EPPP practice test scores for those who passed

[singasongofjoy]

Good advice above re: switching up your study method and considering possible effect of anxiety. Other thoughts: through the course of practice tests I learned I did much better if i FORCED myself to take a 5 min break at a couple of points, walk around, let my mind wander, deep breaths, whatever. It's a tedious test under the best of circumstances. With respect to possibly switching up / adding to how you encode the info during studying, I just made a post on a similar thread about my method - mnemonics, pictures, charts - color coordinated, on chart paper, posted around my house sort of thematically grouped. Found that the memory of where I was when I was studying it and what colors (along w the mnemonics) actually did come in handy on the test especially for questions I was unsure of, in helping me to eliminate less likely answers. Also walking around during studying (gazing at my new wallpaper) kept me more mentally engaged too probably. I also came up with gestures/hand motions to correspond with some of the mnemonics and imagery. As much multimodal encoding as you can do for the big stuff (e.g., the seven steps of x theory or whatever), the better. A lot of the test really is about how to strategically narrow down answers to the stuff you don't know cold. And about managing anxiety (or, in my case, ability to stay focused on something so tedious for so long by enforcing breaks) - you know your own learning and test-taking style the best. Def take more practice tests and try out different strategies to see if they make a difference in anxiety and focus. Hang in there. it sucks but once you pass you'll never have to do it again.

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[Hippo Campus]

I passed the EPPP today with a score of 630! I'm so pleased (and surprised) with my score as I woke up today feeling like I forgot everything and was destined to fail.

Here were my study strategy and scores:

I studied for a little under two months using a mix of PsychPrep and PrepJet. I also dabbled a bit with Academic Review online materials.

I primarily relied on PsychPrep's audio CDs and exams. I got handed down copies of the psychprep materials and I reviewed them while listening to the audio multiple times. I did not create notes or flashcards, but highlighted important info and wrote in the margins. My first-take exam scores on tests A-E were: 43%, 51%, 53%, 68%, 70%. According to the guide psychprep provides, I was not on target for the first and third exam.

Halfway through my studies, I bought a one-month subscription to PrepJet (they are so much cheaper than other companies!). My first-time scores on tests 1-6 were as follows: 67%, 65%, 68%, 64%, 72%, 66%. I briefly reviewed some of the content in this program, but mainly focused on their tests.

I also took the retired 250 item test and got a score of 82%. Two weeks before the exam date, I took the PEPPPO and passed as well. The PEPPO was the most similar to the EPPP in terms of wording,

Overall, the actual EPPP was so much easier than any of the practice tests I took. The wording of the questions was relatively straightforward and I was able to immediately eliminate two answer choices for the vast majority of questions. I finished the test in 2.5 hours and only went through the questions once although I did flag about 30ish questions for review but didn't have the mental fortitude to go back and review.

 

[cam88]

Hey all--

Excited to contribute to this thread! I passed the EPPP on my first try today with a scaled score of 605 (scaled score 83). I am super glad it's over, but the test was a bit different than I expected...

Overall I took one break about ~115/120 questions in; I would have taken more, but I was already taking longer than I expected and didn't want to extend it even more given COVID. I took ~3.5 hours to take the test.

First, how I studied: I had about 6 weeks total to study. Going in, I really did not want to over study. I had all hand-me-down materials from Psych Prep, Academic Review, and AATBS. For the first ~2ish weeks, I passively studied by listening to the Psych Prep audio files (didn't love them) and then eventually AATBS files. I then took the subject quizzes (wish I would have saved these for later). I did 7 of the AR 2013 practice tests, all within a month out from the test (scores were: 61%, 63%, 61%, 65%, 60%, 66%, 66%). I took my last AR practice test 2 days before I took the test. I got a 74% on the retired questions about 2 weeks out from my test. I was really nervous that I hadn't gotten a 70% on any of AR the practice tests, so I spent most of the weekend before cramming (about ~6 hours a day). Two days before the exam I took my last AR practice test, reviewed notes/flashcards, and re-read the ethics code. On Sunday (day b before the test), I took Psych Prep Test E since I had read this was a hard test; I got a 68% on that (so I was still stressed I hadn't technically passed a practice test). In total, I would estimate that I studied for a max of ~100 hours?

Test impressions:
1) Based on this thread, I was anticipating the wording of the questions to be less complex than the practice tests. This wasn't necessarily the case. I feel like the actual EPPP questions were asked for less detailed info, but the phrasing of the questions was not necessarily more straightforward. I found many of the questions to be very poorly worded. Some were so weird I had a hard time connecting what the question was actually asking based on the answer choices.

2) The test took me much longer than I anticipated it would. When taking practice tests, I would take about 2-2.5 hours. I took about 3.5 hours of the time. This kind of stressed me out mid-test.

3) I took so long because I flagged a lot of questions to come back to. A LOT of the material/content covered subject matter that did not come up in ANY of the practice tests, study materials, etc. And, alternatively, a LOT of what I studied didn't come up at all. For these questions (like 40-50 questions) I could very quickly eliminate 2 bad answers, but the final 2 were really hard for me to pick an answer. This really frustrated me while taking the test, and I just had to get over it. About 75% of the way through when I came back to all the flagged questions, I really wasn't sure if I would pass.

4) There were only about 5-7 questions that I had to absolutely take a guess on (i.e., I couldn't eliminate any bad answers; all of the material/possible answers were completely foreign).

5) I will say I found the ethics questions much more straight forward on the actual test.

Overall I am super happy it's over, but what a stupid process and I am still bitter that this test determines whether or not we can get licensed.

Best of luck!

 

[procrastin8r]

I passed the EPPP yesterday, on my first attempt, with a score of 585 (scaled score 81). I'm a bit of an outlier here: I studied for a total of 5 days, ~3-4 hours on days 1-4 (including practice tests), ~8-10 hours on day 5. I started by taking one of the official ASPPB online practice tests, just to see how much catching up I need to do & which areas are my weakest. Shockingly, I passed (though not by a very high margin). I think teaching PSY 101 for 3 semesters helped, so did an excellent psycho-phys course I took back in grad school. I seem to be a person with an above-average capacity for long-term memory encoding (not trying to brag, just being descriptive =).

After taking the 1st practice test, I studied using the official AATBS textbooks and power-point printouts, which I got from a friend. I covered the ethics textbook completely, because it's the largest portion of the exam, because I found it a trickier subject (as opposed to just regurgitating memorized names of SSRI's, for example), and because it seemed potentially useful for future reference. Having done that, I attempted covering the I/O textbook, but after 2 pages of notes, was filled with a deep existential rage. So, I gave up, took another ASPPB practice test, passed again, this time by a much higher margin. That was Friday, so I signed up for the actual exam for Monday. I spent a good chunk of Sunday and an hour or so Monday morning cramming, using the power point printouts (as my friend's helpful margin notes, as well as a few mnemonics). Again, it helped that lots of the material was familiar. I still refused to learn anything about I/O, and now, thankfully, I never will =).

Compared to the practice tests, I found the exam moderately harder and considerably more exhausting. Even accounting for the 50 wildcard experimental questions. I whizzed through the practice exams in 60-90 minutes. However, I was much more conservative on the actual exam, taking about 3 hours. I flagged any question I was not 100% sure of (~50% in the initial pass through), then came back to each one, sometimes several times. I guessed as strategically as I could for a few of them. The day before, and at the beginning of the exam, I was using deep breathing and positive self-talk to stick to an optimal mindset. By the end, however, I was switching between quelling my anxiety spikes and fervent prayer =) High risk, high reward, I suppose!

In the interest of full disclosure:
I blew $87 on a packet of ExamEdge practice tests, which was a TOTAL scam. The exams were way too easy, full of typos, had repeating questions and errors, and specifically asked about material that ASPPB states will not be on the EPPP (e.g., name a specific # of the APA CoE; name corollary # of CPA CoE; wtf!?).
About a year ago, I thought my license application was going to be speedily approved (laughing here, so I don't have to cry), so I signed up for 3 months of Academic Review for $759 (FUСK, that was stupid). My state's board took a full extra year for approval, so that was a complete waste of money. I only have my failure at anxiety management to blame.
Can't comment on the quality of Academic Review prep, as I only took an initial practice test (I think I got a scaled score of 50).

