EPPP practice test scores for those who passed

[kdjydjgjj]

I managed to pass the EPPP in just 25 days with a scaled score of 82! The journey was intense due to my tight schedule. I didn’t buy any programs but was lucky enough to use some materials (like PsyPrep and Academic Review) handed down from senior students in my program. I remember taking a diagnostic exam on PrepJet right after I registered for the EPPP and scoring only 26%, and then 41% on a PsyPrep test on the same day. A week before the test, I scored 66% on PsyPrep Exam E on first try. In the last week I was hitting the 90s on my third or fourth attempt of retaking tests! I was very anxious all I did in the last week was keep retaking exams.

For me, the EPPP felt like it was all about logging those study hours. I tracked every hour, feeling downright terrible and doubting my skills when I hadn't reached 90 hours of prep. But once I hit the 100-hour mark, I started feeling significantly better, ending up with a total of 125 hours by the exam day. So, if you're feeling down about your mock exam scores, just remind yourself: Your time to shine is just around the corner!

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[psyche96]

AATBS materials used - completed all practice exams, domain quizzes, workshops, 8 allowed meetings w/ EPPP consultant (not super helpful), listened to 6/11 of their audios for major concepts, and read their whole online book -- like many say AATBS is super detail-oriented and way more material to cover that I didn't end up needing but still nice to feel prepared.

Baseline 1/13	Assessment Exam	48.89%
Study-Mode 2/10	Practice Exam 1 (SM)	54.67%
Study-Mode 3/16	Practice Exam 2 (SM)	58.22%
Study-Mode 4/10	Practice Exam 3 (SM)	64.00%
Study-Mode 4/20	Practice Exam 4 (SM)	60.89%
Test-Mode 4/30	Practice Exam 5 (SM)	59.56%
Test-Mode 5/3	Practice Exam 6 (SM)	58.67%
Test-Mode 5/7	Practice Exam 7 (SM)	57.33%
Test-Mode 5/9	Practice Exam 8 (SM)	60.89%
Test-Mode 5/11	Exam Sim #1	69.78%
Test-Mode 5/12	Exam Sim #2	72.89%
Official Practice 5/5	SEPPPO 1	63%
Official Test 5/12	EPPP	561 (79 NY)

Domain quiz scores:

Domain QUIZ	Quiz
Abnormal Psyc	70.83%
Clinical Psyc	75.89%
Ethics and Professional Issues	89%
I/O Psyc	63.33%
Learning Theory	69.57%
Lifespan Development	67.37%
Psychological Assessment	59.46%
Social Psyc	68.66%
Statistics and Research Design	58.46%
Test Construction	73.13%
Physiological Psyc/Psychopharmacology	72.28%

Good luck!!!

 

[PsychedUp313]

Hi all! Excited to share that I passed the EPPP (605) last week and wanted to contribute to this thread since it has been so helpful for me. I started studying in January but didn't ramp up my studying efforts until mid-March (studying approximately 20 hours per week). I had a 6-month AATBS subscription and also used the Behavioral Health Pocket Prep app. Although the AATBS materials were quite hefty, they worked well for me because it provided such a wide range of detailed information. I thought the Pocket Prep app questions were easier than AATBS questions but the app was convenient to use and allowed me to practice test taking for at least a few minutes each day. I took four AATBS practice exams a month out of my test date and scored between 68% and 72% across tests which was anxiety provoking. Two weeks before my test, I took the EPPP SEPPPO practice exam (scored 68%) and found this helpful as it prepared me for what the EPPP format would look like. During the week leading up to the test, I re-read all AATBS materials and made 50ish flashcards of terms/theories I had difficulty remembering and reviewed those frequently. Considering my scores across practice exams, I was shocked when I scored the highest on the real test! My biggest obstacle was time management. Be sure to watch the clock and pace yourself accordingly. I found myself re-reading questions and answers which was a major time sucker. I used the entire time allotted and only took a 5 minute break. Also I felt like I was failing the entire time but have heard that this is a normal occurrence! Good luck everyone!

 

[oldschooliscool]

I recently passed the EPPP (while in graduate school; I worked with a state to get approval for this) so I wanted to share my study approach and results for anyone who may be interested.

I used AATBS for studying. While they provided a LOT of information, I found that it was pretty helpful and reassuring to read through all of it.

I studied for two months, with the second month involving more studying than the first. The final 10 days before the exam, I really ramped things up.

I read every chapter in the AATBS online book. As I finished each section of a chapter, I would take the Section quizzes; I would retake a quiz until I got most questions right, if needed. At the end of a chapter, I would take a Domain quiz.

Periodically, I would take a Practice Exam in study mode.

I tried making flash cards, but I found that I just hate flash cards. Instead, I made one long running Word document with all of my notes. These would be derived from the Program Reviews provided throughout the chapters in the book, plus what I learned from taking Practice Exams / Domain quizzes (if it told me I got a question wrong and it was information I didn’t know, I added it to my notes in my own words). By the end of my studying, my notes document was almost 70 pages long, and I would break it up into individual domains.

