Failed EPPP

[sunshinestatephdgirl]

I took the EPPP again yesterday and failed with scaled scores 490 / 74. I am so frustrated . . I have been using the Taylor Study Method and completed their program exactly as they suggest, did well on practice tests (76 before "final review" and 81 and 84 during "final review"). I took it before finishing the program back in March so I wasn't surprised that I didn't pass then, however, this time I really felt I should have passed. I knew the material and could answer most of the questions before looking at the response choices, but found myself really struggling to select the 'best choice' on the actual test. My thought is that I really need to focus on test-taking strategies and learning to think like the test, if that makes sense . . It looks like Academic Review offers that type of program, but I was wondering how successful / helpful others have found it? I really don't want to spend several hundreds more on study prep materials if I am just going to fail again 🙁 Thank you for any suggestions / advice!

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[bmedclinic]

I think it's about what works best for you. Regardless of what "brand" you choose, I tend to think that for the EPPP, rote memorization is the key. IMHO it's not about knowing all the information, it's about knowing what type of question they're going to ask, and what answer they're going to want. Even if the question is poorly written. From my discussion with others IRL and on this website, it's HIGHLY dependent on your graduate experience. I found the stats part to be a breeze and silly, others found it terrifying, etc.

FWIW I used the academic review online thing and enjoyed it about as much as I think you can enjoy studying for the EPPP. I know others that have been successful with that $30 "Tinder-esque" swipe app (that is at least available for android- I presume also for apple).

BTW: I'm sorry you failed. The EPPP is silly and a stupid barrier.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I used Academic Review and with their practice tests never got higher than the 70's (might have got one 80 at the end) and did great on the actual exam. Bmed is right on the money with the rote memorization. You need to know the answers and the questions backwards and forwards. That will help to minimize the difficulty with the complexity of language in the questions. Some of the I/O stuff I developed mnemonics to recall - Holland types and such. I don't remember them now, that's for sure. I also had my s/0 make up and ask me questions from the review materials and spent extra time on the sections that were more difficult. Spent about two months reviewing and almost two weeks cramming.

 

[sunshinestatephdgirl]

Thank you both for your responses - I appreciate the validation and suggestions! I think I am going to go with Academic Review for practice tests and a set of flashcards from AATBS. I despise rote memorization, especially for information that is completely unrelated to my professional practice, but it makes sense that that would be very helpful for this test. Thanks again!

 

[deleted760483]

Thank you both for your responses - I appreciate the validation and suggestions! I think I am going to go with Academic Review for practice tests and a set of flashcards from AATBS. I despise rote memorization, especially for information that is completely unrelated to my professional practice, but it makes sense that that would be very helpful for this test. Thanks again!

This was a barrier I had to overcome to study effectively for the EPPP. I didn't want to have to memorize information irrelevant to my profession and for a while I actively resisted it even though I knew I needed to. I would bet coming to a place of acceptance around what the EPPP is and what you need to do will give you the bump you need to pass. I would suggest you might not even need new materials. I mean a 490 is what, 4 or 5 right answers from passing? Surely it won't take much to get you into that zone.

 

[deleted343839]

Thank you both for your responses - I appreciate the validation and suggestions! I think I am going to go with Academic Review for practice tests and a set of flashcards from AATBS. I despise rote memorization, especially for information that is completely unrelated to my professional practice, but it makes sense that that would be very helpful for this test. Thanks again!

You might be able to take the test again tomorrow and pass, but this plan sounds like a safer bet. It will be over soon! Good luck!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agreed with the others--at least in my opinion, the EPPP was primarily about brute-force rote memorization and test taking skills (e.g., knowing what the question was really asking, getting used to wording and what types of questions to expect, ruling out implausible answers, not freaking out mid-test, etc.) than it was anything else. Just another hoop and then it's done.

 

[sunshinestatephdgirl]

Thanks so much, everyone! I really appreciate the responses, suggestions and validation!

 

[psych1238015]

Sunshinestatephd, did you have any luck passing the exam with academic review materials?

 

[CPsych24]

Hi all. I failed my first attempt at the EPPP yesterday with a score of 445, and have a perhaps unrealistic thought about writing the exam again this Monday, after a 3 day cramming marathon. I have been reviewing materials for 2 months, with as much studying packed in during the past two weeks as I could manage. I have my spouse available over these next 3 days to watch our two young kids (2 years and 9 months), so could feasibly study in a more focused, less distracted way than I have so far. It was suggested to me that I focus on practice tests almost exclusively at this point, but I am certainly open to studying suggestions. My reasons for considering retaking so soon are as follows: 1) In my area, Monday is the deadline for completion of the EPPP for consideration for an oral exam that constitutes the final hurdle to autonomous practice. So if I don't write/pass on Monday, I will not have any other opportunity to become autonomous until next June. 2)I want to capitalise on all the studying I have done and the knowledge still fresh from it.
Thoughts? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[cara susanna]

What study methods have you used so far?

