finishing up post-doc and having a mini panic attack about law and ethics exam

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FreudianSlippers

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So long story short everything has been falling into place. It's my last week of post-doc, EPPP is passed, and I submitted my hours to the CA board of psychology....just waiting on confirmation to take the Law and Ethics Exam (CPLEE). For some reason I JUST realized that if I fail I have to wait 3 F**ING months to re-take it....which would be incredibly bad. I would have to post-pone job applications and probably do the whole psych assistant thing. I wasn't too worried before ( I hear CPLEE is easier than the EPPP) but not i'm kind of freaking out. Anybody have similar experience or words of wisdom in this situation...I can't wait for this process to be over.
 
Agree w/ WisNeuro. I haven’t taken California’s exam, but my jurisprudence exam was the easiest step in the entire process and I have heard similar things about other states.

I understand the anxiety given what’s on the line for you, but I don’t think you need to worry a lot about this. Just be prepared as you would for any other exam and you will likely do just fine.
 
PsyDr's Study Guide for State Law Exams:

1) Read over the materials.
2) Review the following subjects:
a. Sleeping with patients
b. Insurance Fraud
c. Reporting child and elder abuse
d. Admitting patients to the hospital (if your state allows)
e. Record Keeping/ Releasing
3) Then go hit your head against a wall for a while. Drink some everclear. Watch some bad sitcoms. Really, do whatever you can to make yourself a lot dumber. It will definitely help. These tests are made by state officials.
 
BuckeyeLove said:
Does California have specialty statutes for telepsych? I imagine so. read over that sh#t too, cuz I was shocked at how many questions I was asked about that stuff that I essentially had to BS my way through.
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They definitely do. I read up on them using my test preparation program...but just to be safe i'll also peruse the Board's website for additional info.
 
calimich said:
The CPLEE was much easier than the EPPP, imo. Although the content was mostly all new to me, its breadth was so narrow compared to the EPPP.

And when in doubt, the answer is always “protect confidentiality”.

You got this.
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Thanks Calimich! I appreciate the vote of confidence. It would be tough to imagine that it's harder than the EPPP
 
PSYDR said:
PsyDr's Study Guide for State Law Exams:

1) Read over the materials.
2) Review the following subjects:
a. Sleeping with patients
b. Insurance Fraud
c. Reporting child and elder abuse
d. Admitting patients to the hospital (if your state allows)
e. Record Keeping/ Releasing
3) Then go hit your head against a wall for a while. Drink some everclear. Watch some bad sitcoms. Really, do whatever you can to make yourself a lot dumber. It will definitely help. These tests are made by state officials.
Click to expand...


Love this! :laugh:
 
Be thankful it isn’t an oral exam, as those exist in some states. 😉 For written JPEs....every state should have a booklet (PDF these days), so go review it in a hammock for a few hours with a cocktail...that’s how I studied for mine (multiple states).
 
I had Psychprep’s written materials (also came with an audio disc) to study for the CPLEE. Definitely far less study time overall than the EPPP (maybe 15-20 hours?), but I found some questions to be quite tricky in the version I was administered, moreso than I expected (having passed the EPPP a month or two before). I found that some questions covered ethical situations that didn’t come up in the study materials (need to know which ethical principle trumps which in any situation, no matter how unrealistic the situation is). That said, I passed anyway, so don’t panic if some of the questions are challenging! The majority pass, regardless. It’s doable, and it’s the last hoop to jump through! You got this.
 
Not to freak you out, but I have taken multiple state jurisprudence exams and California's is by far the toughest. It is not harder than the EPPP, but I do know someone who passed the EPPP then failed the first attempt at the CPLEE, so it does happen. What is challenging with the CPLEE is that the questions are frequently worded strangely, so they can feel like "trick" questions even if you know the law and ethics guidelines well. It is timed, but I strongly recommend reading through your answers after you have responded to them all. Sometimes on second reading they aren't so hard once you get past the awkward phrasing. You are correct that you would have to wait up to three months to re-take it, but it won't necessarily be that long. Look and see when the new test version is coming out - I think the new tests come out January, April, July, and October. My understanding is you don't have to automatically wait the full three months, you just have to wait until there is a new test version out as you aren't allowed to retake the same one. Use psychprep materials if you can get your hands on them for cheap; the generic info they send you when you register for the test is insufficient IMO.
 