For the first 50 days of studying, all I did was read through the book, take Section quizzes, take the occasional Domain quiz, and take the occasional Practice Exam in Study mode. At the end of these 50 days, I also took a Final Exam Simulation. By this point, I had taken all 8 Practice Exams once, read all pages of the book, taken all Section quizzes, and taken all Domain Quizzes.

For the final 10 days before my exam, I shifted my studying into high gear. I figured at this point, I could give it an all out sprint. Here’s what that looked like:

• Read my study document for 30 minutes twice per day, morning and night. Here, I’d focus on what seems to be the foggiest at the moment.
• Go through every practice Exam that I’ve taken, reading each question and learning why I got it wrong, or why I got it right, updating my running notes accordingly. Then, I’d wait 3-6 hours and retake the same Practice Exam.
• Go through every Domain Quiz, reading each question and learning why I got it wrong or right, updating my running notes accordingly. Then, I'd retake the Domain Quiz immediately.
• Go through every Section Quiz and retake it again and again until I get it right.
• Note that I did not re-do Domain Quizzes or Section quizzes for the following sections: Psychological Assessment, Social Psychology (because I knew this stuff very well already), Statistics and Research Design, and Test Construction. With the exception of Social Psych, I refrained from re-do’s here because I knew my limits (I wasn’t good at this stuff and wasn’t likely to become good at it within a week) and knew that my efforts were better focused elsewhere.
• A few days before the exam, I took the SEPPO-P1.
• A couple days before the exam, I took the Final Exam Simulation 2.

Doing all of this, I was studying about 1-2 hours per day during the first 50 days, and about 4-6 hours per day during the final 10 days.

Taking the EPPP was an interesting experience. The questions were quite different from what I practiced doing (pulling from a few different domains instead of just one per question), so I felt like the AATSB Practice Exams were not a good simulation of this. The AATSB Final Exam Simulation was a decent simulation of this, and the SEPPO-P1 was a close simulation of this (though it felt a little more difficult than the actual EPPP). However, all of this work ensured that I knew the material backwards and forwards.

During the exam, I would take my time, read each question once or twice, each answer once or twice, and ask myself what the question is REALLY asking. When I didn’t know what was right, I could usually know what was at least WRONG by recognizing that certain answer options better described something other than what the question asked. I did the first 110 questions in one sitting, and took a bathroom break. Then I did the second 115 questions in a sitting, and took another bathroom break. Finally, I went back through each question and ensured I was happy with my answers; I only changed 5 or 6 answers doing this. All in all, the exam took about 2.25 hours going at this pace.

Final EPPP score: 641.

Below are my practice test scores for anyone who finds this info helpful:

Date	Exam	Score	Time Spent
4/15/2024	Assessment Exam	46%	Unsure
4/27/2024	Exam 1	52.89%	1 hour 33 minutes
5/8/2024	Exam 2	56.44%	1 hour 34 minutes
5/17/2024	Exam 3	60.44%	1 hour 28 minutes
5/23/2024	Exam 4	61.78%	1 hour 51 minutes
5/29/2024	Exam 5	62.67%	1 hour 47 minutes
5/31/2024	Exam 6	68.89%	1 hour 39 minutes
6/4/2024	Exam 7	63.11%	1 hour 38 minutes
6/5/2024	Exam 1 Re-try	88.44%	1 hour 16 minutes
6/7/2024	Exam 8	65.78%	1 hour 57 minutes
6/8/2024	Final Exam Simulation 1	66.22%	1 hour 34 minutes
6/10/2024	Exam 3 Re-try	96%	Unsure
6/11/2024	Exam 2 Re-try	90.22%	Unsure
6/11/2024	Exam 4 Re-try	93.78%	58 minutes
6/12/2024	SEPPO-P1	67%	Unsure
6/13/2024	Exam 5 Re-try	96.44%	56 minutes
6/14/2024	Exam 6 Re-try	98.67%	49 minutes
6/15/2024	Exam 7 Re-try	96.89%	51 minutes
6/16/2024	Final Exam Simulation 2	67.11%	1 hour 41 minutes
6/17/2024	Exam 8 Re-try	97.78%	52 minutes
6/18/2024	EPPP	Score: 641	About 2.25 hours

Good luck everyone! You can do this if you take your time to study and take lots of practice exams!

 

[PsyDuck90]

I recently passed the EPPP (score of 650) on my first attempt so wanted to share my info as I found this thread helpful in my studying. I studied for 3 months primarily using PrepJet along with listening to PsychPrep audio on my commute. I spent approximately 80-100 hours studying across that three months, mostly on weekends. My scores on first attempts for practice tests usually hovered anywhere from 40-60% and my “readiness” score was usually 0%, occasionally 1 or 2 domains would hit their 80% proficiency mark. My retest of Test 4 about 2 weeks prior to the exam was 80%. I also took both forms of the SEPPPO within the month leading up to the exam and passed those. I felt like those were really helpful to get a sense of how questions are worded and become familiar with the software interface.