I also took a "diagnostic exam" on PrepJet, the day before I passed my 2nd ASPPB practice test with flying colors. According to PrepJet, I was 3% ready for the exam, and urgently needed to purchase their ultra-platinum-mega package =). Glad I didn't fall for it!

TL/DR: I highly recommend paying for the official ASPPB practice exam, before splurging on any other prep materials. It might turn out that you need a lot less prep than you thought, which will hopefully save you money.
May the odds be ever in your favor!

 

[Figarowing]

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to share my experiences in case it could be helpful to anyone, as I appreciated others sharing their experiences.

I passed the EPPP (first try) today with a 635. I took 3.5 hours and had some time to review but just couldn't take it any more. So, I didn't review any of my flagged items before finishing it up.

I studied for about 9 weeks using PsychPrep audio and their practice exams, as well as the "retired" exam.

My practice test scores were:
Test A-D: Study Mode: 49% -66%
Review Mode: 88%-95%
Test Mode: 96%-98%
Test E: Test Mode: 78%
Study Mode: 98%
Retired Exam: 80%

The test had many many unfamiliar terms and concepts. I knew going in that the test will contain materials I am not familiar with, But I found myself deep breathing to manage my anxiety during the test. I reminded myself to "trust" my practice exam scores and keep going as I felt defeated and discouraged at times. I took no break until I finished.

I reviewed study materials once while listening to all the audio. For the past two weeks, I woke up early to study (1-2 hrs) everyday and to get myself used to my designated test time (8 am test). I didn't go back and review the study materials but just kept reviewing all the tests and their rationale, including the retired exam items. Yesterday, I tried to study but really couldn't due to my anxiety. So I just watched TV to distract myself, ate well, and went to bed earlier than usual.

Overall, what I found to be most helpful was practicing test taking with all the practice tests and the retired exam. Reviewing my errors and rationales from practice tests also helped me see why and what I was often missing on the tests and it helped with consolidating all the materials.

For those who shared previously, Thank you so much!

For those studying for the exam, you can do it! I have a young child, care for my aging parents and parents in law, with two jobs. COVID 19 situation made it really tough for me but it was doable for me. Good luck everyone! You can totally do it!

 

[procrastin8r]

@Figarowing CONGRATS and awesome work with anxiety management! I found that was >half the batter in my case.

 

[Siyu]

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.

Have you taken the test yet? I have scheduled mine for 10/30/20. I lived in Texas, and the cut-off score used to be 350, now it has changed to 500 . I am very nervous.

 

[WisNeuro]

Have you taken the test yet? I have scheduled mine for 10/30/20. I lived in Texas, and the cut-off score used to be 350, now it has changed to 500 . I am very nervous.

350? For independent practice, are you sure? 500 is pretty much the standard for almost every state.

 

[Siyu]

No, not for the independent practice. Under supervision.

 

[WisNeuro]

Ah ok, most stated set the supervised pass rate at 450. But, if you ever want independent licensure, it'll be 500, so might as well shoot for that at the get go

 

[bookwormpsych]

Ah ok, most stated set the supervised pass rate at 450. But, if you ever want independent licensure, it'll be 500, so might as well shoot for that at the get go

Just if you're curious and for information's sake - in Texas, as a master's level, you USED to be able to "pass" the EPPP with a 450 to become a LPA. But, when TPA passed the rule that LPAs could now do independent practice, you have to pass with a 500 regardless of being "supervised" or "unsupervised/independent."

 

[WisNeuro]

Just if you're curious and for information's sake - in Texas, as a master's level, you USED to be able to "pass" the EPPP with a 450 to become a LPA. But, when TPA passed the rule that LPAs could now do independent practice, you have to pass with a 500 regardless of being "supervised" or "unsupervised/independent."

Sounds fair, if you want the same responsibilities, you pass the same benchmarks.

 

[cbeau1991]

Hi everybody! I've been lurking on this thread for awhile, and reading about everybody else's experiences was super helpful. I wanted to return the favor! I passed the EPPP yesterday - I decided to take a spooky Halloween licensing exam. The relief I'm feeling right now is unbelievable.

My score was 650 (scaled score 87), and I was very very surprised that it was so high. I used PsychPrep to prepare, and generally found it helpful. I bought the materials about a year or so ago and attempted to study, but I was going through some stuff in my personal life, so I ended up putting it off for a few months. My postdoc (college mental health) was really rough on me, and I was perpetually exhausted. I would say that I started studying seriously in May or June, about 5-10 hours per week. In September and October, I was studying 10ish hours a week. I studied for about 20-25 hours/week in the last two weeks.

I used Test A about a year ago to get a baseline score, and got a 52%. I retook Test A about eight months later, and got a 60%. My scores on B-E the first time through were 70%, 68%, 62% (that one was a confidence killer), and 68%. So, as you can see, I only passed one practice exam and actually trended down a bit, which was frustrating for me at the time. I felt a little panicky the night before the test, because I wasn't convinced I'd pass.

I thought the test itself was okay. The first 20 or 30 questions were straightforward and things I had prepared for. The middle 100 or so felt much rougher - I knew some of the answers, and wasn't 100% sure on a lot of them. I had literally never heard of a few things, as others here have said. I flagged everything I wasn't totally sure of, and I had about 60 questions flagged near the end. Then I went through and gave those a second look. I didn't end up changing very many answers at all. I figured that if I passed at all, I would barely squeak by, but that feeling ended up not being true. The whole thing took me about two and a half hours, but I read very quickly and I'm a fast test taker, so YMMV. I took one 10-minute break in the middle.

I'm going to echo what everybody else has said about anxiety management being a huge part of it. I was very anxious in the days leading up to the test - not sleeping particularly well and probably not eating enough. Good self-care is a big deal. Also, in my experience, the practice tests way underestimated my score, and I hope that this is comforting to know. As others have said, being able to isolate the right answer is more important than knowing all the material. There were plenty of things I wasn't 100% on, but it turned out fine anyway.

Good luck to everybody! This is doable, I promise!

 

[ndlek21]

It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve posted on here. But I’m finally through one of the last hoops on this wild career path I chose...

I passed the EPPP this morning with a scaled score of 700. I was feeling very anxious, as many on here do, about my practice test scores. I started in the mid-50s, then climbed to the 60s, but really struggled to break 70% in any practice tests. I finally broke into the 70s in the last couple weeks and I took the ASPPB PEPPPO online for reassurance, which I passed.


I did not pay for a program or new study materials. I had a combination of (quite old) hand-me-down PsychPrep and AATBS study (2011-2014) stuff, plus my old flashcards from my program’s quals/comps years ago. I made some new flashcards and had like honestly 2,000 flashcards total. I also used an I/O textbook. I was supposed to take it in April, so I had been studying in Feb-March but then put the brakes on studying during COVID and didn’t pick back up seriously until like mid-September. Since then I’ve been aiming for 15-20 hours weekly, but honestly most of it was in front of the TV.

I found the test to be easier than expected and significantly easier than the practice tests. I finished in just over 3 hours. I took the whole test and reviewed every single question in that amount of time. When I finished the first round I did NOT feel great about my chances of passing, but after going through the questions a second time and changing some answers I was pretty certain I passed. I really recommend using the flag/highlight/strikeout features. I highlighted important parts of the questions (like when it says “all the following are true except..” I highlighted the except every time). I also recommend taking the whiteboard and writing key concepts that are likely to fall out of your brain as soon as you sit down...I drew out the normal distribution, %s under the curve, and how they map onto other things like percentile rank.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions about the test! I feel a little silly for being so nervous about it and I probably over-prepared. Just keep calm and remember if you’re in the 60s on those practice exams you’re probably golden!

Edit: just to address the importance of self-care, I did a ton of this in the weeks leading up to the test. I felt like I needed to study every waking moment but I intentionally forced myself to step outside, watch a horror movie, bake, etc. HOWEVER this week I barely slept, mostly because of election anxiety. So don’t fret if you’re struggling with the basics, including sleep — life is hard these days and it won’t necessarily impact your performance. Our brains are pretty awesome and resilient.