StellaB said:
Not to freak you out, but I have taken multiple state jurisprudence exams and California's is by far the toughest. It is not harder than the EPPP, but I do know someone who passed the EPPP then failed the first attempt at the CPLEE, so it does happen. What is challenging with the CPLEE is that the questions are frequently worded strangely, so they can feel like "trick" questions even if you know the law and ethics guidelines well. It is timed, but I strongly recommend reading through your answers after you have responded to them all. Sometimes on second reading they aren't so hard once you get past the awkward phrasing. You are correct that you would have to wait up to three months to re-take it, but it won't necessarily be that long. Look and see when the new test version is coming out - I think the new tests come out January, April, July, and October. My understanding is you don't have to automatically wait the full three months, you just have to wait until there is a new test version out as you aren't allowed to retake the same one. Use psychprep materials if you can get your hands on them for cheap; the generic info they send you when you register for the test is insufficient IMO.
Click to expand...

Like the EPPP, there are different versions, but in this case, it’s a new version every 3 months, some seemingly more difficult than others (although if they are more difficult, scored more leniently so there’s no advantage for the “easier” exam; they will adjust the passing score).

I agree, the version I took was difficult and I didn’t feel confident that I’d passed before I saw my printout ( I didn’t have that feeling taking the EPPP). The questions went beyond the complexity of the questions Sharon Jablon went through in the audio cd that came with the Psychprep materials.

The provided “handout” is nowhere near sufficient to grasp areas like licensure/revocation, EAP, HIPAA/state privacy laws, mandated reporting, risk issues, therapist malpractice, civil commitment, etc. And if someone didn’t want to purchase materials, sifting through the actual regulations (that are not in plain language by any means) would be extremely tedious and time-consuming, particularly since I don’t recall seeing the domains listed anywhere for reference (did I miss this somewhere? ASPPB is clear about the domains on the EPPP, but I don’t recall seeing the domains listed anywhere for CPLEE). In my opinion, without those written practice materials to guide my studying, I wouldn’t have passed.
 
foreverbull said:
Like the EPPP, there are different versions, but in this case, it’s a new version every 3 months, some seemingly more difficult than others (although if they are more difficult, scored more leniently so there’s no advantage for the “easier” exam; they will adjust the passing score).

I agree, the version I took was difficult and I didn’t feel confident that I’d passed before I saw my printout ( I didn’t have that feeling taking the EPPP). The questions went beyond the complexity of the questions Sharon Jablon went through in the audio cd that came with the Psychprep materials.

The provided “handout” is nowhere near sufficient to grasp areas like licensure/revocation, EAP, HIPAA/state privacy laws, mandated reporting, risk issues, therapist malpractice, civil commitment, etc. And if someone didn’t want to purchase materials, sifting through the actual regulations (that are not in plain language by any means) would be extremely tedious and time-consuming, particularly since I don’t recall seeing the domains listed anywhere for reference (did I miss this somewhere? ASPPB is clear about the domains on the EPPP, but I don’t recall seeing the domains listed anywhere for CPLEE). In my opinion, without those written practice materials to guide my studying, I wouldn’t have passed.
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I agree with all of the above. Also felt unsure whether I had passed before getting the printout, but was totally confident I had passed the EPPP.
 
Wow, all your answers and feedback are incredibly helpful, thank you all so much. I love this forum. I am still waiting on the board to approve my post-doc hours, but it should be any day now (fingers crossed). I have been using PsychPrep to study for the exam (I passed the EPPP thanks to them) and looking through the rules/regulations handbook. Hopefully I can update further with some good news in the next few weeks 🙂
 
Has anyone else taken the Texas Jurisprudence? It's deceptively more difficult than expected IMO. Although you can consult your resources, there are 118 questions you have to complete in 2 hours and you have to get a 90 to pass. The TSBEP information on the Jurisprudence states that the average score for first-time test takers is an 89 - so essentially, the average first-time score is in the failing range. Furthermore, it's an expensive test - $234 per registration. I asked one of my former professors if she would give me pointers for the Texas Jurisprudence and she said that she didn't pass until her third try.
 