Also, sorry to hear. It's a ridiculous test, IMO. I went into it with the conviction that, if I failed, it would say absolutely nothing about my intelligence or knowledge of psychology.

 

[CPsych24]

Thanks Cara Susanna - I agree wholeheartedly that it is a ridiculous test and should not be considered a measure of my intelligence or knowledge, or of my skill as a psychologist for that matter. Still, failing is a hit to the ego and a major pain in my rear, given that I need to study and write it all over again.
To answer your question - I had kind colleagues lend me 2013/2014 versions of the Academic Review study books, as well as the complete set of audio CDs from Academic Review from 2013. A friend also gave me access to practice tests from AR from 2015, plus I have older versions of practice tests (year unknown). My study methods have consisted largely of listening to all DVDs whenever I'm driving or doing things where I can listen to them while doing mundane tasks, reading through all the AR materials, and going through 1 of the undated practice tests and 2 of the AR 2015 practice tests. I also bought the EPPP app that comes highly recommended, and used it moderately, finding it not as helpful as hoped.

 

[PBCocce]

Thanks Cara Susanna - I agree wholeheartedly that it is a ridiculous test and should not be considered a measure of my intelligence or knowledge, or of my skill as a psychologist for that matter. Still, failing is a hit to the ego and a major pain in my rear, given that I need to study and write it all over again.
To answer your question - I had kind colleagues lend me 2013/2014 versions of the Academic Review study books, as well as the complete set of audio CDs from Academic Review from 2013. A friend also gave me access to practice tests from AR from 2015, plus I have older versions of practice tests (year unknown). My study methods have consisted largely of listening to all DVDs whenever I'm driving or doing things where I can listen to them while doing mundane tasks, reading through all the AR materials, and going through 1 of the undated practice tests and 2 of the AR 2015 practice tests. I also bought the EPPP app that comes highly recommended, and used it moderately, finding it not as helpful as hoped.

You absolutely should be taking more practice tests. It sounds like you have only completed 3 tests, and this was likely spread out over some time. My advice is to take tests until you can't stand them anymore. In all seriousness, I'd say at least 3 more practice tests.

Another question is why the rush before next June. If a job depends on this, sure, take it Monday. Worst case scenario is you lose your time/$ if you fail. If you do not have an urgent need, then I would dedicate the time to doing it right.

 

[CPsych24]

You absolutely should be taking more practice tests. It sounds like you have only completed 3 tests, and this was likely spread out over some time. My advice is to take tests until you can't stand them anymore. In all seriousness, I'd say at least 3 more practice tests.

Another question is why the rush before next June. If a job depends on this, sure, take it Monday. Worst case scenario is you lose your time/$ if you fail. If you do not have an urgent need, then I would dedicate the time to doing it right.

Hi. I decided to wait to write again, both because I want to make sure it is a sure pass next time, but also frankly because there were no test openings for the days I had hoped to write before the end of the month. My rush was based on my frustration with my current supervised practice situation, wherein I take very little home from what I make. I know that will change dramatically once I finish this process and can practice autonomously. But there are worst things than waiting another 6 months to finish the process. I hope to retake the exam within 3 months, after another go at a thorough review, with frequent practice exams along the way as you and others have suggested. I appreciate your thoughts on this. I was devastated at first, but I am getting over it, and adapting a new plan for better success next time.

 

[PBCocce]

Hi. I decided to wait to write again, both because I want to make sure it is a sure pass next time, but also frankly because there were no test openings for the days I had hoped to write before the end of the month. My rush was based on my frustration with my current supervised practice situation, wherein I take very little home from what I make. I know that will change dramatically once I finish this process and can practice autonomously. But there are worst things than waiting another 6 months to finish the process. I hope to retake the exam within 3 months, after another go at a thorough review, with frequent practice exams along the way as you and others have suggested. I appreciate your thoughts on this. I was devastated at first, but I am getting over it, and adapting a new plan for better success next time.

Best of luck.

Practice makes perfect (or, really, practice makes passing).

 

[almostlicensed]

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I'm studying for EPPP with Taylor Study Method and am scoring in the low to mid 80's. But I took a PEPPO a few days ago and failed it. I was really surprised--I found the wording of some of the questions to be so confusing, and some of the content was completely foreign to me. I can take 4 more weeks at the very most to study more. I'm going to do a final review of Taylor Study Method, then take another PEPPO online, and then figure out how to proceed. Does anyone have any advice--should I do AATBS method also? Thanks so much!

