you're feeling embarrassed, and I understand. You aren't the first person to fail the test a couple of times before passing it. I second what foreverbull was asking w/regard to your study style. I also want to know whether you practiced multiple-choice strategies. The EPPP covers a massive content area, but in a very shallow manner. All of us come across multiple questions we do not know the answer to, at which point you have to rely on strategies for reducing the possible answers just to boost your odds. I'm also curious whether your EPPP score ended up being similar to your practice scores - in which case you at least know you can rely on your practice scores as a good gauge. Personally I hated aatbs and relied on AR and psychprep hand-me-downs. The people I know who bought the whole psychprep program all passed despite test anxiety, it seems to be set up well to help you build your sense of mastery. You will get there. I'm sorry it's costing so much time, money, and anxiety.
I am interested in buying those study materials.
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Please do not respond to threads with solicitations to buy or sell materials. Any such requests belongs in the classified section of the site.
Yes please private message me. I am located in southern ca and can ship with tracking.
Hi everyone, I registered an account here to post my EPPP results. This thread was helpful to me in practicing, and I used a new method of studying (PrepJet). I am not in any way affiliated with PrepJet and they're not compensating me in any way. But I chose PrepJet due to cost considerations, and it unnerved me that there were very few reviews online about their program, so I wanted to leave a note in case someone else finds it helpful.
I passed this morning with a 655. I began seriously studying on July 1st during the summer (so, 2.5 months). I'm a university counselor who doesn't work summers, so basically during the whole month of July, studying for the EPPP was my full-time job. I studied during weekdays and generally took breaks over weekends.
I purchased the EPPP Flash Cards app by StudyPsych. I found this app to be basically worthless because of how I learn - it's easier for me to remember facts when they are embedded in a narrative or story, and so flash cards that are disconnected from context didn't help me.
I found out about PrepJet from a YouTube video, and I have financial difficulties (went through grad school with 3 kids, and university counseling doesn't pay too well), so I decided to give it a shot. The major advantage to PrepJet was that you only pay monthly (around $125 or $150 a month depending on whether you get a promotional coupon), so if you can get it done in a few months you can generally save money compared to the more expensive programs.
PrepJet seems to take a more streamlined approach that I like. I'm historically a good test-taker, and this program has good study tips and materials to help you avoid overlearning and get right to the important information. The interface is nice to use and helps you easily track what you've learned and what you haven't gotten to yet, and tracks your progress over time with charts. Each chapter has a quiz that you can repeat to help you solidify what you already learned.
Since there were so few reviews of PrepJet online, I opted to also pay for one of the official practice exams (the PEPPPO). I was afraid I was learning a bunch of junk that wouldn't prepare me for the actual test. Luckily, I passed the PEPPPO, although just from eyeballing the results page and my own intuition, I don't think I passed by a huge margin (though there's no way of knowing).
As a way of comparison, I inherited some AATBS work books from a colleague from 2018 and some audio lectures. The audio lectures were great as supplemental to the PrepJet material but I don't think they would've been very helpful on their own, because I easily zone out when listening to them, and they seem to be like brief overviews without much context. I read a tiny bit of the AATBS books but the material seemed to overlap so much with the PrepJet materials that it didn't seem useful to read them both.
Some feedback I got from several people about the EPPP is that when you sit down and take it, a lot of the material will feel unfamiliar and you won't have a great grasp of how well you're doing. This was still the case with me. I don't know if this is a weakness of PrepJet or just part of the process no matter what method you study with. There were items I got immediately, but I had to reason through a few of them, and many I just had to take an educated guess. I did find that the questions on the EPPP were straightforward and simpler than the practice questions I had been taking. I don't think the EPPP is designed to trip you up or trick you with wording (in a past life I actually took the LSAT, and that test really IS designed to trick you with wording, so I know the difference).
Anyway, the following image shows my exam progress in PrepJet. There is a diagnostic exam and 6 practice exams. I took everything twice or three times. My final practice scores were 87, 88, 80, 81, 79, and 77, and my EPPP New York converted scaled score was 87, so the practice tests on PrepJet accurately reflected my final score.
I know it seems like I'm just shilling for PrepJet, but again I assure you I'm unaffiliated with the company. My hope is that people who go with PrepJet due to lower cost can read this review and know what they're getting into. I was very nervous going with a company that I didn't know anything about.
Anyway, thanks to this board for existing and for calming my jitters during this process.
I passed this morning with a 655. I began seriously studying on July 1st during the summer (so, 2.5 months). I'm a university counselor who doesn't work summers, so basically during the whole month of July, studying for the EPPP was my full-time job. I studied during weekdays and generally took breaks over weekends.
I purchased the EPPP Flash Cards app by StudyPsych. I found this app to be basically worthless because of how I learn - it's easier for me to remember facts when they are embedded in a narrative or story, and so flash cards that are disconnected from context didn't help me.
I found out about PrepJet from a YouTube video, and I have financial difficulties (went through grad school with 3 kids, and university counseling doesn't pay too well), so I decided to give it a shot. The major advantage to PrepJet was that you only pay monthly (around $125 or $150 a month depending on whether you get a promotional coupon), so if you can get it done in a few months you can generally save money compared to the more expensive programs.
PrepJet seems to take a more streamlined approach that I like. I'm historically a good test-taker, and this program has good study tips and materials to help you avoid overlearning and get right to the important information. The interface is nice to use and helps you easily track what you've learned and what you haven't gotten to yet, and tracks your progress over time with charts. Each chapter has a quiz that you can repeat to help you solidify what you already learned.
Since there were so few reviews of PrepJet online, I opted to also pay for one of the official practice exams (the PEPPPO). I was afraid I was learning a bunch of junk that wouldn't prepare me for the actual test. Luckily, I passed the PEPPPO, although just from eyeballing the results page and my own intuition, I don't think I passed by a huge margin (though there's no way of knowing).
As a way of comparison, I inherited some AATBS work books from a colleague from 2018 and some audio lectures. The audio lectures were great as supplemental to the PrepJet material but I don't think they would've been very helpful on their own, because I easily zone out when listening to them, and they seem to be like brief overviews without much context. I read a tiny bit of the AATBS books but the material seemed to overlap so much with the PrepJet materials that it didn't seem useful to read them both.
Some feedback I got from several people about the EPPP is that when you sit down and take it, a lot of the material will feel unfamiliar and you won't have a great grasp of how well you're doing. This was still the case with me. I don't know if this is a weakness of PrepJet or just part of the process no matter what method you study with. There were items I got immediately, but I had to reason through a few of them, and many I just had to take an educated guess. I did find that the questions on the EPPP were straightforward and simpler than the practice questions I had been taking. I don't think the EPPP is designed to trip you up or trick you with wording (in a past life I actually took the LSAT, and that test really IS designed to trick you with wording, so I know the difference).
Anyway, the following image shows my exam progress in PrepJet. There is a diagnostic exam and 6 practice exams. I took everything twice or three times. My final practice scores were 87, 88, 80, 81, 79, and 77, and my EPPP New York converted scaled score was 87, so the practice tests on PrepJet accurately reflected my final score.
I know it seems like I'm just shilling for PrepJet, but again I assure you I'm unaffiliated with the company. My hope is that people who go with PrepJet due to lower cost can read this review and know what they're getting into. I was very nervous going with a company that I didn't know anything about.
Anyway, thanks to this board for existing and for calming my jitters during this process.
Hi
I received a score of 665 (88) on the EPPP yesterday
I used Aatsb to study.
My scores on the practice tests were as follows 64,63,64,66,70,69,70,74 I passed the online eppp practice test 2 weeks ago and got a 78% on the 250 retired questions last week when I took them.