Day of the exam, I took multiple short breaks at my desk, usually after every 20-25 questions and one longer break away from my desk mid-way through the exam to use the restroom, rehydrate, and eat a small snack. I felt like that longer break really energized me. While taking the exam, I flagged several questions towards the beginning but stopped doing that at some point. I would use the strike through and highlight feature for almost every question to make sure I was actively attending to the whole thing, especially those pesky “least” or “except” clauses. I would say I felt confident in about 25% of my responses and had completely no idea for another 25%, with 50% feeling somewhat familiar with the concepts. I was usually able to at least exclude 2 responses when deciding on best answer. I completed the exam in about 2.5-3 hours.

Good luck everyone!

 

[sikeee123]

Hi all!

I've been studying for this stupid exam for what feels like years (in reality, more like 2-3 months). I've been using PrepJet and have consistently been scoring in the mid 60's on the practice exams. I just took the SEPPO online test and got a 67%. I'm scheduled to take the test this week and am feeling a bit nervous/discouraged based on my score on SEPPO... with spending so much money on this test, I'd obviously like a little more cushion and confidence that I'm actually going into this prepared. My plan is to review the areas of weakness a bit more and try to learn some I/O with the time I have left, but is there anyone out there who has any tips for last minute prep? I feel like I've just memorized the answers to the PrepJet practice tests at this point and am not finding them particularly useful. Or anyone out there who can give me some reassurance about lower scores on SEPPO and then crushing the actual test a couple days later!? Much appreciated, friends!

 

[coffee&CBT]

Hi all!

I've been studying for this stupid exam for what feels like years (in reality, more like 2-3 months). I've been using PrepJet and have consistently been scoring in the mid 60's on the practice exams. I just took the SEPPO online test and got a 67%. I'm scheduled to take the test this week and am feeling a bit nervous/discouraged based on my score on SEPPO... with spending so much money on this test, I'd obviously like a little more cushion and confidence that I'm actually going into this prepared. My plan is to review the areas of weakness a bit more and try to learn some I/O with the time I have left, but is there anyone out there who has any tips for last minute prep? I feel like I've just memorized the answers to the PrepJet practice tests at this point and am not finding them particularly useful. Or anyone out there who can give me some reassurance about lower scores on SEPPO and then crushing the actual test a couple days later!? Much appreciated, friends!

A friend of mine recently passed (mid 500s I think) after getting a 67% on the SEPPPO! And I have heard of others who failed the SEPPPO and passed the EPPP days later. I passed the SEPPPO but did better on the real exam. I think you're ready!

 

[oldschooliscool]

Hi all!

I've been studying for this stupid exam for what feels like years (in reality, more like 2-3 months). I've been using PrepJet and have consistently been scoring in the mid 60's on the practice exams. I just took the SEPPO online test and got a 67%. I'm scheduled to take the test this week and am feeling a bit nervous/discouraged based on my score on SEPPO... with spending so much money on this test, I'd obviously like a little more cushion and confidence that I'm actually going into this prepared. My plan is to review the areas of weakness a bit more and try to learn some I/O with the time I have left, but is there anyone out there who has any tips for last minute prep? I feel like I've just memorized the answers to the PrepJet practice tests at this point and am not finding them particularly useful. Or anyone out there who can give me some reassurance about lower scores on SEPPO and then crushing the actual test a couple days later!? Much appreciated, friends!

If you scroll up a couple of posts, you'll see that I also scored a 67% on the SEPPO, before getting a 641 on the actual EPPP about a week later. So I think you're in a good position where you are, I wouldn't be too nervous. What seemed to help me in the few days before the actual exam was going over every practice exam I had taken and taking my time to read each question again and why I got it right or wrong, then retake that same practice exam. Doing this seemed to help me really cement into my brain the basic info in the questions, plus it helped stay in the test-taking mood.

I'm sure you'll do great! Please remember to circle back to this thread and update us either way!

 

[pinkbromeliad]

Hello, I consulted this thread frequently to check my benchmarks, and thought I'd pay it forward for future folks who are poking around here seeing where they sit. I started using PsychPrep on 4/9. I initially thought my test day would be mid August if I followed their 16 week plan all the way through to the end of the content areas (which was so helpful for accountability), but our state board's meeting schedule necessitated me testing sooner (on 7/20). I couldn't really imagine sitting on the content for another three weeks and am quite glad I took it when I did. I felt overwhelmingly prepared when I sat for the exam and could not recommend PsychPrep more-- I felt prepared in terms of both content and strategy for tackling those WTF questions.