 

[almostlicensed]

Hi everyone, I took EPPP for the first time last week and I unfortunately failed with a score of 477. I used Taylor Study Method to prepare and studied like crazy, and was scoring in the 80's and 90's on practice tests. It's very humbling to still have failed the exam! One thing that threw me off was that, in my opinion, the wording of the TSM questions differed greatly from the wording of the actual EPPP questions. It slowed me down a lot because I found myself re-reading the questions and trying to make sure I understood exactly what they were asking.

Does anyone have any advice about which study method I could use to gain exposure to practice exams that are close in style (e.g. wording, sentence structure, structure of multiple choice answers, etc.) to the actual EPPP? (Maybe AATBS and/or Academic Review?) Also, do AATBS or AR practice tests include statistics "word problems" where you have to actually calculate an answer? The types of questions slowed me down a lot too, and I felt that TSM did not prepare me for these questions (although I take responsibility for being a sub-par statistician in general).

Also, does anyone know if it is ethical to talk to an EPPP coach (who is a licensed psychologist) about the actual questions that were on the exam? I remember some of them, and after the exam, I researched the answers online, only to find that it seems that none of the multiple choice answers presented by Pearson are correct. So in that respect, I feel a bit lost, because I can't figure out what Pearson believes the correct answers to be. If I could talk to someone about it, maybe I could figure out what to do.

Thanks very much for reading this. Any advice would be very much appreciated--I am willing to go to any lengths necessary to pass!

 

[aly cat]

Hi everyone, I took EPPP for the first time last week and I unfortunately failed with a score of 477. I used Taylor Study Method to prepare and studied like crazy, and was scoring in the 80's and 90's on practice tests. It's very humbling to still have failed the exam! One thing that threw me off was that, in my opinion, the wording of the TSM questions differed greatly from the wording of the actual EPPP questions. It slowed me down a lot because I found myself re-reading the questions and trying to make sure I understood exactly what they were asking.

Does anyone have any advice about which study method I could use to gain exposure to practice exams that are close in style (e.g. wording, sentence structure, structure of multiple choice answers, etc.) to the actual EPPP? (Maybe AATBS and/or Academic Review?) Also, do AATBS or AR practice tests include statistics "word problems" where you have to actually calculate an answer? The types of questions slowed me down a lot too, and I felt that TSM did not prepare me for these questions (although I take responsibility for being a sub-par statistician in general).

Also, does anyone know if it is ethical to talk to an EPPP coach (who is a licensed psychologist) about the actual questions that were on the exam? I remember some of them, and after the exam, I researched the answers online, only to find that it seems that none of the multiple choice answers presented by Pearson are correct. So in that respect, I feel a bit lost, because I can't figure out what Pearson believes the correct answers to be. If I could talk to someone about it, maybe I could figure out what to do.

Thanks very much for reading this. Any advice would be very much appreciated--I am willing to go to any lengths necessary to pass!

Sorry it didn't work out, I'd be so frustrated with those practice test scores (and then not getting a pass)! I used PsychPrep and found the wording of the questions to be pretty similar to the real thing. For what its worth, I did way better on the real thing than on PsychPrep practice tests, so maybe those would be more predictive as well?

You may have already done this, but on the real thing I made extensive use of the built-in highlighting tool to make sure I understood exactly what the questions were asking AND what the answer choices were really saying. I took care to highlight key words in the answer choices that implied always or never... though they rarely used those actual words, the were often worded in a way that left little wiggle room-- I learned from practice tests that the choices that implied absolutes were often not the right choice.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Sorry it didn't work out, I'd be so frustrated with those practice test scores (and then not getting a pass)! I used PsychPrep and found the wording of the questions to be pretty similar to the real thing. For what its worth, I did way better on the real thing than on PsychPrep practice tests, so maybe those would be more predictive as well?

You may have already done this, but on the real thing I made extensive use of the built-in highlighting tool to make sure I understood exactly what the questions were asking AND what the answer choices were really saying. I took care to highlight key words in the answer choices that implied always or never... though they rarely used those actual words, the were often worded in a way that left little wiggle room-- I learned from practice tests that the choices that implied absolutes were often not the right choice.

Yup. Very few answers in psychology are absolute so when in doubt, rule those out.