I read through the AATSB booklets once when I first started studying 3 months ago. Listen to the audio countless times for the last 3 months (1 hour each way drive to postdoc). I bought the flashcards but did not really use them. I also went through the self-paced workshop but found it matched heavily with the audio recordings although for some areas it was better.
I think the thing that helped me the most was going through each test and not only taking notes on what I got wrong and finding the pattern but also what I guessed right or did not know in the answer explanation. I read over those notes countless time, especially before the test.
I will say when I took the test I thought of was going to fail because there were so many I felt I did not know or cut down to 2 choices. I was also planning on taking it next week but after my last practice test, and from what I read on the forum I knew I was probably good to take it.
I received a score of 665 (88) on the EPPP yesterday
I used Aatsb to study.
My scores on the practice tests were as follows 64,63,64,66,70,69,70,74 I passed the online eppp practice test 2 weeks ago and got a 78% on the 250 retired questions last week when I took them.
I read through the AATSB booklets once when I first started studying 3 months ago. Listen to the audio countless times for the last 3 months (1 hour each way drive to postdoc). I bought the flashcards but did not really use them. I also went through the self-paced workshop but found it matched heavily with the audio recordings although for some areas it was better.
I think the thing that helped me the most was going through each test and not only taking notes on what I got wrong and finding the pattern but also what I guessed right or did not know in the answer explanation. I read over those notes countless time, especially before the test.
I will say when I took the test I thought of was going to fail because there were so many I felt I did not know or cut down to 2 choices. I was also planning on taking it next week but after my last practice test, and from what I read on the forum I knew I was probably good to take it.
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The vast majority are doctoral level, since this forum is for psychologists/students pursuing doctorates specifically.
I know someone who had a master’s in psychology and had to take it, but that person had lower requirements to pass than doctoral-level test-takers per the state board.
EPPPstudymode
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Hi Siyu! I recently received my masters degree. I took the EPPP for licensure and used this thread to help me gauge my readiness. Score requirements were the same in my state.
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Not putting the title “psychologist” to your name on here may be a pretty high impact thing.
Isn’t that title protected by law in your state?
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You mean like how you put your status as “Psychologist” here?
Take a hint... you’re welcome.
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Hey everyone,
I bought Psych Prep materials about a year ago and started studying but felt overwhelmed and stopped. I actually scheduled the exam about 6 months later in hopes to motivate myself but then canceled it. The idea of the new year approaching and my supervisor constantly asking if I had scheduled my exam finally made me get my anxiety in check. So I gave myself 6 weeks of total devotion to studying... 16 hour weekend study sessions and 1-2 hours daily Monday to Friday (40 hour work week). I used the weekends to complete the practice exams and review. During the week I would review content. A week before the test I took the PEPPO and passed (which was reassuring). Taking the PEPPO helped me figure out that likely I would take the full 4 hours to take the test since I go through the questions a little slower (reading a few times to make sure I didn't miss anything). The biggest concern for me was managing my anxiety. Also, learning test strategies is super important. When reviewing my practice tests, I went over how I could have figured out the response by narrowing it down to two responses.
My practice test scores on Psych Prep were all over the place since my studying was also inconsistent. But Test E was 81% on test mode (first attempt). This was 3 days before I took the EPPP. I also did not retake Test E again just because I was over test taking. I just hoped that this was a sign that it was enough to pass the EPPP. And it was!! YIPPEEE! I got a 580! My goal was to pass and that was accomplished
. I did take the full 4 hours. I answered all the questions, then took a bathroom/snack break, and with the remaining time I reviewed all the flagged questions. Some questions were extremely easy(just like psych prep) and then there were questions that were like... wtf? I walked out of the test feeling really unsure how I did but just said prayer as I walked to the admin person that handed me my score.
Best of luck! Be confident, breathe, you go this!
I bought Psych Prep materials about a year ago and started studying but felt overwhelmed and stopped. I actually scheduled the exam about 6 months later in hopes to motivate myself but then canceled it. The idea of the new year approaching and my supervisor constantly asking if I had scheduled my exam finally made me get my anxiety in check. So I gave myself 6 weeks of total devotion to studying... 16 hour weekend study sessions and 1-2 hours daily Monday to Friday (40 hour work week). I used the weekends to complete the practice exams and review. During the week I would review content. A week before the test I took the PEPPO and passed (which was reassuring). Taking the PEPPO helped me figure out that likely I would take the full 4 hours to take the test since I go through the questions a little slower (reading a few times to make sure I didn't miss anything). The biggest concern for me was managing my anxiety. Also, learning test strategies is super important. When reviewing my practice tests, I went over how I could have figured out the response by narrowing it down to two responses.
My practice test scores on Psych Prep were all over the place since my studying was also inconsistent. But Test E was 81% on test mode (first attempt). This was 3 days before I took the EPPP. I also did not retake Test E again just because I was over test taking. I just hoped that this was a sign that it was enough to pass the EPPP. And it was!! YIPPEEE! I got a 580! My goal was to pass and that was accomplished
. I did take the full 4 hours. I answered all the questions, then took a bathroom/snack break, and with the remaining time I reviewed all the flagged questions. Some questions were extremely easy(just like psych prep) and then there were questions that were like... wtf? I walked out of the test feeling really unsure how I did but just said prayer as I walked to the admin person that handed me my score.Best of luck! Be confident, breathe, you go this!
I was scoring in the low to mid 60s on the Academic Review practice exams. I took about 8 of them, mostly trending upward to high 60s, though I did get a 59 on one toward the middle of studying. I ended up scoring a 540 (78 NY) on the actual exam. I found a good number of questions to be similar to AR questions, along with the content. I felt Psych Prep was lacking in certain areas.
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I took hand-written notes while reading the materials, then listened to audio for review and took a practice exam from time to time. I didn’t memorize everything, but i made sure I spent more time on sections I wasn’t as familiar with so that I memorized the most important information. That seemed to work well for me. Some people just read and then take practice exams, but for me personally, passively reading isn’t as effective.
Happy_days
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Hello everyone!
I'm so excited to be able to contribute to this thread with my successful EPPP experience after all of the moral support I gained from this community, which I'm so grateful for. I also hope anyone who has a similar background to mine can have the confidence to realize you can pass too!
Without revealing too much, I passed the EPPP at a Master's level. I'm in a state that allows Licenced Psychological Associates (a Master's level license) to practice independently, which means that you have to score at the 500/75 NY score before you get the LPA license; fair's fair.
Because I graduated from a clinical psychology Master's program where the emphasis was more on advancing to a Ph.D. program than preparing for the EPPP, I signed up for the AATBS program to guarantee I would be pass. I gave myself a good 5 months to study while I worked part time (probably studied 15 hours a week for 2.5 months), and I really started hitting it hard at about 20/25 hours a week for the last 2.5 months. I read through all of the 6 volumes the first half (taking handwritten notes, flashcards, section quizzes, and the audio files), and the second half I started taking the test master tests while reviewing all my notes.
I scored, from the initial assessment to test 8: 45%, 61%, 68%, 71%, 67%, 65%, 68%, 67%, and 70%.
I took the 250 questions floating around this forum about a month out and scored a 70 flat.
I purchased the option where I could have 1-1 coaching because I knew my test anxiety would be through the roof. Due to unforeseen circumstances on the AATBS side, I ended up working with two coaches throughout my prep and (perhaps unsurprisingly) got really different messages. One said I would pass the test with a wide margin, the other almost convinced me to push my test back- until I told them I passed both the PEPPPOs (no score on those). I found my biggest struggle not to be mastering the content, but to be able to battle my test anxiety. Even after winning over my second coach I was a nervous wreck. In order to handle that, the last two weeks before my test date I retook all of the test master exams just to boost my confidence. I was in the low 80s on the second pass. I also did passive prep; I visualized myself passing and writing this post!