I'm super thrilled to have passed with a 680 with about 50 minutes remaining on the clock! Psychprep FTW

Test	Score
PsychPrep Test A , Study Mode (4/22)	134/225 (59%)
PsychPrep Test B, Study Mode (5/2)	147/225 (65%)
PsychPrep Test A, Retake Mode (5/12)	186/225 (82%)
PsychPrep Test B, Retake Mode (5/26)	186/225 (82%)
PsychPrep Workshop, WS Mode (6/2)	87/140 (62%)
PsychPrep Test C Study Mode (6/6)	164/225 (72%)
PrepJet Diagnostic Exam (6/7)	54%*
AATBS Sample Exam (6/7)	20/25 (77%)
PsychPrep Workshop, Retake Mode (6/12)	134/140 (95%)
PsychPrep Test C, Retake Mode (6/18)	203/225 (90%)
PsychPrep Test A, Test Mode (6/23)	211/225 (93%)
PsychPrep Chapter Quizzes, (6/25)**	156/200 (78%)
PsychPrep Test D, Test Mode (6/28)	165/200 (73%)
PsychPrep Test B, Test Mode (7/7)	215/225 (95%)
PsychPrep Chapter Quiz, Retake Mode (7/9)	174/200 (87%)
PsychPrep Test E, Test Mode (7/11)	167/226 (74%)
SEPPPO-P1, Exam 1 (7/12)	84%
PsychPrep Test D, Retake Mode (7/17)	184/225 (81%)***
SEPPPO-P2, Exam 2 (7/19)	94% (In hindsight, not necessary but a final confidence builder)

*This scared me. As others have noted, I think they choose harder questions for their diagnostic as a marketing tactic. I took other quizzes on here periodically during this week of the free trial and got to a 9% readiness score. I did not like the way that they wrote their rationales-- Psychprep gives you info on all answers, not just the correct answer.
** I was advised to go ahead and take these for all of them since I was having to move up my test date. I still had 3-4 content areas that I hadn't gotten to when completing this. I completed content areas all the way up to the first part of test week. Staying on top of practice tests was far more important than staying on top of content IMO.
***My worst retake. I panicked a little and then realized I was taking it while tired/distracted and getting anxious about getting them wrong or right. This ended up being a good reminder to SLOW DOWN, USE THE STRATEGIES, and notice how my emotional response to getting things wrong was affecting my performance on subsequent questions.

Additional notes:

• I diverted course for a while and tried to put some of the content areas into flashcards, despite Dr. Sharon's warnings of no flashcards. I quickly abandoned this; instead, I made a cribsheet with mneumonics and made myself replicate it several times, including the morning of test day as a confidence boost. This was helpful in hammering down the "must know" content-- i.e., developmental stage theories, cultural stage theories, criterion/predictor grid, normal curve, etc.
• My greatest improvements were through a thorough review of the test material. I truly spent the 6-9 hours per test that they recommend in those first few in study mode, and then went back over the ones I missed. I struggled with reviewing at first because I would open the ones that I missed, see the right/wrong answer and then click to the next. I fixed this by minimizing my browser screen so that I could only initially see the question, not the answers without scrolling down. This helped me nail down the "what are they asking/telling" and "what is my job interview answer" part of the strategy they teach you. Then I tried to write out in the comment box or on paper, why each answer was right or wrong (I did this for taking it in Study Mode and also for reviewing the items)
• The audio files were my primary way of content delivery and I'd often listen to them while walking, which I found helped my recall. If it was statistics, I would sit with the book in front of me and a notepad and follow along-- the content was too abstract to listen to on the go for me. I couldn't listen to her while driving, it was way too distracting and I kept having to rewind.
• I went with the premium package and have zero regrets. Consultant feedback and access to the workshop were all huge parts of my improvement, accountability, and confidence building.
• I did like taking the SEPPPO and sample items from other testing services-- it prepared me for how the wording might look because I had some anxieties that I had just become accustomed to the way in which PsychPrep writes their questions, but tbh, I think they are some of the most spot on of all the methods (Prepjet, Springer, AATBS) I sampled. SEPPPO was great to get familiar with the software and it also boosted my confidence.
• I took a bathroom break at halfway through the exam, and a snack/water break after I had finished questions and then returned to review. I still had plenty of time remaining and felt that beyond checking down on my logic, if I monkeyed with the test anymore I was at risk of talking myself into likely incorrect answers-- in many of my practice tests, I noticed that it was often NOT the ones I had flagged that I ended up getting wrong, which reinforced that the test taking strategies really do work.
• On test day, if it was a weird question that I would get anxious about or start to feel that bogged down fixation, I applied the strategy and then had a coping thought of "this is just one of the pilot items" to keep myself moving.

Anyways, if you're still reading, I hope this is helpful, as the comments on this thread were to me. Good luck!

 

[sikeee123]

Hi all!

I've been studying for this stupid exam for what feels like years (in reality, more like 2-3 months). I've been using PrepJet and have consistently been scoring in the mid 60's on the practice exams. I just took the SEPPO online test and got a 67%. I'm scheduled to take the test this week and am feeling a bit nervous/discouraged based on my score on SEPPO... with spending so much money on this test, I'd obviously like a little more cushion and confidence that I'm actually going into this prepared. My plan is to review the areas of weakness a bit more and try to learn some I/O with the time I have left, but is there anyone out there who has any tips for last minute prep? I feel like I've just memorized the answers to the PrepJet practice tests at this point and am not finding them particularly useful. Or anyone out there who can give me some reassurance about lower scores on SEPPO and then crushing the actual test a couple days later!? Much appreciated, friends!