 

[DrTisMe]

Hi everyone, I took EPPP for the first time last week and I unfortunately failed with a score of 477. I used Taylor Study Method to prepare and studied like crazy, and was scoring in the 80's and 90's on practice tests. It's very humbling to still have failed the exam! One thing that threw me off was that, in my opinion, the wording of the TSM questions differed greatly from the wording of the actual EPPP questions. It slowed me down a lot because I found myself re-reading the questions and trying to make sure I understood exactly what they were asking.

Does anyone have any advice about which study method I could use to gain exposure to practice exams that are close in style (e.g. wording, sentence structure, structure of multiple choice answers, etc.) to the actual EPPP? (Maybe AATBS and/or Academic Review?) Also, do AATBS or AR practice tests include statistics "word problems" where you have to actually calculate an answer? The types of questions slowed me down a lot too, and I felt that TSM did not prepare me for these questions (although I take responsibility for being a sub-par statistician in general).

Also, does anyone know if it is ethical to talk to an EPPP coach (who is a licensed psychologist) about the actual questions that were on the exam? I remember some of them, and after the exam, I researched the answers online, only to find that it seems that none of the multiple choice answers presented by Pearson are correct. So in that respect, I feel a bit lost, because I can't figure out what Pearson believes the correct answers to be. If I could talk to someone about it, maybe I could figure out what to do.

Thanks very much for reading this. Any advice would be very much appreciated--I am willing to go to any lengths necessary to pass!

1) You can definitely do a "protocol analysis" with a coach, asking her why this response would or would not be correct. This type of "think aloud" studying really helped me (I did it with a fellow candidate) I found it especially helpful for ethics questions.

2) I found AATBS to be the most similar to the actual questions I found on the EPPP. FWIW, I didn't get any "word problems" for statistics on the actual EPPP, the questions were very much straightforward questions like you'd have to be able to know what a Type II error is or when you'd use an ANCOVA, but not actually have to plug anything in (Other than areas under the normal curve) I am not a very good statistician - at all - but I found the EPPP stats questions much easier than the AATBS ones.

3) FWIW, I know what you mean about all the choices being incorrect. There was an AATBS practice question on research that I personally was a research assisstant on - that I based my dissertation on - and I got that question WRONG. (I mean, I was actually right, but according to AATBS I was wrong. I mean, I was actually a research assistant on that paper! I know it COLD. And yet, AATBS (and presumably Pearson) said my response was wrong....... 😡It just boggles the mind...... I had to wrap my mind around "don't give the right answer, give the answer they are looking for......."

 

[almostlicensed]

Hi, THANK YOU! The highlighting feature is a great idea and I wouldn't have thought of that myself. Also, thanks for the tip about "always" and "never" answers--that makes sense and seems like a good guideline to keep in mind. I'll check out PsychPrep too. THANK YOU for your advice! 🙂

Sorry it didn't work out, I'd be so frustrated with those practice test scores (and then not getting a pass)! I used PsychPrep and found the wording of the questions to be pretty similar to the real thing. For what its worth, I did way better on the real thing than on PsychPrep practice tests, so maybe those would be more predictive as well?

You may have already done this, but on the real thing I made extensive use of the built-in highlighting tool to make sure I understood exactly what the questions were asking AND what the answer choices were really saying. I took care to highlight key words in the answer choices that implied always or never... though they rarely used those actual words, the were often worded in a way that left little wiggle room-- I learned from practice tests that the choices that implied absolutes were often not the right choice.

 

[almostlicensed]

Hi, THANK YOU so much for your reply! That is so funny/tragic/outrageous that you answered your own dissertation topic question "incorrectly" according to AATBS/Pearson--it's really outrageous, but it's validating for me to hear that this test has some major glaring flaws. And I'll keep your advice about working with a coach and using AATBS materials in mind--will probably at least purchase their practice tests. MANY THANKS! 🙂

1) You can definitely do a "protocol analysis" with a coach, asking her why this response would or would not be correct. This type of "think aloud" studying really helped me (I did it with a fellow candidate) I found it especially helpful for ethics questions.

2) I found AATBS to be the most similar to the actual questions I found on the EPPP. FWIW, I didn't get any "word problems" for statistics on the actual EPPP, the questions were very much straightforward questions like you'd have to be able to know what a Type II error is or when you'd use an ANCOVA, but not actually have to plug anything in (Other than areas under the normal curve) I am not a very good statistician - at all - but I found the EPPP stats questions much easier than the AATBS ones.

3) FWIW, I know what you mean about all the choices being incorrect. There was an AATBS practice question on research that I personally was a research assisstant on - that I based my dissertation on - and I got that question WRONG. (I mean, I was actually right, but according to AATBS I was wrong. I mean, I was actually a research assistant on that paper! I know it COLD. And yet, AATBS (and presumably Pearson) said my response was wrong....... 😡It just boggles the mind...... I had to wrap my mind around "don't give the right answer, give the answer they are looking for......."