I wanted to follow-up with my original post. I took and PASSED the CPLEE!! Woooo! It feels amazing to be done. I don't mean to scare anybody who is reading this and still needs the CPLEE, but it was an incredibly difficult test. I studied the crap out of Psych Prep and reviewed rules/regulations booklet from the board's website, and I'm glad I put in the hours. Honestly, in my opinion the test itself was harder than the EPPP. Studying was obviously easier just because it was so much more narrow, but you really need to be comfortable with the content and approach it with good test taking skills. Anyways....time to celebrate!
 
To anyone still studying for the CPLEE. I reread “Decoding the Ethics Code” to prepare for this test and the examples in it were very helpful and instructive in learning how to deal with situations in which there are competing ethical principals. They give multiple scenarios in each section with examples of behaviors that would and wouldn’t be consistent with the ethical code. I would highly recommend it.
 
Love that book Reminds me of graduate school
Mindfulpsych22 said:
To anyone still studying for the CPLEE. I reread “Decoding the Ethics Code” to prepare for this test and the examples in it were very helpful and instructive in learning how to deal with situations in which there are competing ethical principals. They give multiple scenarios in each section with examples of behaviors that would and wouldn’t be consistent with the ethical code. I would highly recommend it.
Click to expand...
 
Hi everyone, So I just gave my CPLEE for the THIRD time and I missed pass by ONE POINT! So I cannot believe it I have to try for a FOURTH Time! I have been a practicing psychologist in NY for 6 years and now that I have move to Ca I cannot practice until I pass this exam!!! I am beyond distressed and need help to figure out how to study for this. I must say Psych Prep has been a good study tool. But I find the exam questions written in a very confusing manner, each one could be a soap opera!! I don't understand why the exam questions don't as straightforward questions rather than trying to trick us!! I am looking fora CPLEE tutor and would appreciate any suggestions regarding the tutor as well as the test strategies. I can't wait much longer to practice , i HAVE to pass this time!
 
Aside from psychprep and other study materials, have you actually just sat down and read the state laws and regulations over and over again? The PDF is published yearly on the CA board website. Given that you are coming from another state, I'd recommend this given the other stuff hasn't worked.


This test does require you to have some average to slightly above average test taking skills, as the questions and answers can try to trick you much more than the EPPP, but at the end of the day, it does come down to knowing the laws. You need to know them.

Pro-tip: If you are stuck choosing between multiple answers. 1) Almost always choose the most conservative one. 2) Avoid absolutes.
 
Aside from this, the only other advice I have is the @PsyDr method:

PsyDr said:
PsyDr's Study Guide for State Law Exams:

1) Read over the materials.
2) Review the following subjects:
a. Sleeping with patients
b. Insurance Fraud
c. Reporting child and elder abuse
d. Admitting patients to the hospital (if your state allows)
e. Record Keeping/ Releasing
3) Then go hit your head against a wall for a while. Drink some everclear. Watch some bad sitcoms. Really, do whatever you can to make yourself a lot dumber. It will definitely help. These tests are made by state officials.
Click to expand...
 
I used Psychprep as well, but found that the actual exam questions were more multifaceted. For some questions, you have to know which ethical principle trumps the others, which Psychprep didn’t cover well, if at all.

Does any other company provide practice materials for the CPLEE? It might be time to make a switch if it’s possible.

In terms of strategy, usually you want to err on the side of protecting client confidentiality in most complicated situations unless mandated reporting laws or safety require an exception.

Do know the areas PsyDr mentioned inside and out; perhaps reading laws and regs may help as mentioned above.

Best of luck to you!
 
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