 

[irishgoodbye]

I test in about a week. Anyone have recommendations on what to focus on the days leading up the the exam (studying weak areas, studying heavy content areas, taking practice tests, reviewing practice tests)? Any tips for the final week are appreciated!!

 

[borne_before]

I test in about a week. Anyone have recommendations on what to focus on the days leading up the the exam (studying weak areas, studying heavy content areas, taking practice tests, reviewing practice tests)? Any tips for the final week are appreciated!!

Don’t do anything the day or two before the exam. Go for a run, hike, get out of your head.
If I were you, I’d take practice tests in similar conditions to the real deal and then see why you missed questions. Good luck!

 

[dr.rayne]

I am taking the exam this Saturday and seeking some advice - I just passed the PEPPO but I am feeling discouraged because one of my lowest areas was assessment & diagnosis (in the mid-range) and on the corresponding areas of the AATBS tests I've been scoring really high (abnormal 76, assessment 83). I'm just feeling lost as to what I should focus my studying on this last day?? I also feel the most confident in this area because I came from a clinical program and I have a lot of assessment/clinical experience, so maybe I just haven't taken the time to memorize things I already feel I know... Thanks for any advice and hope everyone is safe during this crazy time!!

 

[summerbabe]

I just passed the PEPPO but I am feeling discouraged because one of my lowest areas was assessment & diagnosis (in the mid-range) and on the corresponding areas of the AATBS tests I've been scoring really high (abnormal 76, assessment 83).

You just need a 500 scaled score for most (all?) states so if you passed the PEPPO with room to spare and have been scoring above the cutoffs on your own practice exams, trust the process.

And the test allows you to be weaker in some areas and still pass (and sometimes very comfortably so) and given how random any series of questions can be for each of the domains on a single administration, I wouldn't sweat your PEPPO result.

 

[borne_before]

I am taking the exam this Saturday and seeking some advice - I just passed the PEPPO but I am feeling discouraged because one of my lowest areas was assessment & diagnosis (in the mid-range) and on the corresponding areas of the AATBS tests I've been scoring really high (abnormal 76, assessment 83). I'm just feeling lost as to what I should focus my studying on this last day?? I also feel the most confident in this area because I came from a clinical program and I have a lot of assessment/clinical experience, so maybe I just haven't taken the time to memorize things I already feel I know... Thanks for any advice and hope everyone is safe during this crazy time!!

DO NOT STUDY ANYTHING TODAY. Give your brain some time to coalesce. Try to reduce stress by doing something *fun* and *completely different than studying*.

You sound ready. Now go treat yo' self, go for a hike, run, etc. Keep us updated.

 

[Pageofwands]

Hi everyone! After many failed attempts I finally passed! Woohoo. Any idea how long it takes to get my licensure in NY?

 

[irishgoodbye]

Paying it forward as I felt this thread and learning others scores to be helpful for my process. I passed on my first attempt. I studied for a little over 4 months with AATBS. About 6 weeks out I added Prepjet and Psych Prep audio. I cannot express how helpful Psych Prep audio was (45 min commute to postdoc) and I wish I had it when I started to supplement my reading w/ AATBS. Overall, I averaged about 15-20 hours of studying/week (a lot of that was audio).
AATBS Exam Scores:
Assessment: 46%
Exam 1: 51%
Exam 2: 61%
Exam 3: 62%
Exam 4: 60%
Exam 5: 59%
Exam 6: 66%
Exam 7: 65%
Exam 8: 70%
PEPPO: Pass
Exam Sim 1: 69%
Exam Sim 2: 65%

Overall, I never got the the "buffer" above 70 recommended by AATBS coach and she actually suggested that I may be better off rescheduling after seeing my Exam Sim 2 score. However, I was so tired of studying and just wanted it to be over and I am glad I did it! I struggled a lot with anxiety and wished I had better strategies to cope on the days leading up and during the actual exam. However, I got to the exam center early (before they opened actually), and was able to take a number (which was 1), indicating I'd be the first processed. This helped my anxiety some. I got started about 20 minutes before my scheduled exam time and finished in about 3 hours! Good luck to those that take this beast of exam, you got this!

 

[coreconditions]

Hi everyone! After many failed attempts I finally passed! Woohoo. Any idea how long it takes to get my licensure in NY?

Congratulations! Fair warning, the NY state psychology board is running behind by about 3 months. I passed the EPPP 9/17 and submitted my post-doc hours that same day (my final form). The board has yet to review my hours. I was given an estimate of early December. I hope that helps, and best of luck to you!

 

[Pageofwands]

Congratulations! Fair warning, the NY state psychology board is running behind by about 3 months. I passed the EPPP 9/17 and submitted my post-doc hours that same day (my final form). The board has yet to review my hours. I was given an estimate of early December. I hope that helps, and best of luck to you!

On no that is a long delay. Please keep me posted. I spoke with the licensure board and they indicated that they processed scores up until 11/13.

 

[SchoolPsychPsych]

While studying for the EPPP, I think I visited this thread on a weekly basis. Now that I've got the exam behind me, I wanted to share my experience! I used old PsychPrep materials, ranging from 4-10 years old. I read the chapters, took handwritten notes of major concepts, listened to audio while I cooked dinner/did yard work a few times, but my best studying came from taking practice exams. I dabbled with other practice exams (Academic Review hand-me-downs and I did a free trial with PrepJet), but really the source of the info wasn't as important as the actual active studying process itself. I cracked down on studying the most during the final 2 months before the exam (I did more passive studying for a month or so prior - mostly on weekends). During the final 2 months, I took portions of practice exams throughout the week and dedicated about 6-8 hours each Sat/Sun to re-reading my notes, reviewing DSM, and then using Quizlet (search EPPP and you'll find tons of pre-made reviews for each section of the EPPP -- this really helped as a review of whatever I had been studying that day). After you cover all the information, and take a handful of practice exams, you'll start to pick up on the concepts that you've got down and those that are still a little sticky. Focus on those. I focused on similar but different concepts (e.g., James-Lange, Cannon-Bard) and made sure I knew all the different family therapies, neurotransmitters, etc.

The day before the exam I should have rested, but I went to work (had a stressful day) and studied until about 10PM. I woke up exhausted, arrived to the testing center early, and got started early (I recommend this!). I found the exam much more difficult than I anticipated, but I think being tired was a huge contributor. There is definitely information on there that I didn't study, and I knew there would be, but it threw me off more than I expected. I took one break and used all but 15 minutes of my time. I flagged a lot of items, but in the end only went back and answered any that I had not answered before. I tried to not overthink questions, and decide what concept they wanted to make sure I knew. In the end I passed with a score right at 600 and was SO relieved to get the 1 sheet of paper print out.

My first pass at Test A was 50%, brought that up to 68% on Test E and 70% on the old retired questions exam (both of those scores within 2 weeks of the exam). My best advice is to just get through the studying, cover the content, read the sections, take the practice tests, and trust your judgment during the exam. Don't be like me, and make sure you REST in the days right before it! SO GLAD that is OVER!

 

[chme]

Taking the PEPPO is a better indicator of performance than the actual practice tests from the various companies.

 

[jade1234]

It has been a while since I saw an update on this thread -

I passed y'all! With a 533, scaled score of 77 (For NY).

Flash back to 2018. I was finishing my internship and in the process of graduating. One of my internship supervisors told us interns about the EPPP study process. She advised us to study 2-3 hours per day, several days per week.

Inside my head, I laughed and laughed..

Oh how naive I was.

At the end of internship (August 2018) I was 5 months pregnant. I hoped to take the exam before giving birth but life had other plans. I did a postdoc that was accomodating of my pregnancy. My pregnancy was somewhat high-risk, and so between that and a physically exhausting commute EPPP fell to the back burner. I focused on postpartum recovery until about mid 2019. Around then I studied with two other people based off of Academic Review. For me, reading AR at first was slow because it was dense, and I did not really do too many exams because the material took me so long to read.

By end of 2019, I found another job. Its stability offered me the stability I needed to study. Started studying late into 2019, beginning of 2020. I think around this time I switched to Prepjet, supplementing with Psychprep audio. I scheduled my exam for May 2020. And then...
COVID-19.