Back with an update! I passed on the first try with a 550. Not exactly flying colors but we got it done. For some background, I’ve been pretty exclusively studying/practicing neuropsych for the last 3 years. Compared to some of my grad school peers who have been practicing general clinical psychology, it felt like I was having to do a lot more “relearning” when studying for the EPPP. When taking the actual test, the biological bases of behavior and assessment based questions were genuinely the only ones I wasn’t guessing on 😅

 

[Psychai]

I recently passed the EPPP with a 683, and wanted to share my study process since I found this thread so helpful. I used the entire time without breaks, and didn't know if I was passing or failing as I was taking the test. There was a lot of material I hadn't studied as others have said.

Due to some logistical constraints I opted for an intense, compressed study strategy where I studied about 8-12 hours a day for 3 weeks, and my goal was just to pass rather than meeting my full potential on the test. I wouldn't recommend such a condensed approach since it was much more stressful than necessary, but I think it was feasible for me since I am relatively good at retaining crammed information, a decent test taker, and had substantial partner support to keep daily things going. I used old 2013 PsychPrep audio and practice tests I inherited from a senior postdoc and 2019 PsychPrep handouts I found online. I front loaded studying content by listening to and taking notes on one content area of audio files every 1-2 days. Near the end I focused much more on practice tests while periodically reviewing my notes on areas I was missing frequently. I was still covering new content up to the week of the test. I found the PsychPrep tests incredibly helpful since they thoroughly explain why each answer choice was right or wrong, review relevant content in the question feedback, and highlight relevant test taking tips that can get you to the right answer even if you aren't familiar with the material. I didn't have time to complete most of the practice tests, but really focused on digesting as much as possible from each. I spent about 10-12 hours on each to make sure I understood what each question was asking, learn how the test wants you to think and the competence area each question is targeting (especially for unusual ethical questions), get in the habit of systematically eliminating answer choices, and then rehearse content by digesting the answer feedback. I scored 69% on Test A in study mode (7/24), 76% on Test B in study mode (8/2), 74% on the first half of Test D in study mode (8/3), and 80% on Test E in test mode (8/4).

Some general take-ways:
1. It is much more important to understand how the test wants you to think and re-familiarize yourself with test taking strategies than know all of the test content, since there will certainly be a lot of new information on the test. If you can eliminate 2 answer choices on every question, you have a 50% chance of getting any question right, and can expect to get a 50% by random chance without knowing a single correct answer.
2. For anyone using old study materials, I found that overall they still covered the core content you need to review. I would suggest supplementing with information on third wave therapies and their research base, which was not in my study materials, but was more familiar from clinical work. I also don't think content on DSM-4-TR to DSM-5 changes is as relevant as it was 10 years ago.
3. I ignored the advice to take a break from studying the day before the test, but I will echo what others have said--realistically there is no new content you will absorb that is more important than giving yourself a break and going into the test as refreshed as possible. 4.5 hours is a long time to focus, especially when managing nerves.

Hope some of this is helpful and good luck everyone!

 

[psychresearcher16]

Happy to say that I can contribute to this thread after passing with a 544! I am a relatively anxious test taker and really had to put in a lot of studying to feel comfortable. Couple this with buying a new home, getting a new job, and having several weddings to attend, and I was very stressed to say the least. Background info: graduated from an APA-accredited PhD program and am currently in a research fellowship (just finished my first year).

I exclusively used PsychPrep and old materials that were handed down to study. PsychPrep is expensive, but they usually have sales to get 20% off or something close to that. The handed-down materials included PsychPrep audio recordings, so I purchased the Basic package with PsychPrep as I only needed the exams from them. I took the exams pretty much in the order recommended, but my timeframe was off (compared to the suggested schedule that they give you). Scores for the tests below:

Date	Test	Score
4/30/24	Test A (Study Mode)	46%
5/23/24	Test A (Retake Mode)	64%
7/13/24	Test A (Test Mode)	67%
5/10/24	Test B (Study Mode)	49%
5/31/24	Test B (Retake Mode)	59%
7/21/24	Test B (Test Mode)	76%
6/23/24	Test C (Study Mode)	54%
7/9/24	Test C (Retake Mode)	70%
7/28/24	Test C (Test Mode)	81%
7/18/24	Test D (Test Mode - Took 1st)	58%
8/2/24	Test D (Study Mode)	80%
8/9/24	Test D (Retake Mode)	89%
7/24/24	Test E (Test Mode - Took 1st)	60%
8/3/24	Test E (Study Mode)	75%
8/10/24	Test E (Retake Mode)	91%
8/5/24	SEPPP-P1	74%
8/8/24	Retired EPPP Exam Questions	74.8%