There's no way around it, the EPPP is probably one of the hardest tests we'll ever take. My subjective EPPP experience was on par to the difficulty of the AATBS exams, and was significantly more difficult than the PEPPPOs. I genuinely believe I got a "harder" exam form (check out the ASPPB website for exam form difficulty if you haven't yet!). I felt like I was failing the entire time I took it, so I had to really rely on my anti-anxiety techniques as much as the knowledge I had. 555/79 NY shows that I was adequately prepared, despite not feeling so!
I'm so excited to be able to contribute to this thread with my successful EPPP experience after all of the moral support I gained from this community, which I'm so grateful for. I also hope anyone who has a similar background to mine can have the confidence to realize you can pass too!
Without revealing too much, I passed the EPPP at a Master's level. I'm in a state that allows Licenced Psychological Associates (a Master's level license) to practice independently, which means that you have to score at the 500/75 NY score before you get the LPA license; fair's fair.
Because I graduated from a clinical psychology Master's program where the emphasis was more on advancing to a Ph.D. program than preparing for the EPPP, I signed up for the AATBS program to guarantee I would be pass. I gave myself a good 5 months to study while I worked part time (probably studied 15 hours a week for 2.5 months), and I really started hitting it hard at about 20/25 hours a week for the last 2.5 months. I read through all of the 6 volumes the first half (taking handwritten notes, flashcards, section quizzes, and the audio files), and the second half I started taking the test master tests while reviewing all my notes.
I scored, from the initial assessment to test 8: 45%, 61%, 68%, 71%, 67%, 65%, 68%, 67%, and 70%.
I took the 250 questions floating around this forum about a month out and scored a 70 flat.
I purchased the option where I could have 1-1 coaching because I knew my test anxiety would be through the roof. Due to unforeseen circumstances on the AATBS side, I ended up working with two coaches throughout my prep and (perhaps unsurprisingly) got really different messages. One said I would pass the test with a wide margin, the other almost convinced me to push my test back- until I told them I passed both the PEPPPOs (no score on those). I found my biggest struggle not to be mastering the content, but to be able to battle my test anxiety. Even after winning over my second coach I was a nervous wreck. In order to handle that, the last two weeks before my test date I retook all of the test master exams just to boost my confidence. I was in the low 80s on the second pass. I also did passive prep; I visualized myself passing and writing this post!
There's no way around it, the EPPP is probably one of the hardest tests we'll ever take. My subjective EPPP experience was on par to the difficulty of the AATBS exams, and was significantly more difficult than the PEPPPOs. I genuinely believe I got a "harder" exam form (check out the ASPPB website for exam form difficulty if you haven't yet!). I felt like I was failing the entire time I took it, so I had to really rely on my anti-anxiety techniques as much as the knowledge I had. 555/79 NY shows that I was adequately prepared, despite not feeling so!
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I took the EPPP this year and had used the AATABS study materials (books only). I read through the AATABS books and took hand written notes. I studied using that method for about four months; about five to 10 hours a week the first three months and 20-30 hours a week the last month. I was scoring about 60-70% on the AATABS practice tests/quizzes and passed the PEPPO (only did the online version). I scored 580 on the EPPP.
Hello everyone. Long time lurker here. Just wanted to add to this forum as my date approaches. I also welcome any valuable perspective or suggestions.
As my date approaches I am starting to freak out and 2nd guess my entire study strategy and results. I have studied bit by bit over the past year. I have been out of school for some time. After finishing my post doc, I went academic, got tenure etc. I teach full time and also do some part time practice given that I hold a masters level license. For these reasons I really never felt pressured to retake EPPP after missing it with a 460/70ish score 8 years ago. Elected last year to get it out of the way finally. Have done my best teaching a 4x4 load (120-130 students each semester), managing family (married 15 years with 3 kids) and practicing part time under my masters level credential. May I just say....I really hate this process!
I am about 25 days out from testing and felt real strong up until last week. I have used the Academic review materials. have taken literally thousands of domain level questions. I have also taken 8 full exams, have been scoring above 70's 6 of the 8 exams, above 75 (which is the default passing score on academic review) the final two times last week.
Then I panicked and went down the distorted thinking rabbit hole. My neurotic overthinking lead to me pulling out 7-10 year old study manuals from other companies (psych prep, AATABS), telling my self I had to take all those exams too to be ready. I literally hit a damn mental wall. So I took some time off the past 5 days and got back on the horse today. Instead of starting with Academic Review today what does my highly educated "rational" self do????????I print out an old psychprep exam (HAD WISC III stuff) and proceeded to bomb it!!!! barely scored 64%.
I dont want to crash and burn right at the end after prepping so much. I know its all anxiety and I need to woosah....I really liked the quote a few posts up by LadyHalcyon
"I know so many psychologists that are complete idiots and they passed, so there should be no reason I can't pass too. "
To be honest, this is the type of thinking that has kept me going. Just a little of over 3 weeks left!!!!!!
As my date approaches I am starting to freak out and 2nd guess my entire study strategy and results. I have studied bit by bit over the past year. I have been out of school for some time. After finishing my post doc, I went academic, got tenure etc. I teach full time and also do some part time practice given that I hold a masters level license. For these reasons I really never felt pressured to retake EPPP after missing it with a 460/70ish score 8 years ago. Elected last year to get it out of the way finally. Have done my best teaching a 4x4 load (120-130 students each semester), managing family (married 15 years with 3 kids) and practicing part time under my masters level credential. May I just say....I really hate this process!
I am about 25 days out from testing and felt real strong up until last week. I have used the Academic review materials. have taken literally thousands of domain level questions. I have also taken 8 full exams, have been scoring above 70's 6 of the 8 exams, above 75 (which is the default passing score on academic review) the final two times last week.
Then I panicked and went down the distorted thinking rabbit hole. My neurotic overthinking lead to me pulling out 7-10 year old study manuals from other companies (psych prep, AATABS), telling my self I had to take all those exams too to be ready. I literally hit a damn mental wall. So I took some time off the past 5 days and got back on the horse today. Instead of starting with Academic Review today what does my highly educated "rational" self do????????I print out an old psychprep exam (HAD WISC III stuff) and proceeded to bomb it!!!! barely scored 64%.
I dont want to crash and burn right at the end after prepping so much. I know its all anxiety and I need to woosah....I really liked the quote a few posts up by LadyHalcyon
"I know so many psychologists that are complete idiots and they passed, so there should be no reason I can't pass too. "
To be honest, this is the type of thinking that has kept me going. Just a little of over 3 weeks left!!!!!!
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If you've studied enough hours to be familiar with the material/domains and have taken several practice exams, the only thing that will get in your way at this point is anxiety. I'm guessing you have probably studied many many hours at this point and know the material, so do whatever you need to do to relax--use those CBT skills and thought challenging, breathing, massage, bubble baths, exercise, socializing, meditation, whatever helps. If there are areas you know you dont' understand as well, it doesn't hurt to brush up on them in the final weeks, but you don't need to overdo it if you've been studying a lot.
Other than the test day strategy (pick the best of the options available based on what you generally know if it's unfamiliar, answer the ones you know right away, and flag the 25-30 that are the hardest and go back to them), remind yourself that you're well-prepared, and then get this test over with!
Best of luck!
Other than the test day strategy (pick the best of the options available based on what you generally know if it's unfamiliar, answer the ones you know right away, and flag the 25-30 that are the hardest and go back to them), remind yourself that you're well-prepared, and then get this test over with!
Best of luck!
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Passed with a 680 last week and feeling so relieved. I used PsychPrep practice tests and hand-me-down 2017 AATBS study books. PsychPrep has 6 tests you take in Study Mode, Retake Mode, and actual Test Mode (no immediate question-by-question feedback). By the time I was taking the actual practice tests I was scoring ~77-88%
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Glad I could help! It's a miserable process, but the majority of people pass. I think what made it so difficult for me was that, after internship and dissertation and 6 years of graduate school, the LAST thing I wanted to do was study for a stupid test.