In March 2020 we could not go in to work physically. Trying to figure out the new demands of my now-remote job took me about a month to get accustomed to. Was not used to caring for my son, working and studying at the same time. My exam fell just outside the cancellation window but I decided to just push it back to August 2020.

I am not sure why, my memory does not serve me well, but I did not feel ready in August either so I pushed it back again to Nov 2020 lol. Might have been due to anxiety, lol.

Around this time my scores on different domains varied. I would be 70-80% on one domain one day and 20 percent on another. I would study Clinical on Monday, then study Developmental Tuesday and discover that Dev made me forget about Clinical. So I switched it up. I would AIM to study the main 6 (Clinical, Abnormal, Developmental, Ethics, I/O, Bio). My goal was to master these and then go back to Social, Learning/Memory, Test Construction and Stats later.

I reiterate - this was the GOAL, not the reality. I find for myself that as long as I was flexible, realistic that in these COVID times it was impossible for every study session to happen the way you want it was fine. I also aimed to eventually incorporate exams at least 1x per week. There were days when I was able to wake up at 5 am, pray, 5:30 start my workout/audio study and get in some audio before work; review flashcards here and there, and read 2-5 hours per day. On days that I was exhausted I would fall asleep on my books after putting my son to sleep. (My partner was away at school at this time, and so it was just me).

By October 2020, though I was hitting a wall. On Prepjet exams, I was getting like 50-60s on sub domains. I went domain by domain and realized - I could probably get another 10-15 points just by addressing the other domains I had not been focusing on, such as Social. Sure enough, learning about the Elaboration Likelihood Theory etc made a difference, and now I was seeing scores on PsychPrep practice exams in the 70 range.

But still - I did not feel quite READY. I really wanted to pass before the holidays. But there was a day, 2 weeks before my scheduled exam in November 2020. that I wanted to come and ask what others what they thought of my practice scores. I was even thinking of paying a EPPP coach. But I sat myself down and looked within. I said to myself, "If you have to ask others, then you are reassurance seeking. And if you are reassurance seeking, instead of just knowing, then it means you are not ready." It was painful to reschedule, but I think I made the right decision. I rescheduled for January 2021.

Aight so - first time Prepjet scores Dec 2020 to January 2021 - 72, 77, never finished exam 3, 66 (it was a difficult week), 63 (I took exam 5 literally 3 days before - a very hard week, Sunday before I had a funeral, and the day after my exam another funeral). Exam 6 scores was 56. I made an extreme point to go through each domain after the exam, look at my weaknesses and aim for mastery. In clinical my weaknesses are family therapy; in Developmental, remembering all the different Piaget stages annoyed me at first, for I/O recalling all of the...well just remembering all of it was hard lol. But my PsychPrep scores, which I took in December, were better (like mid 70s) because I just had more time to study and had less life stuff. Like I said on my last post I crammed - please do not do that!

Common questions -

Which study materials did you find helpful and why? I found Prepjet, Psychprep and AR all helpful for different reasons. Prepjet reading is concise. Psychprep's exams are really nice. AR was great for depth and to ensure you REALLY understood the material - which is what I was aiming for.

How did you do it with so many life demands? I work full time, my husband is wrapping up school in a different city. My postpartum recovery was challenging. Flexibility was key. I also work in an exempt setting so I did not have the pressure of time (not yet or as much as others).

Did you study with others? Sometimes yes. I think I have been in at least 5 different study or support groups. Some passed before me, some did not work out which was ok COVID took everyone for a loop. It's all good.

What did studying look like for you? Reading, keeping a binder (kinda like middle school) with different sections, was my main strategy. Tried to use the Leiter flashcard method but I did not keep up with it. Also tried to use Quizlet flashcards but did not keep up. However if I had more time I think I would have.

Any other tips? Always be honest with yourself. What was your thought process when looking at that question? Did you get tired on question 176 and read too fast? Can you eliminate? Even if you never saw that theory before what other clues might you deduce? Are you tired as you read? Distracted? Angry? Sad? Know thyself.

What was the day of the exam like for you? TERRIBLE. terrible. TURR-bull. It was cold outside. Dropped my kid off crying at the nanny in 23 degrees weather (that is cold for us in NY). Anxious the whole way to the site. I think out of anxiety I used the bathroom twice and lost like 5 minutes each time. Ended the exam with 7 minutes left. And that silly questionnaire! Argh.

Any other feedback I can offer let me know. I have enjoyed reading other people's detailed stories so I am happy to pay it forward.

 

[beginner2011]

I just completed the exam and passed (yay!). I was originally scheduled to take the exam 2 weeks from now. On Friday my testing site abruptly canceled my exam and told me I needed to reschedule so I just signed up for the only available date for the next 2 months, which was today!

Throughout the exam I was fairly confident that I was not going to pass, but ended up receiving a score of 635 (85 in NY).

I mostly used old practice materials that were passed down from senior colleagues at my postdoc site. My preparation was mostly just taking practice exams and reviewing explanations for correct/incorrect answers as I went along (75% of study time), with some time listening to audio recordings (10%), independent content review (10%), and oral content review with colleagues who were also preparing for the exam (5%).

Beginning around 35 days before the exam I began doing about 20-50 questions per day from practice tests, which I've roughly blocked out by week on the chart below. Because this was data that I was looking for from others, and I wanted to see if I was improving over time, I tracked how my scores on the practice exams changed over time using an excel document. Here's a plot of the data, for your reference. T-120 = 120 days before the date I took the actual exam (took a baseline practice test while I waited for the board to enable me to sign up for the exam), T-35 = 35 days before exam, etc. T-1 was a set of about 60 questions that I did the night before the exam.

The lines are all running averages.

The blue line is the raw percent correct on all practice test questions from the start of studying to exam date.
The orange line is the percent correct out of the last 50 questions.
The green line is the percent correct out of the last 200 questions.

You can see that I took a first baseline exam about 4 months prior to the exam just to see where I stood. When I saw that I had scored about 50% on the 200 question practice exam I spent the next week reviewing the explanations for the ones I missed and listened to an audio recording describing test taking strategies for the EPP. From about T-115 to T-35 I did no preparation at all.

Around T-35 I began preparation again by looking at the correct answer and the explanation for each exam question before moving on to a new question. Using this method my scores improved fairly steadily until leveling off about two weeks before the exam during T-14. That was a block of 200 questions that I did without looking at the answers or explanations until afterward, to simulate the actual testing experience.

I don't feel that I over-prepared, but I do think that the likelihood of passing is pretty high even if folks aren't scoring 70% on practice tests. I'm not sure where the cut-off line really ought to be, but I do know that I've talked to many people who were scoring anywhere from 64-68% on practice exams and ended up scoring over 100 points above the 500 point cut off. Make of that what you will. I'm curious how folks who are just barely scoring over 60% tend to do on the actual exam, but don't have any data on outcomes for folks scoring around that level.

Good luck!

 

[flowercarpet]

Hi all! I’m happy to contribute to this thread now that I am on the other side! I passed the exam today with a scaled score of 655 (NYS 87).

I only used hand me down materials, including PsychPrep exams, PsychPrep audio/texts and AATBS audio/texts that were DSM-IV era. (I wound up reviewing my desk companion DSM-5 once to make sure I was up to date.) I spent a total of six weeks studying during the off hours of a demanding clinical fellowship. Generally, I would spend about 1-2 hours after work and 16 hours over the weekend taking exams/reviewing the answers, reviewing materials and listening to the audio and taking notes while doing so. I had a strong preference for the PsychPrep audio, much more palatable in my opinion. I typed a study guide based on listening to the audio, and also had a very fat stack of flash cards. I tracked how many hours total I studied and landed at around 210. My practice exam scores were as follows: 42%, 56%, 58%, 58%, 69%. I wasn’t feeling confident based on my scores, but knew that friends and colleagues had similar experiences. Two weeks before the exam, I really started reinforcing the material I had learned by reviewing flash cards and my study guide. I also retook two of my earliest exams and scored a 79% and 81% respectively. The practice exams were by far the most helpful, especially because they helped me to understand how to answer questions and why certain answers were less correct than others.