I didn't kick my gear into studying until end of June/beginning of July due to the number of life stressors/events going on (likely obviously by the delay in completing the next tests for the same test version). Due to these, I thought about rescheduling my exam date when I was about one month out but instead just put my head down and get through the process. I also passively reviewed the questions that I missed in study/retake mode for Exams A-C. It was after that that I spent 4-6 hours after each exam (for test mode) or during the exam (for study/retake mode) writing down the questions that I missed, the answer choices, and the question explanation/rationale. I probably spent 5-10 hours studying during May/June and 15-20 hours studying in July/first week of August. My typical study time included at least 1 hour after work and 8 hours spread across Saturday/Sunday. I typically gave myself one day off. When I got into the last month, I spent 10 hours across the weekend and 1-2 hours after work. I also listened to the PsychPrep audios anytime that I went on walks or was commuting. I was worried about the test and passing since my test scores weren't great, but reading through other people's posts with similar scores eased my mind. I also read that your scores on the SEPPP-P1 and retired exam questions are relatively predictive of your true score on the EPPP, so that also eased my mind.

For the actual EPPP exam, I signed up for the 12:15pm exam because I'm not a morning person. I wore leggings with no pockets, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. I brought water and a snack to keep in my locker, as well as advil and excedrin in case I developed a headache. I tried to pace myself to one question per minute but ended up going a little quicker than that. I took a short break every 25-50 questions by doing stretches in my seat, taking off the noise-cancelling headphones, and/or taking a few deep breaths. I took two 10-minute breaks to walk around, drink water, and use the restroom. I had about 40 minutes left when I ended.

The test-taking strategies that I learned in PsychPrep were extremely helpful for me. There were many questions that I didn't recognize any of the terms for, but I tried to remain calm and not tell myself "I have no idea." I found that trying to reword the question in my mind and then striking out 2 incorrect answers that I was relatively confident were not accurate were both helpful strategies. I also utilized the highlighter because some questions were wordy, or I wanted to highlight where the question had "not true" or "except" since I missed a few of those on practice tests for missing those words. Lastly, the SEPPP-P1 was the most helpful in terms of seeing how questions were worded.

I hope this helps and gives confidence to others that are not natural test takers or worried about their practice exams!

 

[ClinicalHopeful83]

Passed my EPPP today on the first round so I figured I'd throw my experience on the pile. I graduated from a clinical PhD program last year and have worked in a UCC setting since then. My site lent me the ASPPB books but I found these very dry and dense and not conducive to studying. I really struggled at first and actually had to reschedule my initial exam date because I was just not getting the studying in. I swapped to PrepJet with a little under 1 month and really, really liked it. I definitely recommend it (though I didn't try any other online service so I cannot make comparisons) and the price was great.

I binged through all the content summaries within about 1.5wk (studying ~3-5 hrs/day around my fulltime schedule, small private practice, and parenting a toddler zzz). Then I started taking the full practice exams and spending study hours going over each question, doing extra research for clarification on some areas, making mnemonics, and re-reading relevant content summaries. I had a poorly-timed vacation in the midst of all this, but my first few practice exam scores were good enough that I let myself off the hook those days. I found the practice tests very helpful for familiarizing myself with how these concepts tended to translate into questions (I noticed strong repetition on some question types/framing across tests and some of these showed up very similar on the EPPP). I also took the SEPPPO like 2 days ago and found it helpful for familiarizing myself with the test format and test language. Here are my scores:

Diagnostic Exam	45%	July 18th
Practice Exam 1	81%	July 27th
Practice Exam 2	79%	July 29th
Practice Exam 3	81%	August 6th
Practice Exam 4	77%	August 7th
Practice Exam 5	81%	August 9th
Practice Exam 6	80%	August 10th
Practice Exam 7	82%	August 12th
SEPPPO	82%	August 11th

My official EPPP score was 677 (NY scale score 89). So my practice exams were generally pretty predictive.

It was a little demoralizing that my practice scores weren't particularly improving across studying, but I couldn't complain about consistency above passing. And that consistency held up for the real test, so hooray! Much like everyone else, I felt pretty miserable during the test with a sense that the questions were strange, outside what I studied, and that I would surely fail. Of course, there were a good number that I got immediately too, but those didn't linger on my mind like the uncertain ones.

I think my total study hours were probably 75-100hrs across almost 4 weeks (with that darn vacation eating ~3-4 days).

 

[ErinPsych]

Hey all! Today I rescheduled my EPPP test to 3 weeks later. I prepare the test with Psyprep for about 4 months, reading the study materials, watching the workshop videos, taking the chapter quizzes and the practice tests. I'm also working with a consultant of psych prep.

My original test was scheduled for this week. I rescheduled the test today because my consultant did NOT recommend me to take the test this week, considering my scores in the practice tests. I'm an anxious person, especially when I encounter some unfamiliar questions. My first reaction usually is " wtf"? I often can narrow down the answer to 2 choices and choose the incorrect one, ironically. Sometimes I feel my answer makes more sense than the correct answer! English is not my first language and some questions are worded in a weird way. It's really confusing. Plus, I also think the cultural bar for some questions is high.