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Practice test scores (PsychPrep) were 64, 69, 70, 79, 80. Used hand-me-down slightly dated PsychPrep and AATBS materials. Tried to focus on reading and re-reading sections where I lost the most points in the practice exams. Passed with a 720 (92 NY) today. I studied 10-15 hrs/week for the last two months. Very relieved. I did not feel good while taking it, there were a number of terms I'd never heard in my life in the questions, and that caught me off guard. Good luck to all!
I found this thread to be super helpful when I was studying so I thought I'd contribute. I just passed today with a 700.
I used a combination of PsychPrep audio (thank god for Sharon), PsychPrep chapters, AATBS tests, and two PsychPrep tests. I studied for 80 hours total, typically putting in about 3-4 hours a day on the weekends and 1-2 hours a day during the week. It was way too much and I felt ready to take the test much sooner than I did.
AATBS practice test scores: 59, 64, 71, 69, 72, 82, 83, 82
PsychPrep practice test scores: 74 (A) and 67 (E)
250 Retired Test Items: 84
I took the PsychPrep E test a few days before the exam and was shocked at how hard it was. I wish I hadn't taken it because it freaked me out and made me question if I was ready. It felt designed to trick you and was really difficult to understand what the questions were asking. The actual exam was way more straightforward and it was not nearly as difficult for me to pick an answer.
I took the test in 2.5 hours and recognized much of the content. There were some bizarre questions that I had never heard of before but otherwise I felt pretty good. I didn't go back and review or change any answers. I took one break while testing. Loved the highlight and strikethrough features! Overall my score was most consistent with the retired test items, so I would recommend taking that to check if you are ready. Overall, I felt like the materials prepared me well and I am happy that its over!
I used a combination of PsychPrep audio (thank god for Sharon), PsychPrep chapters, AATBS tests, and two PsychPrep tests. I studied for 80 hours total, typically putting in about 3-4 hours a day on the weekends and 1-2 hours a day during the week. It was way too much and I felt ready to take the test much sooner than I did.
AATBS practice test scores: 59, 64, 71, 69, 72, 82, 83, 82
PsychPrep practice test scores: 74 (A) and 67 (E)
250 Retired Test Items: 84
I took the PsychPrep E test a few days before the exam and was shocked at how hard it was. I wish I hadn't taken it because it freaked me out and made me question if I was ready. It felt designed to trick you and was really difficult to understand what the questions were asking. The actual exam was way more straightforward and it was not nearly as difficult for me to pick an answer.
I took the test in 2.5 hours and recognized much of the content. There were some bizarre questions that I had never heard of before but otherwise I felt pretty good. I didn't go back and review or change any answers. I took one break while testing. Loved the highlight and strikethrough features! Overall my score was most consistent with the retired test items, so I would recommend taking that to check if you are ready. Overall, I felt like the materials prepared me well and I am happy that its over!
Hi all - chiming in after years away to share my info, as I also found this thread very reassuring and informative during my prep! I passed the EPPP yesterday with a 675 (NY 89).
I'm one of those people (and YMMV) who tests well, and I have also been teaching some of this content for a number of years (although I/O is completely new to me). I took the advice of former classmates to dedicate a relatively short period of time to studying. I first began studying for a few days in July, as I originally planned to test in late August, but life got in the way, and I put prep aside until the week of Thanksgiving, having scheduled my exam for Dec 7. I used really, really old written materials (AR 2010 books and flashcards), that free EPPP app, and a combination of free and paid online resources. I couldn't tell if some exam items were just updates that would have been in more recent study materials or if they were experimental items, but even 9 year old materials have the classic foundational information.
I started with the written AR diagnostic exam in the book (67%), and then reviewed my errors. I followed this with the (paid) AR online diagnostic exam (64%), and then blocked out time to read and take notes mainly in my weaker domains. I did most of the practice questions in the AR materials, making sure to understand the ones I got wrong, and took a free (trial version) Taylor Method exam (also 64%). A few days before the exam I did the 250 retired questions (79%), and took the PEPPPO the day before the exam (Pass), mainly as reassurance.
It was a bit odd for me to have a goal of just passing, but I think it helped to have all of the demands of my regular job, as there are only so many hours in a day. During the exam I definitely had the experience of a number of items for which the content was utterly unfamiliar, but I just reminded myself that perfection wasn't the goal. As with a poster further up the thread, I took advantage of the strikethrough and flag functions in the software, as many times I found I could eliminate 2 answers and move on. After the first run through all 225 items, I took about 20 minutes to go back and review all flagged items (probably about 30), and it was nice not to have to revisit all four response options.
The testing center gave me and a number of others there for other exams a bit of a scare, as the sign-in software went down for about a half hour, but in the end I was able to start a bit late. Belongings go in locker, ID goes with you, pat yourself down/show empty pockets and push up sleeves to show forearms, show that ears don't have bluetooth devices, palm scans on entry, re-entry if relevant (I didn't take a break), and exit. After the exam I was hoping that the screen would show the result immediately, but it turned out I had to exit, palm scan, etc., and then show ID again before the front desk person handed me the printout. And then I remembered that had I taken the exam back when I finished post-doc, I'd have had to wait for snail-mailed results.
Thank you again to everyone who shared their experiences, good and stressful, and best of luck on the exam for everyone who is still prepping!
I'm one of those people (and YMMV) who tests well, and I have also been teaching some of this content for a number of years (although I/O is completely new to me). I took the advice of former classmates to dedicate a relatively short period of time to studying. I first began studying for a few days in July, as I originally planned to test in late August, but life got in the way, and I put prep aside until the week of Thanksgiving, having scheduled my exam for Dec 7. I used really, really old written materials (AR 2010 books and flashcards), that free EPPP app, and a combination of free and paid online resources. I couldn't tell if some exam items were just updates that would have been in more recent study materials or if they were experimental items, but even 9 year old materials have the classic foundational information.
I started with the written AR diagnostic exam in the book (67%), and then reviewed my errors. I followed this with the (paid) AR online diagnostic exam (64%), and then blocked out time to read and take notes mainly in my weaker domains. I did most of the practice questions in the AR materials, making sure to understand the ones I got wrong, and took a free (trial version) Taylor Method exam (also 64%). A few days before the exam I did the 250 retired questions (79%), and took the PEPPPO the day before the exam (Pass), mainly as reassurance.
It was a bit odd for me to have a goal of just passing, but I think it helped to have all of the demands of my regular job, as there are only so many hours in a day. During the exam I definitely had the experience of a number of items for which the content was utterly unfamiliar, but I just reminded myself that perfection wasn't the goal. As with a poster further up the thread, I took advantage of the strikethrough and flag functions in the software, as many times I found I could eliminate 2 answers and move on. After the first run through all 225 items, I took about 20 minutes to go back and review all flagged items (probably about 30), and it was nice not to have to revisit all four response options.
The testing center gave me and a number of others there for other exams a bit of a scare, as the sign-in software went down for about a half hour, but in the end I was able to start a bit late. Belongings go in locker, ID goes with you, pat yourself down/show empty pockets and push up sleeves to show forearms, show that ears don't have bluetooth devices, palm scans on entry, re-entry if relevant (I didn't take a break), and exit. After the exam I was hoping that the screen would show the result immediately, but it turned out I had to exit, palm scan, etc., and then show ID again before the front desk person handed me the printout. And then I remembered that had I taken the exam back when I finished post-doc, I'd have had to wait for snail-mailed results
.Thank you again to everyone who shared their experiences, good and stressful, and best of luck on the exam for everyone who is still prepping!
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Hey everyone - in the spirit of giving back, I also wanted to share my experience as I just passed the EPPP on my first try with a 635 (NY=85)! I also found this thread very helpful to manage my own anxiety and have some general understanding of what to expect regarding study time, type fo study and the ultimate EPPP outcome.