During the actual exam, I was extremely uncertain as to my performance, and was very relieved to see my score. Uncertainty is not necessarily representative of your performance! I know I often heard that you just need to get a passing score and not to over study; however, I am thankful I put in the time I did and would likely have done it the same way for peace of mind.

Best of luck to all of you future test takers! Don’t let the exam get in your head!

 

[Gambit07]

I took the EPPP a few months ago and wanted to pay it forward given how helpful this forum was for me. I want to start off by saying that solidifying a date was very helpful for me because it served as my end goal and source of motivation. I gave myself about 3 months to study for the exam, with some days off here and there due to work and just needing a break mentally. In the beginning I was doing about 8-10 hours a week, and when month 2 came along I was doing more like 15-20 hours of studying a week on top of a full time job and research projects. During the middle of my second month of studying, I elected to take the PEPPPO at a testing site to see how it would be. I passed the PEPPO with a score over 550 after just 2 months of studying, and I still had another month to go. It was also very helpful to know what the check-in process was like and familiarize myself with the exam format, although it was only 100 questions. I also was taking practice tests that were hand me downs as well as the AATBS 8 practice test, and was scoring 68-75% on the exams. I elected to take another PEPPPO, this time at the testing center I would be taking the actual exam, a couple of weeks before my scheduled date and scored even higher this time with over a 600. This boosted my confidence even more, but I definitely started to feel burnt out the last couple of weeks before the exam. I still put in about 25 hours of studying a week during that time, but I honestly felt like I was just rehearsing all the old stuff I had memorized because there was no way I could hold any new information at that point.

I didn’t sleep great the night before the exam (shocking!), and ended up getting to the testing center as soon as it opened. I, fortunately, was seated at the same testing desk I took the second PEPPO; this was really helpful in terms of calming my nerves and making me feel confident (#SituationalRecall). The exam was very very challenging and it felt like 50% of it had been things I’d never seen on any of the test Prep material; for the remainder of the test, I felt like I knew 25% of the items pretty confidently and then the rest I could narrow down to 2 items. I flagged about 30 items total, but was already at the 3.5 hour mark and had no more energy left in me after completing the last question. So I just skimmed through the 30 flagged items and only changed 1-2 answers total because I was so exhausted and stressed.

I wanted to throw up after I clicked submit and was annoyed that I then had to do the exit survey immediately after. However, I passed with a 605, so this definitely shows that the PEPPO is a good predictor of your final score.

Just remember - you will not know everything on the exam and you don’t need to in order to pass. Trust your gut, take your time and remember that you are more than this exam! Best of luck to those of you preparing for the exam!

 

[Luke777]

For those of you who took the EPPPO-1, how long did it take to get your score/ pass/fail notice? I took it last night and was under the impression it was immediate feedback.

 

[prisonpsych2020]

For those of you who took the EPPPO-1, how long did it take to get your score/ pass/fail notice? I took it last night and was under the impression it was immediate feedback.

I received a printout immediately after taking it at the testing center.

 

[jade1234]

For those of you who took the EPPPO-1, how long did it take to get your score/ pass/fail notice? I took it last night and was under the impression it was immediate feedback.

I got a printout as soon as i finished (well, as soon as you leave the testing room and go where the front desk proctors are).

 

[Mama Bear]

For those of you who took the EPPPO-1, how long did it take to get your score/ pass/fail notice? I took it last night and was under the impression it was immediate feedback.

Do you mean the online practice test (PEPPO)? If so, you have to go back into the registration system to hunt down your scores.

 

[Psycho_logist]

I scheduled about 1.5 to 2 months out and studied with a variety of methods (e.g., listening to audio in the car, taking old exams periodically, reading prepared outlines covering materials, etc.). All of the materials I used were old, some going back to the early 2000's (I mean, Freud is still Freud, after all). My exam scores on the various tests began in the 50s-60s, but increased to the 70s and low 80s by the weekend before the test. I did not take the PEPPP tests. I would recommend reviewing newer research findings on various therapies, as my information was obviously dated.

I made sure to go to bed at a reasonable time on the night prior to the exam and did, in fact, sleep well. Unfortunately, the earliest time I could schedule was in the late afternoon, so I twiddled my thumbs most of the day. The exam itself was not what I expected. I found the questions to be better written and prepared than I had been led to believe they would be. The most confusing question had nothing to do with ethics, where I expected to have trouble. I flagged all items that I wasn't sure of (n = 72) and finished my first pass with about 100 minutes remaining. I did a second pass on the questions, increased my confidence on about 20-25 of those flagged items, and turned in the exam with a few minutes to spare.

The score report was printing as I walked to the front desk. I passed with a scaled score in the high 600s.

 

[Luke777]

I passed the EPPP on my first attempt yesterday with a 644. I will say that I way over studied. I used prep jet for 2 months (excellent place to start as their domain break down was super helpful). I then went with AATBS and found the written materials very helpful. None of my prep jet or AATBS practice tests were ever higher than 69%. I took the PEPPPO and passed. As many have said that was the closet to the EPPP language of any prep software I used. I felt like I had no idea how I did the entire way through the actual test. But ultimately I did pretty well.
I found it really helpful to use strategies to memorize drugs classes, and make matching flash cards for side effects. I also made a matching game with several of the Tx and career models that had keywords.

 

[Wintermute1975]

Hi, and congrats to those who have passed!

I'm 29 days out from the exam. Just finished an aatbs practice test (#5) and scored 68%. For a little context: I defended my dissertation in 2016, finished post-doc in the fall of 2017 and have spent the last four years kind of studying every once in awhile but not really doing much because I didn't want to go back on ADHD meds. I have a six year-old son and hate the way adderall flattened my affect--I wanted to be emotionally present as a mother and, well, here we are in 2021. About four months ago I decided it was time to bite the bullet and scheduled my exam for April 28th. Psychiatrist prescribed Mydayis (way better than adderall for me, although I still hate being on it)...I continued to dick around for a month because I didn't want to take the meds, then started taking them and got semi-serious about studying in early February. I'd say maybe 10 hours a week as I unexpectedly had to get my son into a specialized school (if you live in NYC and have a kid with special needs you probably understand how brutal this process is).

Long story short: I would say I've done about 20+ hours per week of studying over the month of March. I've used psychprep materials and hand me down aatbs books. Paid for a stats tutor (I went to a professional school phd program where it was like "wink wink, nod nod your stats test will be open book, open note" because they were more focused on training us to be therapists rather than researchers). I have the online aatbs practice exams and domain quizzes and have found significant practice effects in between study mode and test mode. I also have access to the live online lectures but find these to be a little too general.

All of that is to say: why am I still at 68%? About 20 minutes into the test this morning I felt as though the topics covered in Abnormal and Clinical were things I hadn't yet seen. It was beyond disheartening. I can understand bombing I/O (although I got over 50% on that domain today) and I know I need help in Test Construction and Assessment (I have not administered a WISC or Rorschach in almost 10 years), but what's going on? I feel like either the test questions are excessively specific in very narrow areas or perhaps I'm just not up to date...

In reading this thread I see a lot of people had trouble breaking 70%. I have 29 more days to commit to studying. I would be grateful for any advice.

 

[foreverbull]

Hi, and congrats to those who have passed!

I'm 29 days out from the exam. Just finished an aatbs practice test (#5) and scored 68%. For a little context: I defended my dissertation in 2016, finished post-doc in the fall of 2017 and have spent the last four years kind of studying every once in awhile but not really doing much because I didn't want to go back on ADHD meds. I have a six year-old son and hate the way adderall flattened my affect--I wanted to be emotionally present as a mother and, well, here we are in 2021. About four months ago I decided it was time to bite the bullet and scheduled my exam for April 28th. Psychiatrist prescribed Mydayis (way better than adderall for me, although I still hate being on it)...I continued to dick around for a month because I didn't want to take the meds, then started taking them and got semi-serious about studying in early February. I'd say maybe 10 hours a week as I unexpectedly had to get my son into a specialized school (if you live in NYC and have a kid with special needs you probably understand how brutal this process is).