Anyway, I haven't done the PEPPO, AR or retired EPPP questions yet. My consultant recommends me to have an individual consultation session with Dr. Jablon to boost my score, which will cost me $300 for 60 mins. $300 is not a small amount of money for me but I do need to pass EPPP ASAP to initiate my job credentialing process. Any advice about the individual consultation. Is it worthy to have it? Any suggestions about how can I boost my score in the last 3 weeks? Thanks!

My Psych Prep practice tests (all in the study mode)

Test A 1st 43%; Retake: 66% and 93% (Twice)
Test B 1st 49%; Retake: 68% (not review the questions) and 92%
Test C 1st 58%
Test D 1st 53% I timed this one and completed it in a rush.
Test E Not take

 

[oldschooliscool]

Hey all! Today I rescheduled my EPPP test to 3 weeks later. I prepare the test with Psyprep for about 4 months, reading the study materials, watching the workshop videos, taking the chapter quizzes and the practice tests. I'm also working with a consultant of psych prep.

My original test was scheduled for this week. I rescheduled the test today because my consultant did NOT recommend me to take the test this week, considering my scores in the practice tests. I'm an anxious person, especially when I encounter some unfamiliar questions. My first reaction usually is " wtf"? I often can narrow down the answer to 2 choices and choose the incorrect one, ironically. Sometimes I feel my answer makes more sense than the correct answer! English is not my first language and some questions are worded in a weird way. It's really confusing. Plus, I also think the cultural bar for some questions is high.

Anyway, I haven't done the PEPPO, AR or retired EPPP questions yet. My consultant recommends me to have an individual consultation session with Dr. Jablon to boost my score, which will cost me $300 for 60 mins. $300 is not a small amount of money for me but I do need to pass EPPP ASAP to initiate my job credentialing process. Any advice about the individual consultation. Is it worthy to have it? Any suggestions about how can I boost my score in the last 3 weeks? Thanks!

My Psych Prep practice tests (all in the study mode)

Test A 1st 43%; Retake: 66% and 93% (Twice)
Test B 1st 49%; Retake: 68% (not review the questions) and 92%
Test C 1st 58%
Test D 1st 53% I timed this one and completed it in a rush.
Test E Not take

I've never heard of this model of EPPP preparation, so I'm not sure how useful paying for additional "consultations" might be. I also struggle to imagine what 60 minutes of a person's time can really do for your EPPP prep.

If I was in your position, I would go all out with practice exams from now to the end. Take an exam, study what you got wrong and why plus what you got right and why, then retake, then repeat that process again and again until you're scoring about 95% on that exam. Do this for all practice exams you can find, mixing them with each other when you can. Get very comfortable with practice exams, and get very comfortable with what questions are really asking you.

 

[Meteora]

Hi all, I used PrepJet. I studied for about 3 months, probably 5-6 hours a week and a bit more during the last month. I did 4 practice exams through PrepJet and was averaging around a 60% on them with a "30% ready overall" for the exam. I was doing lots of practice questions for various other study materials and reviewing the ones I was getting wrong.

I passed a few weeks ago with a 590 (82 standard score). I answered every question as I went flagging ones that I was unsure about, took me about 2.25 hours. I spent another hour going through all the items again with extra attention to the flagged ones. I found this helpful as I did end up changing multiple answers. I thought the overall difficulty was maybe slightly easier than the PrepJet questions, but relatively comparable. The primary emphasis was on Ethics, Psychopathology, and Treatment/Diagnosis in my experience. I felt I had to really concentrate and put effort in during the exam. My first pass through the questions, I felt pessimistic and thought I was going to fail. But when I went through my answers again, I felt more optimistic.

The main suggestion I have pertains to test anxiety/mindset while you take the test. I have read of countless people who seem much smarter than me and have studied hundreds of hours more than me who have taken the exam and failed. I am convinced that this is due to test anxiety/self-defeating attitudes rather than a competence issue. There were numerous moments during the exam where I felt down and had oppressive thoughts about passing or feeling exhausted. I think I did a good job at acknowledging those thoughts, asking them (gently) to STFU, and reorienting my attention back to the questions. If I had given in to those thoughts, I think it would have negatively impacted my motivation and concentration.

 

[NeuroGal21]

I passed on my first attempt with a 650 (NY 87) today! I benefitted so much from this forum and so wanted to pay it forward!

I graduated last year and am currently finishing up year 1 of a 2 year neuropsych fellowship. I used AATBS and studied hardcore for about 2 months prior to my test. Before that, I was studying more passively with the behavioral prep app (questions of the day and quick 10 quizzes). In the 2 months leading up to the test, I read the books and reviewed the PowerPoints/pdfs AATBS gives online for each section. I did a ton of practice tests (I think these were the most helpful) as well as the section and domain quizzes. After I felt like I had a better general grasp of things, I began making flashcards of stuff I was either really shaky on/mixing up, or constantly guessing on (most often from wrong answers on my tests). I also made up many mnemonics to help me remember models, stages, relationships, etc. As soon as I started the test, I wrote down all of them on my whiteboard, as well as just did a general info dump of random other facts (this was VERY helpful).