I come from a PsyD program which had pretty poor EPPP pass rates several years ago, so I was a bit concerned. Fortunately the rates have increased substantially because of some programmatic changes, but based on this information I already had a bit of anxiety. I started studying for the EPPP around 4 months ago once I completed internship, and was fairly inconsistent in my study habits until the month leading up to the exam. started with hand-me-down audio recordings from Dr. Sharon Jablon (Psychprep) from about 12 years ago and about 10 word-doc practice tests varying in age (judging by the DSM-4 v 5 questions). I listened to recordings and took several word-doc tests for the first 3 months, but probably only totaled around 40 hours. My baseline score on an old PsychPrep test was 52.5%.
I signed up for the test 3 months out, but after 1 month I was testing around 67.5% so I decided to move the test date up. The old word-doc tests were time-consuming to score and I wasn't completely confident with their validity, so I opted to sign up for the Academic Review 1-month practice exams ($375). It definitely saved me a bunch of time, and I felt like the content was consistent with the actual exam. I tracked my EPPP study time leading up to the exam (ATracker), which helped me stay accountable to my goals.
In the month before my exam I spent ~45 hours on EPPP practice tests. This was exclusively Academic Review online exams. I took 13 full exams (usually in study mode), and 35 domain quizzes at their suggested length. My first diagnostic test landed me at 67.55%, and my last full practice exam I took was at 95.22%. (full AR exams = 67%, 70%, 69%, 67%, 67%, 71%, 75%, 68%, 78%, 73%, 84%, 90%, 95%).
I spent around 25 hours in the month leading up to the exam either reviewing missed questions or reading the 2016 PsychPrep chapters. I found this helpful solidify certain concepts. I also spent 21 hours listening to the audio recordings, which was mostly during a commute, doing dishes, showering, etc. Towards the end I sync'd up my audio listening with the psych prep reading, and it really helped me solidify that knowledge . I had old AATBS flash cards but only ended up spending around 3 hours using those.
When I checked in for my test today I got there 30 minutes early, and the check-in process with Pearson went quickly. I ended up using the full 4 hours and 15 minutes, despite my practice exams never going above 2.5 hours or so. I flagged approximately 45 questions, and took 3 5-7 minute breaks (at question 50, 125, and when I finished but before I reviewed). I also found the strikethrough and highlight functions very helpful while taking the test to narrow down my options and identify key phrases in the questions. I came back from my final break with 37 minutes remaining, and changed about 7 of my 44 flagged questions. The exit survey was painful and the checkout process was grueling as I was so nervous to get my results, so needless to say I was beyond excited when I got the print-out results. As others have mentioned, I only felt truly confident on about 50 questions. There were 15-20% that I'd never seen anything about, but I was able to narrow down almost all questions to 2 answers and felt pretty sure on around 60-70% of those responses. Definitely DON'T start catastrophizing while taking the test!
Judging by my score, I'd say I over studied. It was nice to feel confident going in, but I spent a ton of time on this and I could have probably taken the test 2 weeks - 1 month ago and passed. As i'm a typically anxious person, it helped to remind myself to think in a self-efficacious way and practice relaxations kills leading up to and during the test.
Hope this helps, good luck everyone!
I come from a PsyD program which had pretty poor EPPP pass rates several years ago, so I was a bit concerned. Fortunately the rates have increased substantially because of some programmatic changes, but based on this information I already had a bit of anxiety. I started studying for the EPPP around 4 months ago once I completed internship, and was fairly inconsistent in my study habits until the month leading up to the exam. started with hand-me-down audio recordings from Dr. Sharon Jablon (Psychprep) from about 12 years ago and about 10 word-doc practice tests varying in age (judging by the DSM-4 v 5 questions). I listened to recordings and took several word-doc tests for the first 3 months, but probably only totaled around 40 hours. My baseline score on an old PsychPrep test was 52.5%.
I signed up for the test 3 months out, but after 1 month I was testing around 67.5% so I decided to move the test date up. The old word-doc tests were time-consuming to score and I wasn't completely confident with their validity, so I opted to sign up for the Academic Review 1-month practice exams ($375). It definitely saved me a bunch of time, and I felt like the content was consistent with the actual exam. I tracked my EPPP study time leading up to the exam (ATracker), which helped me stay accountable to my goals.
In the month before my exam I spent ~45 hours on EPPP practice tests. This was exclusively Academic Review online exams. I took 13 full exams (usually in study mode), and 35 domain quizzes at their suggested length. My first diagnostic test landed me at 67.55%, and my last full practice exam I took was at 95.22%. (full AR exams = 67%, 70%, 69%, 67%, 67%, 71%, 75%, 68%, 78%, 73%, 84%, 90%, 95%).
I spent around 25 hours in the month leading up to the exam either reviewing missed questions or reading the 2016 PsychPrep chapters. I found this helpful solidify certain concepts. I also spent 21 hours listening to the audio recordings, which was mostly during a commute, doing dishes, showering, etc. Towards the end I sync'd up my audio listening with the psych prep reading, and it really helped me solidify that knowledge . I had old AATBS flash cards but only ended up spending around 3 hours using those.
When I checked in for my test today I got there 30 minutes early, and the check-in process with Pearson went quickly. I ended up using the full 4 hours and 15 minutes, despite my practice exams never going above 2.5 hours or so. I flagged approximately 45 questions, and took 3 5-7 minute breaks (at question 50, 125, and when I finished but before I reviewed). I also found the strikethrough and highlight functions very helpful while taking the test to narrow down my options and identify key phrases in the questions. I came back from my final break with 37 minutes remaining, and changed about 7 of my 44 flagged questions. The exit survey was painful and the checkout process was grueling as I was so nervous to get my results, so needless to say I was beyond excited when I got the print-out results. As others have mentioned, I only felt truly confident on about 50 questions. There were 15-20% that I'd never seen anything about, but I was able to narrow down almost all questions to 2 answers and felt pretty sure on around 60-70% of those responses. Definitely DON'T start catastrophizing while taking the test!
Judging by my score, I'd say I over studied. It was nice to feel confident going in, but I spent a ton of time on this and I could have probably taken the test 2 weeks - 1 month ago and passed. As i'm a typically anxious person, it helped to remind myself to think in a self-efficacious way and practice relaxations kills leading up to and during the test.
Hope this helps, good luck everyone!
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Passed 550!!! so glad it's over. Used Academic Review- took tests and quizzes primarily on study mode, last 3 weeks on test mode. Below are my last 10 mock exam scores. Took other tests too but think those were too old to be relevant.
Academic review: 64.44%, 72.44%, 66.22%, 71.55%, 75.55%, 78.66%, 79.55%, 81.33%, 80.44%
Retired 250 EPPP Questions: 78%
Academic review: 64.44%, 72.44%, 66.22%, 71.55%, 75.55%, 78.66%, 79.55%, 81.33%, 80.44%
Retired 250 EPPP Questions: 78%
Oh my g - I was so focused on getting to the result printout, I think I forgot about that!! Y'all, it's the worst - you just finished this very long, grueling exam, and you think that maybe your score now will pop up on the screen (it won't). So you click and now they want you to report on your demographics and study experience! I think if they must do an exit survey, they should add an item on which we can rate our annoyance with that survey...
Happy holidays, fellow test-takers!
I took a week off and studied a total of about 20 hours. I mostly just did four old practice tests, got 59, 65, 69, 60. Got a 590 on the exam. I’m not sure how much program influences pass rates, mine is about 100, so it could be that I could get away with little study do to that, or maybe some folks are overdoing it. Idk.