Long story short: I would say I've done about 20+ hours per week of studying over the month of March. I've used psychprep materials and hand me down aatbs books. Paid for a stats tutor (I went to a professional school phd program where it was like "wink wink, nod nod your stats test will be open book, open note" because they were more focused on training us to be therapists rather than researchers). I have the online aatbs practice exams and domain quizzes and have found significant practice effects in between study mode and test mode. I also have access to the live online lectures but find these to be a little too general.

All of that is to say: why am I still at 68%? About 20 minutes into the test this morning I felt as though the topics covered in Abnormal and Clinical were things I hadn't yet seen. It was beyond disheartening. I can understand bombing I/O (although I got over 50% on that domain today) and I know I need help in Test Construction and Assessment (I have not administered a WISC or Rorschach in almost 10 years), but what's going on? I feel like either the test questions are excessively specific in very narrow areas or perhaps I'm just not up to date...

In reading this thread I see a lot of people had trouble breaking 70%. I have 29 more days to commit to studying. I would be grateful for any advice.

For some companies' tests, people simply find that they can't get above 60s and 70s but pass the EPPP; it's common to hear in this thread. The obscure amount of knowledge you'd have to know to get every question right on the EPPP is downright impossible to master, so it's more about knowing generally what the research says about different domains/issues, study the domains closely, and then use test-taking strategies as well. Try not to get too thrown off by the zinger questions, because part of it is going to be reminding yourself that you know the material relatively well, if you've studied 80-100 hours or more. Some questions will just be difficult, but it isn't necessarily representative of your knowledge base.

Study methods may make a difference if attention is an issue; passively reading isn't usually very effective. I read written materials, took notes on readings, listened to audio, and took practice tests. Try not to worry too much about the things you don't know, because you can't master everything. That said, if you don't feel like you retained much info at all from studying, your methods might need some tweaking.

You still have some time, so perhaps you can use this to narrow your focus to the trouble areas and try to spend some time reducing your anxiety about the exam and then take a final practice test to simulate the testing environment? Just throwing out some ideas here!

 

[Wintermute1975]

Study methods may make a difference if attention is an issue; passively reading isn't usually very effective. I read written materials, took notes on readings, listened to audio, and took practice tests. Try not to worry too much about the things you don't know, because you can't master everything. That said, if you don't feel like you retained much info at all from studying, your methods might need some tweaking.

Yes, thank you. I believe this is the biggest issue. ADHD meds or not I have an almost impossible time trying to glean any information from passive reading. I saw a few people on here who posted about reading the aatbs texts cover to cover and I wish I could make that happen. I'll read it and nothing sticks....it's sort of like the words are there and it's all devoid of meaning. I do think aatbs materials are overly comprehensive as compared to psychprep, but there is an advantage in that if you can absorb the material.

I'm leaning towards watching the online lectures in my weak areas and combining the texts as I'm watching. You know, perhaps work with the ADHD instead of against it. Anyway, I thank you

 

[Cantab109]

I just took the EPPP is passed (yay!) Like others are saying, low practice test scores seem to be the norm. Mine were (AATBS) 57, 68, 56 (that really freaked me out), 63, 70, 72. and a PsychPrep test D score of 70. My EPPP was 638.

 

[KristyAnn26]

Happy to share that I finally took and passed the dreaded EPPP (605)!! I am still in complete disbelief. Wanted to pay it forward…. Like many others on this thread, I found a lot of comfort in reading (& re-reading) all of the many posts on this forum to help put my mind at ease throughout this process.

Here are my practice test scores: AATBS: Baseline 67%; Tests 1-8: 61%, 67%, 72%, 70%, 68%, 70%, 68%, 74% (Test #8 was 2.5 weeks out); Retired questions 80% (2.5 weeks out).. Even though I was breaking that 70% threshold, I still felt uneasy and signed up for a weekend workshop with psychprep and also subscribed to their one-month test package. I took tests A-E in study mode once I completed all of my AATBS tests: 75%, 78%, 70%, 70%, 77% (1 week out). I re-took almost all exams and was scoring in the high 80s. I used primarily 2019 AATBS books (reading/taking notes) and psychprep audio.

Fast forward to the day before my exam and I was in full blown panic mode- Despite spending hours upon hours (upon hours) of studying, I was not confident going into it. I started to feel the weight of this thing really beginning to psych me out. I convinced myself that I was not adequately prepared (despite months of preparation) and around 3 pm was feeling super overwhelmed with the idea of failing. I stopped cramming and headed over to my parents (they were watching my daughter for me so I could study intensively in the days leading up to the test). I distinctly remember saying to my mom, “there is so much that I don’t know..” and her response to this was simple, “And there is so much that you do know.” This completely helped to change my mindset. I carried this sentiment with me into the exam and wrote it down on the whiteboard for reassurance throughout the exam.

The actual test itself: There was a lot of material that I felt pretty comfortable/familiar with and could easily 50/50 these questions. There were also a lot of questions that were super challenging as it was unfamiliar content. From reading this forum, I expected this and referred to my “and there is so much that you do know” quote from my mom. This helped me to stay focused and just get through these items as best I could. I was usually able to eliminate one clearly bad choice for these questions and just reason through the rest of the choices. There were about 10-15 questions that I could not eliminate a single answer choice and had to just guess. I felt like I would get a batch of questions that were like WTF questions (where I would literally laugh out loud by how obscure these felt) and then some familiar ones that helped to boost my confidence. By the end of the test, I had NO IDEA if I passed or failed. I finished the actual test with about 45 minutes to spare. I went back, started to review flagged items and found myself changing answers. I quickly abandoned this tactic and just raised my hand to formally complete the exam (after that lovely survey). Went out into the front lobby of the exam center and was praying for a one page print out. A wave of relief fell over me when out from the printer was one page. I left crying tears of joy. For those of you who are studying, you got this. Believe in yourself and try to keep a positive mindset throughout this challenging process (as difficult as that may be-especially in the days leading up to the test). I found that setting an actual test date was the best decision to help keep a consistent routine with studying. I also really appreciated the noise canceling headphones- I am one that needs absolute silence when taking an exam and would study/take practice tests using earplugs. The headphones at the exam center did a really nice job of blocking out any background noise in the test center and for me, that was golden.

Best of luck to those of you studying!! You can and will get through this.

 

[Wintermute1975]

I put an ice cube in the French press. Or rather, I almost put it in there. This was immediately after I almost put facial toner on my toothbrush. Key takeaways: ice cubes do not share any qualities with a brown bag of coffee grinds and facial toner is not toothpaste.

Suffice it to say that I don't think I've been adhering to a "self-care" model of studying. I'm taking the exam in four days and I'm tapped out, yet I feel like there is SO MUCH I should know but don't. Right now I'm watching the online AATBS video lecture for Clinical Psych (Stephanie Harris is on par with Sharon Jablon--I feel like she's the Melanie Klein to Sharon's Anna Freud, you know, sitting there at the British Psychoanalytical Society and pretending to ignore Anna's shank-eye.....but I digress) and I'm writing in this forum because listening to this stuff is untenable in my current state.

Details: I have studied almost every day this month (maybe 2 days off) and many of those days were clocking in at 10 hours. There were a few that maxed out at 15. I'm having a hard time sleeping because I feel like every moment of every day should be devoted to learning the super-obscure research studies that pop up on the AATBS practice exams. I'm also now checking in with Prepjet's free trial because people on here have expressed how outdated AATBS is: so yes, that was last Wednesday's freakout. Last Tuesday my stats tutor advised me to take a day off. I'm pretty sure this is because I look like a rabid mole person who hasn't come out of the subway in 10 years.

My recent practice test scores (AATBS):

Practice 5: 68%
Practice 6: 81%
Practice 7: 76%

Test Mode 5: 85%
Test Mode 6: 88%
Test Mode 7: <----- this is the one I planned on taking today!

I know they look good; however, I'm pretty sure I did Practice 6 & 7 as "study tests," meaning I may have looked up some answers. I do distinctly recall taking #6 (7?) and searching out the answers to maybe 10 questions, then answering the questions based on the info in the AATBS texts, only to find that upon review the text was wrong and my intuitive guess had been right. So honestly I have no idea if those scores are predictive of anything. I don't really count the Test Mode scores because of recognition & practice effects.

Sooooooooo.......