On test day, there were at least 5 questions that I had to take a total guess on, 2 questions where I couldn't even figure out what they were asking about, and a good amount of questions I could narrow down to 2 options (maybe 20ish). I was surprised with how many questions I felt good about and think this is a result of the "overprepare" approach that AATBS takes. Still, I was understandably anxious and made sure to take an "at-desk" break every 40 or so questions to close my eyes, do some diaphragmatic breathing, and re-center myself. This was very helpful and I would definitely recommend it. I was too anxious of missing time and having to wait to get through the pat downs etc. to take a break away from my desk (although I totally could have). As most others have said, I didn't have any sense of if I was passing or failing (although I think this was more related to anxiety clouding my judgement). I finished in about the same time I typically finished my practice tests (about 2 hours). I took an additional 20-30 minutes to go through all over again, but unless I could provide a VERY strong argument for changing an answer, I typically didn't. I did an experiment on practice tests where I compared my score when allowing myself to change all the answers I wanted to change on review vs having to be almost 100% sure about a change. Both times, I noted the answers I changed and the answers I had originally. I got a much lower score on the condition where I allowed myself to change any answer I wanted, and most of the answers I changed ended up being from a right answer to a wrong answer (24/29), so I made the decision not to go wild with changing answers on the real thing. I wish I had done this experiment earlier, as seeing the low score really freaked me out but I think it was a helpful thing to learn in the long run.

I spent many nights before falling asleep, scrolling this forum and comparing practice test scores to mine after a long evening of studying. I will say that I think it's best to really spread out tests if you're going to repeat them. For example, on my first practice test, I got a 54.67%, but took it about 5 days later and got a 91.56%. I think this was largely due to practice effects and so I was mindful to spread out taking the same versions of the tests by weeks, to really be sure.

AATBS (took them all in order):
Assessment Exam: 57.33%

Practice Tests (Study Mode):
1: 54.67%, retake about 5 days later 91.56% (decided no more study mode retakes after this so I could spread out the time between tests to reduce practice effects)
2: 56%
3: 55.56%
4: 55.56%
5: 54.22%
6: 56%
7: 50.67%
8: 56.44%

After completing the first round of practice tests, I felt like I had a good grasp on what I needed to study (I/O and social) versus what I didn't (abnormal, bio/psychopharm), so I did a focused 2-3 weeks targeting areas I was getting a lot wrong in and making flashcards/going over the powerpoints in AATBS for those weak areas. Then I did all the section/domain quizzes and only then did I begin to take everything in test mode, weeks later to reduce practice effects.

Test Mode:
1: 73.78%
2: 68.44%
3: 71.11%
4: 74.22%
SEPPO 1 (08/31): 66% (admittedly, I was very distracted and did not do my best work on this but decided to move my test date up from 09/30 to today (09/09) because I wanted it over with, was getting too burnt out studying, and the thought of doing another month of studying before taking the exam was honestly depressing.
5: 70.22%
6: 68.89%
7: 66.22% (WOOF)
8: 68.44%
Test Simulation 1 (this was my answer changing experiment): 60.89% (yikes)
Test Simulation 2: 68.87%
SEPPO 2: 78% (feeling very good, taken the day before the test; probably wasn't necessary but was reassuring)

I'm glad and relieved it's over. I am very much feeling like Frodo on Mount Doom. If you're reading this after a long night of studying (as I did many times), you can do it!

 

[markovnikoving]

I took the Pearson practice exam (the $30 one) online 1 week before my exam and got an 80%. I got a 711 on the real thing.

 

[intern21]

Hi all! After lurking here forever, Im happy to share that I passed my EPPP today 🎉 This forum was very helpful in calming all of my anxieties and adjusting study strategies. I used mainly prepjet basic package, some hand me downs notes and ATTBS flashcards. Over the past 2-3 weeks I listened to the free psychprep audios and focused on taking exams both in study mode and test taking mode. According to Prepjet I was 0% ready haha, had some high scores on some areas, but really never hit the 70s on any exam (other than a 77 on the diagnostic exam). The managing anxiety audio and the growth mindset thing from psych prep were really helpful to me as I have been terrified of this exam forever. Passed with a 533 and happy to be done with this thing! There was about 20% of questions on the test that I had no idea what they were, 50% I was very familiar with, and felt I knew the other 30% . I thought the actual test to be easier than any of the study exams I took. One strategy I used that I learned when completing a test construction seminar, was that always picking the same letter to all items you have no clue about will increase your score by 25% (take a test an choose every letter for all questions… you will score 25 if test stats are good). The what the **** questions I chose a letter with my heart and went with it for all of them. You got this!