 

[EmotRegulation]

3) FWIW, I know what you mean about all the choices being incorrect. There was an AATBS practice question on research that I personally was a research assisstant on - that I based my dissertation on - and I got that question WRONG. (I mean, I was actually right, but according to AATBS I was wrong. I mean, I was actually a research assistant on that paper! I know it COLD. And yet, AATBS (and presumably Pearson) said my response was wrong....... It just boggles the mind...... I had to wrap my mind around "don't give the right answer, give the answer they are looking for......."

This happened to me too. The things I knew the nuances of the best were the things I had the most trouble getting "right." Honestly, the questions I had the easiest time with were the I/O questions because I knew nothing about that going in, so it was pretty easy to learn what the test wanted me to know. Having to kind of forget the nuances of my actually knowledge to find the right answer was definitely a skill I had to develop. I recall I got into a bit of an argument with a PsychPrep coach about a statistics prep question because I argued that their "right" answer wasn't actually right. Sigh.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

😡It just boggles the mind...... I had to wrap my mind around "don't give the right answer, give the answer they are looking for......."

The way I had to approach certain questions on the EPPP was to ask myself, "what do they want the avg test taker to know?" The pharmacology questions drove me nuts bc they were lazily written, so there weren't any answers that were *actually* correct for a handful of questions, so I had to figure out what they meant to ask. I marked all of those questions and went back after I was finished to leave comments w citations and/or explanations. I was wrapping up my psychopharm degree, so everything was fresh in my mind.

ps. I'd be pissed if a question was related to my area of research and it was written wrong. I'd probably email someone.

 

[Catarina]

I just finished my second time taking the EPPP exam. I took the first exam a little early after practicing fully with Psychprep, when they advised I should wait. I felt strongly that I understood and knew the materials and had just finished their workshop so I wanted to utilize the recent memory of the workshop. I got a 477. I was close but understood why I didn't pass. This last time I practiced tests for an additional month and restudied material and even passed EPPP0 online exam. I was passing consistently in 84-90 percentile. I was ready. While I took the exam the content reflected what I had studied, I felt lucky to get a straight forward exam, so I thought. I did even worse scoring 455, while I was sure I passed. I did not feel as exhausted and noticed I finished an hour earlier, instead of taking all the time as I did on the first test. I am beginning to doubt the fairness of this, but more so what to do next. I've exhausted the practice tests and am not wanting to put another chunk of money on another study program that might not help. What to do? Exhausted and disappointing!!

 

[Belle2708]

Hi Catarina,
I took the EPPP last month and again today and failed both times. I got a 483 the first time and then took a practice exam on which I passed. I retook my eppp today and for a 420. I’m so disappointed, and I’m feeling the same as you and have no idea what direction to take at this point.

 

[Shadow1]

Hi Catarina,
I took the EPPP last month and again today and failed both times. I got a 483 the first time and then took a practice exam on which I passed. I retook my eppp today and for a 420. I’m so disappointed, and I’m feeling the same as you and have no idea what direction to take at this point.

Just curious if you were able to get over the hump? Finding myself in a similar position.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Understanding test-taking strategy is really important. Read tips on how to strategies for the EPPP. Learn how to read the questions for what they are probably asking for most broady (see comments above about the nuances in your area of specialty being frustrating) and how to most successfully eliminate answers so you end up with at least a 50/50 chance of getting correct those that you're unsure of.

For me a lot of this did come down to mnemonics. Then even if I couldn't recall the exact order or name of a step of a system or whatever the question was, my mnemonic still usually let me narrow down my answers, sometimes to only 1. Start with memorizing broad frameworks / mnemonics first, then filling in the details. The broad strokes can get you pretty far in areas you're less familiar with, especially if you also think about the strategies for tye types of questions they're asking and wording / how to eliminate.

Study strategy that worked for me was coming up with mnemonics, charts, pictograms etc, color-coordinating on chart paper, and hanging all over my house so I could review the mnemonics easily during random times of day (e.g., while eating breakfast, waiting on kid to fall asleep, on my way out the door) and visualizing where i was (like what room, where it was on the wall, waht color that topic/column was in) when I was studying x topic actually did come in really handy several times on the test; YMMV but just a thought if that is a way you study.

 

[Crazycatlady80]

I also have had the misfortunate of failing. In addition to that, the testing dates are so far apart during the pandemic. I have had a long pause between breaks. Has anyone else ran into this situation? I am starting to feel defeated with this process.