It feels like I should take a day off, but it also feels like I should make some charts. I have an in-basket of stuff I need to study and basically it's a bunch of legal pads with topics listed in very bad handwriting on post-it notes stuck to the top of the legal pads with messages such as: "SLEEP CHART," "Memorize Stats Tables," and "MAKE A F*CKING CHART." I am particularly fond of that last one.

Advice? Really, any advice please. I think I know what I SHOULD do but I am the type of test-taker that needs to walk into the exam with TOTAL KNOWLEDGE or I'll end up having an anxiety attack, start crying midway through the test and be approached by the kind PearsonVUE proctor asking if I'm okay (that was on the GRE's, which I bombed. I killed the Psych GRE's because I had TOTAL KNOWLEDGE).

I know it's about anxiety management on test day, but what do I do right now???

 

[Wintermute1975]

Just an addendum: AATBS video lectures on Ethics are starting in 12 minutes (not my girl Stephanie, though) and they go on for 3 1/2 hours.

NOPE.

 

[foreverbull]

@Wintermute1975

If you’ve studied that many hours, I think the best advice is to step away from your study materials and just do something else enjoyable for a few days before your exam—practicing relaxation skills over study skills now!

You’ll never “know” everything and you don’t have to. But a solid base of knowledge, good test-taking skills, and some anxiety-management skills go a long way on the EPPP.

Best of luck to you!

 

[ExpertHoopJumper]

I put an ice cube in the French press. Or rather, I almost put it in there. This was immediately after I almost put facial toner on my toothbrush. Key takeaways: ice cubes do not share any qualities with a brown bag of coffee grinds and facial toner is not toothpaste.

Suffice it to say that I don't think I've been adhering to a "self-care" model of studying. I'm taking the exam in four days and I'm tapped out, yet I feel like there is SO MUCH I should know but don't. Right now I'm watching the online AATBS video lecture for Clinical Psych (Stephanie Harris is on par with Sharon Jablon--I feel like she's the Melanie Klein to Sharon's Anna Freud, you know, sitting there at the British Psychoanalytical Society and pretending to ignore Anna's shank-eye.....but I digress) and I'm writing in this forum because listening to this stuff is untenable in my current state.

Details: I have studied almost every day this month (maybe 2 days off) and many of those days were clocking in at 10 hours. There were a few that maxed out at 15. I'm having a hard time sleeping because I feel like every moment of every day should be devoted to learning the super-obscure research studies that pop up on the AATBS practice exams. I'm also now checking in with Prepjet's free trial because people on here have expressed how outdated AATBS is: so yes, that was last Wednesday's freakout. Last Tuesday my stats tutor advised me to take a day off. I'm pretty sure this is because I look like a rabid mole person who hasn't come out of the subway in 10 years.

My recent practice test scores (AATBS):

Practice 5: 68%
Practice 6: 81%
Practice 7: 76%

Test Mode 5: 85%
Test Mode 6: 88%
Test Mode 7: <----- this is the one I planned on taking today!

I know they look good; however, I'm pretty sure I did Practice 6 & 7 as "study tests," meaning I may have looked up some answers. I do distinctly recall taking #6 (7?) and searching out the answers to maybe 10 questions, then answering the questions based on the info in the AATBS texts, only to find that upon review the text was wrong and my intuitive guess had been right. So honestly I have no idea if those scores are predictive of anything. I don't really count the Test Mode scores because of recognition & practice effects.

Sooooooooo.......

It feels like I should take a day off, but it also feels like I should make some charts. I have an in-basket of stuff I need to study and basically it's a bunch of legal pads with topics listed in very bad handwriting on post-it notes stuck to the top of the legal pads with messages such as: "SLEEP CHART," "Memorize Stats Tables," and "MAKE A F*CKING CHART." I am particularly fond of that last one.

Advice? Really, any advice please. I think I know what I SHOULD do but I am the type of test-taker that needs to walk into the exam with TOTAL KNOWLEDGE or I'll end up having an anxiety attack, start crying midway through the test and be approached by the kind PearsonVUE proctor asking if I'm okay (that was on the GRE's, which I bombed. I killed the Psych GRE's because I had TOTAL KNOWLEDGE).

I know it's about anxiety management on test day, but what do I do right now???

Dude...you need to chill out. What you have described is extreme and unnecessary. Go take a hot shower, have a bourbon, and sleep. In that order (or sometimes a shower bourbon is delightful). It's going to be fine.

 

[tn15an]

I lurked on this thread a bunch while I was studying so I figure I should pay it forward and make a post. I got a score of 727 earlier this month when I took the EPPP. I took an alternative candidacy exam that my program offered that involved writing a paper and defending it so I was a little worried I might have gaps in my knowledge from not having taken a typical candidacy exam. However, I did teach intro psych and abnormal psych for many semesters which I think helped me a lot on this exam.

I started off studying around September with the "EPPP Fundamentals, Step One" book. I wasn't that intense about my studying and was reading it less than once a week for a few hours during some time carved out at my postdoc site for professional development. I was caught in a loop of making a ton of flashcards that I didn't really look much at at first (in the last 2 months though I made a lot of use of them). I found the book a little overwhelming for me because there was so much I didn't know.

I had some hand me down practice tests I took that I was also using at that time and reviewing answers. I didn't really get serious about studying until a couple of months before the test and even then I didn't study every day. I bought the AATBS flash cards because I felt like I was spending too much time making flash cards and that it might help to have some premade. I found overall that those cards were too wordy to use as flash cards. I used them more as a way to break down content by pulling them out and reading them one at a time when I had a spare moment. Some I did use as flashcards that were less wordy or some I modified by highlighting key parts or writing on them to make them better as flashcards.

At about 2 months before my exam I panicked because I realized how little studying I'd done and paid for a prepjet subscription. I liked how it broke down content into smaller pieces so I felt less overwhelmed. I paid for the tier with videos. The videos were okay, but not amazing. I watched maybe 1/4 of the content videos, maybe less. With prepjet I felt a little better equipped to zoom into spending more time on areas of weaknesses. I did not make it through all the material before my exam date and focused just on areas where I felt like I needed more help. After taking each practice exam I very carefully reviewed missed items and made flashcards for concepts I didn't know.

See below for my practice scores:

The "readiness score" in prepjet is nonsense IMHO. It jumped around a ton up and down from practice test to practice test. If you use prepjet don't pay attention to that metric. It caused me an undue amount of anxiety. Before taking the real test it said I was only 27% ready and clearly I passed with a huge margin.

A few days before the actual EPPP I took the PEPPO-1 and got at 605. For some reason I bombed the "Treatment, Intervention, Prevention, and Supervision" domain on that practice test and I had no idea why from my recollection of the items which concerned me since it's such as big section. So the last few days I spent focusing a ton on that area. On the actual exam I'm not sure I saw a single question related to the content I crammed in the last few days.

On the actual test there were a substantial number of items with concepts I had never seen before. I had to logic my way through a lot of items that I wasn't sure on. The questions were overall more straight forward than a lot of practice test items I had seen. For example a lot of practice test items asked me about specific ages of developmental milestones and could be nitpicky about a small difference in time, but on the actual test those kinds of questions were more set up about knowing the order of milestones or needing to know what other milestones might have been met at the same time in a way the integrated knowledge from a few areas. Basically a little more big picture than needing to know the difference between something happening at 10 vs 14 months.
Coming from a research heavy program I found the stats/research methods questions very easy. I hadn't spent much time reviewing that content and it was clearly the right call since the questions were very straight forward.
There were a lot of questions where I hadn't read the specific research finding they had referenced but had read about a research finding that was similar. There were a lot of questions I had to make educated guesses on based on that related knowledge. I think the prepjet readings helped me in this area for a lot of those cases where there were related findings that connected to a larger shared concept.

I clearly overstudied and frankly I think it's possible I might have passed if I'd taken it way earlier in my studying process or maybe without studying at all (a lot of questions hit knowledge I knew before studying). I'd encourage anyone on the fence about taking the plunge of the real exam to take the PEPPO and see how you do. I think a big thing studying did was help me feel confident to not second guess myself on easy items.
I found the highlight and cross out functions on the exam very helpful because I found on practice tests I often made careless errors from misreading questions from going too fast. Highlighting and crossing out wrong answers helped me slow myself down to avoid careless errors.