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Hi everyone,
This forum was super helpful in managing my expectations for the exam, so I thought I would contribute my experience. I passed the EPPP this week with a score of 705 (NY = 91). I studied for about 7 weeks total, with about 1-3 hours on weekdays (which includes listening to audio on my commute), and 4-8 hours during the weekend. I used a mix of PsychPrep and AATBS. I mainly studied PsychPrep content- reading the text in the beginning of my studying and switching to the audio. I much preferred the audio over text (Dr. Jablon is my hero). About two weeks out, I took the PEPPO and passed, and one week out I took the retired questions and scored 79%. I used practice tests mostly as a way to learn, versus track my progress. On the exams I did score, I was scoring between 65-75%. During the exam, there was a lot of content I was not familiar with. I flagged about 40% of the questions. I even contemplated during one of my breaks when I would have time to study if I failed! Like some of the others that have posted, I thought I was not doing well, but then remembered a lot of people had a similar experience and passed, so that helped manage my anxiety. All in all, not a fun experience and glad it's over, but very manageable!!
Happy Holidays!
This forum was super helpful in managing my expectations for the exam, so I thought I would contribute my experience. I passed the EPPP this week with a score of 705 (NY = 91). I studied for about 7 weeks total, with about 1-3 hours on weekdays (which includes listening to audio on my commute), and 4-8 hours during the weekend. I used a mix of PsychPrep and AATBS. I mainly studied PsychPrep content- reading the text in the beginning of my studying and switching to the audio. I much preferred the audio over text (Dr. Jablon is my hero). About two weeks out, I took the PEPPO and passed, and one week out I took the retired questions and scored 79%. I used practice tests mostly as a way to learn, versus track my progress. On the exams I did score, I was scoring between 65-75%. During the exam, there was a lot of content I was not familiar with. I flagged about 40% of the questions. I even contemplated during one of my breaks when I would have time to study if I failed! Like some of the others that have posted, I thought I was not doing well, but then remembered a lot of people had a similar experience and passed, so that helped manage my anxiety. All in all, not a fun experience and glad it's over, but very manageable!!
Happy Holidays!
geezmariz91
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Hi folks!
I can't remember if the Academic Review exams (1-8) get more difficult as you work towards exam 8 or start tough and then get easier. Anyone remember? Is it the same trend for psych prep practice tests? I was also able to get a friend's old practice exams from 2013. In your experience, are those exams a bit too old? I just want to get out of paying more for study materials.
Thanks in advance
I can't remember if the Academic Review exams (1-8) get more difficult as you work towards exam 8 or start tough and then get easier. Anyone remember? Is it the same trend for psych prep practice tests? I was also able to get a friend's old practice exams from 2013. In your experience, are those exams a bit too old? I just want to get out of paying more for study materials.
Thanks in advance
geezmariz91
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Hi there! Do you know what year these questions were written in?I say go for it. I was hitting those scores on AR tests and scored well above 500 (like way above 500 - I clearly studied too much). I found the AR tests to be much more complex than the actual exam. Do you have a copy of the 250 retired test questions? Take these and see how you score. If you're getting close to 70%, just get the damn thing over with!
I got the same ones & was wondering the same thing. They seem much more straightforward than the current AATBS practice tests I've been taking. I feel like I'm being gaslit by these companies lol
Hey guys, you know how there's harder forms of the EPPP? Is it the same for the PEPPPO? I just took it & passed, but I really didn't think I was going to lol. I found it really hard, & I missed the last 2 questions because I ran out of time. Maybe I'm just driving myself nuts with all this.
Also, I thought we could take a second version too. When I tried to register it said it's against policy to take another once you passed one of them. Perhaps it's an error, or I am indeed losing my mind from this process.
Also, I thought we could take a second version too. When I tried to register it said it's against policy to take another once you passed one of them. Perhaps it's an error, or I am indeed losing my mind from this process.
Oh wow, it's crazy they make you jump through hurdles like that. Thanks so much for the info!
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY HAHAHA. I swear these companies are into some BDSM stuff. Dark humor is the only thing helping me cope right now lolNo kidding and no problem! Not enough to keep paying money, you also have to beg to do it!
Neo_Super_Ego
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The posts here have been super encouraging, and I came away motivated to take the EPPP now even though I am in the process of interviewing for internship. I took the EPPP three days ago and passed with a pretty comfortable margin.
I studied for about two weeks (i.e. I bought a 30 days Academic Review subscription package which was really what I had the most time to use, so I spent about 54 hours taking practice tests and domain quizzes). I found the online Academic Review (AR) materials ( specifically their online practice test) to be closest to the format of the EPPP. I did not really read my AATBS materials and their practice tests seemed less intuitive, so I ignored it and primarily used the AR practice tests. While taking the EPPP, I was quite shocked by how close the AR practice test questions were to the EPPP! IMO, they were really close even though at times the EPPP questions were a bit more straight forward.
The practice tests were really helpful.....At least for the version of the EPPP exam that I had. I actually still have about two weeks left on my AR subscription.
My main takeaway is that whatever study material or test you use should fit you. And interestingly, I never scored above a 60% on the AR practice tests!, However, taking the practice test did help me identify my tendency to choose the wrong answer(even when I know the right one) because I often second-guess myself! That awareness was helpful during the actual exam.
I studied for about two weeks (i.e. I bought a 30 days Academic Review subscription package which was really what I had the most time to use, so I spent about 54 hours taking practice tests and domain quizzes). I found the online Academic Review (AR) materials ( specifically their online practice test) to be closest to the format of the EPPP. I did not really read my AATBS materials and their practice tests seemed less intuitive, so I ignored it and primarily used the AR practice tests. While taking the EPPP, I was quite shocked by how close the AR practice test questions were to the EPPP! IMO, they were really close even though at times the EPPP questions were a bit more straight forward.
The practice tests were really helpful.....At least for the version of the EPPP exam that I had. I actually still have about two weeks left on my AR subscription.
My main takeaway is that whatever study material or test you use should fit you. And interestingly, I never scored above a 60% on the AR practice tests!, However, taking the practice test did help me identify my tendency to choose the wrong answer(even when I know the right one) because I often second-guess myself! That awareness was helpful during the actual exam.
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Relieved to be able to add to this thread that has been so helpful for me in this process! I used a mix of hand-me-down AR and PsychPrep materials (I believe from 2009 and 2015, respectively) and felt like they were adequate. I started studying in September a few hours per week, then amped up my study time to about 10-15 hours per week as the test approached. I made a first pass by handwriting notes as I listened to the PsychPrep CDs, then went through the AR materials and added content that PsychPrep hadn't covered. I also made my own "flash cards" on PowerPoint and the actual process of making them was very helpful. I hadn't intended to study for so long, but when I felt I was ready to schedule the test, it wasn't available at a convenient time until about 4 weeks out-- and I had to go to another city to take it. By the time I took the test, I was VERY ready to have it over with and felt fairly confident. I took AR or PsychPrep practice tests once or twice a week, and then took one a day in the workweek leading up to the exam. I felt like this was very helpful in building my test-taking stamina. It is a very long test!
I'll echo what other posters in here have said:
I'll echo what other posters in here have said:
- The actual EPPP questions felt a lot more straightforward than the practice exams.
- I estimated that roughly 25% of the questions were ones that I truly guessed on, maybe 50% that I made an educated guess or could rule out several answer options, and then the rest were ones that I felt confident answering. This was really nerve-wracking at the time, and I spent more time agonizing over questions than I had on any of the practice ones. When I finished, I really had no idea whether I had passed or not-- but I passed with a wide margin.
- The practice test of retired EPPP questions felt the most similar to the actual EPPP, and I felt like that score was most representative of my actual score. On my practice exams, I don't think I ever scored above 75% on a first pass (most were high 60s), though in re-taking practice tests I was generally scoring in the high 80s.
