Why You Need Commercial EPPP Study Materials To Pass The Exam

Previous Article: Using Old Notes To Study For The EPPP Exam

To recap briefly, in the last article we explored using some of the materials you may already have available to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. Today we will explore other options to prepare for this important examination.

The Matter Of Time In EPPP Study

One of the major considerations in preparing for the EPPP exam is the significant amount of time that it will take you to review and memorize the large amount of material covered by the eight domains of the examination. Examinees literally will spend months to years preparing for the exam. When one is spending this much time on preparation the quality and organization of the materials that one is using becomes an important factor.

While old notes, notebooks, textbooks, and the easy availability of information on the Internet appear to be a reasonable choice for preparation, this is not the case. The reason, simply put, is time. Time is money. Every day, every hour, every week, or month, or in some cases every year, that you spend preparing to pass the EPPP exam is time taken away from earning money in your chosen career as a psychologist. Gathering up old notes and textbooks, and searching the Internet is a very time consuming and inefficient manner of studying for the test.

When you use old college notes and the Internet exclusively to prepare for the EPPP exam you do not know if you are studying the material that is likely to be on the test. You do not know if you are focusing on the correct percentage of material from each of the different content domains represented on the exam.

In the case of using your notes and the Internet, you are not certain that the material is accurate, or that it represents the most commonly accepted interpretation of the topic. Perhaps your professor had an idiosyncratic interpretation of some of the topics. Perhaps the Internet article you accessed presented an unconventional viewpoint. Neither old notes, nor the Internet represent the best use of your EPPP study time.

Commercial EPPP Study Materials

Your time is valuable. Free preparation materials are not really free once you count in the cost of the additional time spent finding and weeding through them, time wasted reviewing the wrong materials, and time wasted reviewing inaccurate materials.

On the surface, commercially available preparation materials are expensive. There is no question about it. With prices ranging from $600 to $2200 many examinees believe that these materials are overpriced. Yet, if you take into account the amount of time you save by using commercially available preparation programs, study guides, and flashcards commercial materials are well worth the price.

Types of EPPP Study Materials

Study aids available may include some or all of: printed volumes covering the topics of the EPPP topic areas, study guides, flashcards, CDs of lectures and workshops, paper and pencil practice exams, online practice exams, in person lectures and workshops, and email, telephone, and in person consultations. The materials usually include tips on study techniques. The specific materials that you obtain depend on the particular “package” of materials that you purchase from the test preparation vendor. Another study aid, not available from the major test prep retailers, is the speed learning software SuperMemo. This program is based on extensive research in memory and learning. It ensures that you remember 95% or more of the material you learn!

In our next article, in How To Pass The EPPP Exam Without Even Trying! we will discuss the main retailers of commercial preparation materials, and review one of the popular test preparation programs. Until next time, keep studying!

- The EPPP Study Guy

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