I have ADHD and had a reduced distraction room when I took the GRE. I did not request that for this exam because with covid scheduling was already complex and asking for reduced distraction gives you less scheduling options and I wasn't really super into having to ask the board for permission for the accommodation. I found the testing center very good in terms of not having distractions. They provided earplugs and headphones. I got there early so I was one of the first in the room. Since I was in a little cubicle, I didn't even have awareness that there was a person right next to me until after I was leaving the exam.

 

[Wintermute1975]

@Wintermute1975

If you’ve studied that many hours, I think the best advice is to step away from your study materials and just do something else enjoyable for a few days before your exam—practicing relaxation skills over study skills now!

You’ll never “know” everything and you don’t have to. But a solid base of knowledge, good test-taking skills, and some anxiety-management skills go a long way on the EPPP.

Best of luck to you!

You are very kind. Honestly I’ve read this thread exhaustively and you’re always very cool and supportive. I do wonder if Ativan counts as anxiety-management...I mean it doesn’t require much skill, but here we are.

Anyway, thank you

 

[Wintermute1975]

Dude...you need to chill out. What you have described is extreme and unnecessary. Go take a hot shower, have a bourbon, and sleep. In that order (or sometimes a shower bourbon is delightful). It's going to be fine.

Mezcal Negroni, which is what I was drinking when I took practice exam 5 in test mode. My friend and I were doing practice exam 8 yesterday afternoon (he’s a shrink) and his assessment is that I’m WAY overthinking things and that I did well on “Mezcal Negroni Practice Test” because it freed up the rigidity in my thinking.

So I made some more Mezcal Negronis and blew through practice test 8 until my drunk reasoning became counterproductive, at which point I took out all my pent up stress and anxiety on my boyfriend who remains on the couch today. If my relationship survives this exam, that in itself will be the true victory...🥳

 

[Mojito_15]

Took the EPPP this morning, got a 689. Glad to be done with studying!

I studied using psychprep's Premium C package. Exam scores were in the 50's and 60's first time, then got into the 90's on the 3rd time taking the tests. I scored a 132 (66%) on test E test mode (first time taking it) they say above 130 is indicative of passing. I took the retired questions exam (which I got access to from this forum) on Saturday, 2 days before the exam, and got a 77%.

The weekend workshop from psychprep was one of the more useful parts of the package for me. It's all about test-taking strategies and how to approach multiple-choice questions. I used the strategies regularly throughout the test. While the practice tests and reviewing answers as well as the audio on different sections were also very helpful, of all the stuff I did- I'd most suggest that workshop the most for time invested and how helpful it was.

 

[Wintermute1975]

Pass: 611 (NY 83). Finished with ten minutes because I started SLOWLY and got a little obsessive with the strike out feature. Flagged a bunch of stuff but left the really challenging ones (17 total) blank and reviewed/answered only those. I could not tell you what was on that exam, only a vague sense of the level of difficulty as compared with practice tests. I sat down and went into ROBOT TEST MODE and not once did I feel like I was failing. Here's what I did:

The anxiety was real. I "started" studying with psychprep almost 4 years ago but, as mentioned earlier in this thread, refused to medicate my adhd and it was all a bust. I believe the first psychprep practice test I took was in the low 40's and over the years it maxed out at a 71% (although my memory is not clear on this). I took test E about two months ago at 3am and got a 64%. When reviewing it I noticed that I made a lot of careless errors--during the test I made good use of the highlight and strike out features and this was key since all the answers started to look the same about two hours in.

At the beginning of the pandemic I bought access to aatbs online practice tests. I had all the time in the world but still had unmedicated adhd and I remember totally bombing Test 1 in study mode. I felt that the aatbs tests were way more difficult than psychprep and was totally overwhelmed...I had left New York the night before lockdown and rushed out without packing my study materials because I thought I'd be gone for a couple weeks, max. I was eight hours away from the city in an air b&b so I ended up studying by reviewing everything I got wrong on aatbs & psychprep, which was useful but not ideal: it was much more helpful to read each section in order to see how all the theories, etc, were related.

During my post-doc I picked up some hand-me-down aatbs 2016 books that were lodged in storage under my bed in Brooklyn with all the psychprep (2017) stuff. Got back to NY at the end of May and.....still had ADHD! Fast-forward to January when my neurologist friend lit a fire under my ass (he needs a psychologist for his practice) and I finally scheduled the test and got the dreaded meds. Two points here: 1) SET A DATE. You can always reschedule if you don't feel ready. It wasn't until I set a date that I got serious about studying, and 2) If you have ADHD and hate the way adderall makes you feel, consider Mydayis. It time releases over the course of 16 hours and is a bit more user friendly.

Started studying in earnest at the beginning of February. Aatbs test scores went from 53% to 88%.....I would list them all but I don't find them totally relevant. For the exams I took in test mode (Highest 88%, others ranging from mid-70's to low 80's) I felt that there were too many practice effects and recognition getting in the way of a decent estimate of how I was performing. I didn't take retired questions or PEPPO because I had some trouble accessing the latter with ASPPB.

Briefly, here are my thoughts on the materials:

Psychprep: tests were pretty similar to the exam. Materials were streamlined but maybe too much so for what I needed as I'd been out of school for so long. Definitely used Psychprep to study stats, test construction (not assessment, which I found way too surface level) and abnormal. I had access to the audio lectures when I first started studying but I don't learn well that way. If that's your thing then I say go for it. Sharon Jablon has stamina.

Aatbs: tests were way more difficult than the exam. Materials were SO comprehensive, probably too much so; however, I felt like I needed that level of detail to feel confident. I also bought access to the live online lectures, which were incredibly helpful in the last month leading up to the exam.

Prepjet: If I had to do this again I would 100% start here and maybe get some extra online exams on the side/hand-me-down materials. I took their diagnostic exam about a month out (this was another 3am panic thing) and scored maybe 41%. A week out I accessed their free materials and loved them--so streamlined yet comprehensive enough. When I tapped out at the 10% cap on their free access I got a chat from a customer service rep encouraging me to take their diagnostic exam. I politely declined and told her that I wasn't interested because their diagnostic was known to be extremely difficult so as to evoke anxiety and get people to buy their premium package (which, honestly, is pennies compared to the other programs--I was just pissed at that 41%). Within 5 minutes THE CEO GETS ON THE CHAT and defends his diagnostic. Tells me he's the former CEO of AATBS, etc, etc,....none of which I believe, but I give him my AATBS scores (mid 70's - high 80's) and agree to take the diagnostic. He asks for my phone number and says he'll call me later that day--I take the exam and score 55%. I had a long chat with the guy and honestly? He's been in the test prep game a long time, knows all the companies and the way things are set up, etc. It was really the CEO and he gave me 45 minutes of his time, which was very cool. He also had some great insights and offered to tutor me himself which I DEFINITELY would have done if I had to take this thing over. That was Monday evening and I was so close to cancelling my exam....glad I didn't, but the point here is that I would have gone with prepjet from the beginning if I'd known about it.



Ugh, this is too long. Suffice it to say that I recommend a short timeframe for studying. Everything I managed to learn in the years I half-studied was gone by the time I decided to try studying again. Set a date and make it happen. So relieved this is done.

If you live in NYC: I have some pretty abused AATBS (2016) books and Psychprep (2017) materials. They are yours. I spilled soy sauce all over DSM-V (Psychprep) and AATBS are maniacally colored with highlighters & non-PC notes in the margins,.....but they can be yours! Also an old I/O textbook and a brand new Neuroscience coloring book.

Good luck, everyone, and thank you BEYOND thank you for all of the support!!

 

[Wintermute1975]

Just, something to add about I/O: I think I speak for many of us when I say how pissed I was that I had to learn it. It overlaps with the test construction stuff, so that was cool, but what really helped me was understanding that a lot of these theorists really gave a **** about people. Like Krumboltz (can’t remember the name of his theory but it was based on Bandura). His whole thing incorporated institutionalized racism and the need to provide education, skills and experiences to marginalized people. It was pretty cool, actually. I could give a crap about 90% of I/O but putting a face to these names helped.