- If I did it over again, I would have gone on the scheduling website sooner, and would have chosen an earlier date if possible. By the time I got around to getting on the website, a lot of the convenient dates were taken. Having an official test date really motivated me.
Hello, have you took the test yet? I am studying the statistic right now. I feel like I have to go over my statistic textbook again...
Hi everyone! I took the exam yesterday and passed with a 588! It still doesn't feel real, but I'm so glad it's over. I studied with the 2018 AATBS materials/online program I got from my school. I also got a bunch of other materials and old AR practice tests from some great colleagues. Here are my practice scores:
AATBS assessment exam: 51% (lol yikes)
AATBS practice tests: 54, 65, 70, 64, 65, 74, 69, 72. I retook exam #1, #2, and #4 and got 76, 76, and 75.
Two old AR practice tests (from like 2013): 73, 80
PEPPPO: Pass
Retired questions (first 225): 78%
I studied for a solid 3 months, but I have no idea how many hours or anything like that. I listened to the audio stuff from AATBS to and from work. I also read each of the books and took the quizzes after each section. I started the practice tests after reading the first 2 books (I think), which is why my first test score was so low. I consistently did well on ethics, but nothing was consistent for other areas. After I finished the AATBS tests, I did a couple old AR ones. Then I went back and retook those 3 AATBS ones. I passed the PEPPPO despite time running out and missing the last couple questions (got interrupted by my cats being brats, ugh). I personally found the PEPPPO more difficult than the EPPP (the version I got, at least). I took the retired questions the week before my exam. In my opinion, the practice tests from AATBS were much more wordy than the old AR tests. However, some of them had the exact same questions as the old AR tests, as well as the retired questions. I looked over one PsychPrep test from like 2008, and noticed the same thing. I have no idea what other test companies’ materials are like because I only had AATBS, but I’m assuming based on what I saw that their practice tests are all very similar unless they’ve updated them.
The actual EPPP was WAY less wordy and more straight forward than the AATBS tests. But some of the questions were just worded, for a lack of a better word, weird. I was surprised at how few of the “heavily emphasized” topics were on it. But there were a lot of questions I was able to answer right away so whatever. I flagged maybe like 20 questions, but didn’t change my answers when I looked at them anyway. I figured I’d just flag them in case I had time to agonize over them at the end, which I really didn’t because I finished with about 4 minutes left lol. I feel like the version I got had weird, difficult, time-consuming questions during the first half and got way easier toward the end. I did not take breaks because I didn’t have time. Like many other posters on here, I thought I was failing the entire time.
I would suggest you don’t spend too much time on questions (especially in the beginning) so you can actually go to the bathroom and take a drink of water. Sitting that long without much movement was painful lol. Not going to lie, this entire process was painful. If I didn’t pass, I would have lost my job so I was absolutely terrified. I also made the mistake of looking up passing rates for my school, which were not good, and I also read an APA article that talked about how minorities have a higher failing rate. As a WOC, that made me even more afraid and brought back those old “you’ll never succeed because of where you came from” memories. I sadly neglected my self-care when studying and often did not eat or sleep enough. I frequently had somatic symptoms (stomach aches, mostly) from the anxiety and just being spread too thin (full-time post-doc, family stuff, etc.). I’d recommend you not let yourself get to that point. Have someone you trust check in on you because it’s so easy to go HAM on studying and forget about your health. I was crying and shaking when the testing lady gave me the printout saying I passed lol. It feels so weird now that it’s over, and my body will still probably be in fight or flight mode for a while.
Reading this thread has seriously been so helpful in my journey, so thank you to everyone here. If anyone reading this needs materials, message me. I am happy to pass on whatever I have (for free, of course). You can also message me if you just need someone to talk to for support. You can do this!
AATBS assessment exam: 51% (lol yikes)
AATBS practice tests: 54, 65, 70, 64, 65, 74, 69, 72. I retook exam #1, #2, and #4 and got 76, 76, and 75.
Two old AR practice tests (from like 2013): 73, 80
PEPPPO: Pass
Retired questions (first 225): 78%
I studied for a solid 3 months, but I have no idea how many hours or anything like that. I listened to the audio stuff from AATBS to and from work. I also read each of the books and took the quizzes after each section. I started the practice tests after reading the first 2 books (I think), which is why my first test score was so low. I consistently did well on ethics, but nothing was consistent for other areas. After I finished the AATBS tests, I did a couple old AR ones. Then I went back and retook those 3 AATBS ones. I passed the PEPPPO despite time running out and missing the last couple questions (got interrupted by my cats being brats, ugh). I personally found the PEPPPO more difficult than the EPPP (the version I got, at least). I took the retired questions the week before my exam. In my opinion, the practice tests from AATBS were much more wordy than the old AR tests. However, some of them had the exact same questions as the old AR tests, as well as the retired questions. I looked over one PsychPrep test from like 2008, and noticed the same thing. I have no idea what other test companies’ materials are like because I only had AATBS, but I’m assuming based on what I saw that their practice tests are all very similar unless they’ve updated them.
The actual EPPP was WAY less wordy and more straight forward than the AATBS tests. But some of the questions were just worded, for a lack of a better word, weird. I was surprised at how few of the “heavily emphasized” topics were on it. But there were a lot of questions I was able to answer right away so whatever. I flagged maybe like 20 questions, but didn’t change my answers when I looked at them anyway. I figured I’d just flag them in case I had time to agonize over them at the end, which I really didn’t because I finished with about 4 minutes left lol. I feel like the version I got had weird, difficult, time-consuming questions during the first half and got way easier toward the end. I did not take breaks because I didn’t have time. Like many other posters on here, I thought I was failing the entire time.
I would suggest you don’t spend too much time on questions (especially in the beginning) so you can actually go to the bathroom and take a drink of water. Sitting that long without much movement was painful lol. Not going to lie, this entire process was painful. If I didn’t pass, I would have lost my job so I was absolutely terrified. I also made the mistake of looking up passing rates for my school, which were not good, and I also read an APA article that talked about how minorities have a higher failing rate. As a WOC, that made me even more afraid and brought back those old “you’ll never succeed because of where you came from” memories. I sadly neglected my self-care when studying and often did not eat or sleep enough. I frequently had somatic symptoms (stomach aches, mostly) from the anxiety and just being spread too thin (full-time post-doc, family stuff, etc.). I’d recommend you not let yourself get to that point. Have someone you trust check in on you because it’s so easy to go HAM on studying and forget about your health. I was crying and shaking when the testing lady gave me the printout saying I passed lol. It feels so weird now that it’s over, and my body will still probably be in fight or flight mode for a while.
Reading this thread has seriously been so helpful in my journey, so thank you to everyone here. If anyone reading this needs materials, message me. I am happy to pass on whatever I have (for free, of course). You can also message me if you just need someone to talk to for support. You can do this!
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I would be very careful about the amount of detail disclosed regarding test content due to the attestation to which you agree at the beginning of the exam.
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At least when I took the exam, the statistics questions were pretty close to those on my practice exams (AR). That seems to be a common bit of feedback, so I'd look to those for good examples. If anything, the statistics and research methods questions were the easiest on the exam, very straightforward. as long as you know statistics and research methods, of course.
Thank you! I can't give specifics, but they were fairly basic, introductory level stuff. My study materials said you will not be required to know formulas or do equations, which was true. It's more about knowing terms.
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Hello all! I just took the EPPP today and passed (625 - I know I spent hours comparing people's practice test scores with mine and their final score, so I hope this is helpful). I spent many, many hours perusing this board leading up to last night, so I want to take some time to pay it forward, as others have done before me.
BACKGROUND: I came from a strong clinical PhD program, but felt that hardly ANY of this material was familiar to me (aside from stats and test construction), so I was starting from scratch.
MATERIALS: My employer purchased an AATBS package (books, practice exams x8, section quizzes, online audio lectures). I supplemented this with the 250 retired questions (I got it from here: EPPP Retired Questions .... it looks like a scam, but the PDF will be emailed to you, I promise!). I also watched some REALLY helpful YouTube videos for the sections I was struggling with most - see my playlist here: ). Michael Britt has some cute mnemonics for Erikson's stages, Piaget's stages, and parts of the brain, while 'Memorable Psychiatry' was SUPER helpful for psychopharm and psychphys).
PREPARATION: I studied from the middle of November up until yesterday, so about 2.5 months. Thankfully my employer provided me ~1-2 days/week to study in December, but other than that I studied in the evenings and on weekends. I studied approx. 10-20 hours/week (total estimate, I would probably be horrified if I actually tallied how much time I spent studying). Over the past 3 weeks, I studied during every 15 minute break, over lunch, etc. I took the AATBS initial exam in November and got a 53% (eugh). I decided to read and highlight each of the content areas in order of emphasis on the EPPP (e.g., I/O, clinical, etc). I took the section quizzes as I read each chapter just to confirm I was absorbing most of it. After I finished the top 3 content areas, I began taking the practice exams in study mode initially 1-2/week and then 1 every few days. I decided to save #8 as my 'final' exam. My practice scores, in order from 1-7, were as follows: 48, 56, 60, 48, 56, 60, 54. Not looking great. I read the rationale for every item I wasn't immediately confident in answering or that I got wrong - if I still wasn't confident in understanding the answer, I Googled it and/or returned to the book. I finished reading all content areas (except stats/test construction/assessment), and began the exams again, also in study mode: 68, 71 (whoa!! progress!), 72, 65. At this point I was about 3 weeks out from the EPPP so I switched to exam mode and tried to simulate the test environment. I got 69, 67, 68. I was feeling pretty good about this. At this point I started watching the AATBS online PPTs/lectures of the areas I was struggling with the most (e.g., developmental models) while on the elliptical or bike. Two weeks out from test day, I completed the bank of retired questions and got a 76%. 1.5 weeks out, I completed the PEPPO (more info below, highly recommend doing this!) and passed. For the last 10 days, I reviewed study guides I made for each content area, watched the YouTube videos while taking notes, and just clicked through practice exams reading rationales.
PEPPO: Expensive, but worth it for me. My biggest stressor was about the differences between the AATBS question style and that of EPPP. It was wonderfully helpful for my own confidence levels. However, you do not really get feedback - you'll get a list of content areas with bars ranging from 'low' to 'high' so you can compare your knowledge across content areas, but not really within at all.
EPPP: Expect a long process! You will get your palms scanned, a photo taken, and you will be patted down/pockets flipped out every time you enter and exit the test room (e.g., for breaks). My goal was to complete 100 questions, then 80, then 45, as I noticed that my scores crashed towards the end of exams. I ended up taking approximately 3 hours for testing with two 10-minute breaks for snacks and tea. I flagged about 20 questions and reviewed those and made a couple changes, but mostly stuck with my initial answer. I had ABSOLUTELY no idea how I did - I was really only confident with 60ish questions, narrowed it down to 2 choices on another 50 or so, and then trusted my studying with the rest. After I closed out the exam, I went back to the waiting room and watched my score print out. The proctor blocked my score while she asked for my ID to confirm they were my scores - I was dying! She gave me my printout and I burst into tears while she looked at me with concern - come on, this has to happen all the time! I read on a thread somewhere that if you pass only one page is printed (containing your scaled score 200-800 and your NY converted score) and if you do not pass, two pages are printed (includes information about your performance on content areas). I can't confirm this is the case, but I did indeed only get one page.
I hope this is helpful and not overwhelming! I have never posted before so I am not sure how it works, but please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like any additional information about any of this process. I relied heavily on my peers before me, so I hope to pay that back in some small way. Good luck to you all!
BACKGROUND: I came from a strong clinical PhD program, but felt that hardly ANY of this material was familiar to me (aside from stats and test construction), so I was starting from scratch.
MATERIALS: My employer purchased an AATBS package (books, practice exams x8, section quizzes, online audio lectures). I supplemented this with the 250 retired questions (I got it from here: EPPP Retired Questions .... it looks like a scam, but the PDF will be emailed to you, I promise!). I also watched some REALLY helpful YouTube videos for the sections I was struggling with most - see my playlist here: ). Michael Britt has some cute mnemonics for Erikson's stages, Piaget's stages, and parts of the brain, while 'Memorable Psychiatry' was SUPER helpful for psychopharm and psychphys).
PREPARATION: I studied from the middle of November up until yesterday, so about 2.5 months. Thankfully my employer provided me ~1-2 days/week to study in December, but other than that I studied in the evenings and on weekends. I studied approx. 10-20 hours/week (total estimate, I would probably be horrified if I actually tallied how much time I spent studying). Over the past 3 weeks, I studied during every 15 minute break, over lunch, etc. I took the AATBS initial exam in November and got a 53% (eugh). I decided to read and highlight each of the content areas in order of emphasis on the EPPP (e.g., I/O, clinical, etc). I took the section quizzes as I read each chapter just to confirm I was absorbing most of it. After I finished the top 3 content areas, I began taking the practice exams in study mode initially 1-2/week and then 1 every few days. I decided to save #8 as my 'final' exam. My practice scores, in order from 1-7, were as follows: 48, 56, 60, 48, 56, 60, 54. Not looking great. I read the rationale for every item I wasn't immediately confident in answering or that I got wrong - if I still wasn't confident in understanding the answer, I Googled it and/or returned to the book. I finished reading all content areas (except stats/test construction/assessment), and began the exams again, also in study mode: 68, 71 (whoa!! progress!), 72, 65. At this point I was about 3 weeks out from the EPPP so I switched to exam mode and tried to simulate the test environment. I got 69, 67, 68. I was feeling pretty good about this. At this point I started watching the AATBS online PPTs/lectures of the areas I was struggling with the most (e.g., developmental models) while on the elliptical or bike. Two weeks out from test day, I completed the bank of retired questions and got a 76%. 1.5 weeks out, I completed the PEPPO (more info below, highly recommend doing this!) and passed. For the last 10 days, I reviewed study guides I made for each content area, watched the YouTube videos while taking notes, and just clicked through practice exams reading rationales.
PEPPO: Expensive, but worth it for me. My biggest stressor was about the differences between the AATBS question style and that of EPPP. It was wonderfully helpful for my own confidence levels. However, you do not really get feedback - you'll get a list of content areas with bars ranging from 'low' to 'high' so you can compare your knowledge across content areas, but not really within at all.
EPPP: Expect a long process! You will get your palms scanned, a photo taken, and you will be patted down/pockets flipped out every time you enter and exit the test room (e.g., for breaks). My goal was to complete 100 questions, then 80, then 45, as I noticed that my scores crashed towards the end of exams. I ended up taking approximately 3 hours for testing with two 10-minute breaks for snacks and tea. I flagged about 20 questions and reviewed those and made a couple changes, but mostly stuck with my initial answer. I had ABSOLUTELY no idea how I did - I was really only confident with 60ish questions, narrowed it down to 2 choices on another 50 or so, and then trusted my studying with the rest. After I closed out the exam, I went back to the waiting room and watched my score print out. The proctor blocked my score while she asked for my ID to confirm they were my scores - I was dying! She gave me my printout and I burst into tears while she looked at me with concern - come on, this has to happen all the time! I read on a thread somewhere that if you pass only one page is printed (containing your scaled score 200-800 and your NY converted score) and if you do not pass, two pages are printed (includes information about your performance on content areas). I can't confirm this is the case, but I did indeed only get one page.
I hope this is helpful and not overwhelming! I have never posted before so I am not sure how it works, but please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like any additional information about any of this process. I relied heavily on my peers before me, so I hope to pay that back in some small way. Good luck to you all!
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