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The EPPP is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.  How To Pass The EPPP Exam Without Even Trying! will teach you every...

Saturday, November 7, 2009

When To Begin Studying For The EPPP Exam: Part 1

When should I begin studying for the EPPP exam? If you are asking this question, chances are that you should begin studying for the EPPP exam, also known as the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, right now. "Why now?" you ask. This series of articles answers that question.

Importance of EPPP Exam

The EPPP exam is the most important examination a psychologist ever sits for. Why is this? Because, even if you get admitted to a psychology doctoral program, pass all your classes, complete an internship, defend and publish a dissertation, and graduate from an accredited psychology doctoral program, you will be unable to practice as a licensed psychologist in any state in the United States and most provinces in Canada unless you pass this crucial examination. I know. It's hard to believe.

It's hard to believe that this test is even necessary, or the detrimental impact it will have on your career if you do not take and pass it. However, you will fast become a believer when, after graduating from a long and expensive graduate school education in psychology, you find that your friendly state or provincial psychology board insists you pass the EPPP exam or not be licensed. Or when you find that you are not allowed to practice independently. Or when you find that few employers will consider hiring you. The career impact of being unlicensed is substantial. Limited opportunities. Limited financial options. Limited career choices. Hence, for most psychologists, passing the EPPP exam is a necessity.

The True Cost Of The EPPP Exam

The real cost of the EPPP exam is not the cost of sitting for the exam; now nearly $600. Nor the additional costs you will incur if you fail the exam and need to retake it. Not an uncommon occurrence. In which case you will need to reapply and repay the full examination costs and fees. It's not unheard of for psychologists to have to take the EPPP examination three times or more before finally passing it.

No. The real cost of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology is the study time, cost of preparation materials, waiting time, lost wages, and personal angst.

Cost Of Study Time For The EPPP Exam

You may be surprised to find that the EPPP exam is unlike any other exam you have taken during your graduate training. True, it is a multiple choice examination; but it possesses three characteristics that set it apart from ordinary multiple choice exams.

Firstly, is it's unusual length. It contains 225 questions. You must answer them within the allotted time of four hours and fifteen minutes.

Secondly, is the nature of the questions. The questions are designed to measure your ability to select between answers with extremely fine discriminations between them. In other words, there are hairline distinctions between the correct answer and the incorrect answers for each test item.

Twenty-five of the questions do not even count towards your score. These are experimental questions that the test maker, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, has inserted for study for possible inclusion in the next version of the test. They've volunteered you to test them out.

Thirdly, unlike exams that you studied for in your graduate school education which covered content one topic, or from one class, the questions on the EPPP exam cover eight different psychology content areas. They draw on knowledge from virtually all the major areas of your graduate school education. If your graduate school program did not emphasize a particular content area that is covered on the exam, be prepared to learn a new subject. Many examinees find that their graduate program did not emphasize sufficiently one or more of the content areas. Frequently mentioned content areas which require new or substantially enhanced learning include: psychodynamic psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, and statistics.

What this means is that you have a vast array of psychology material to master in fine detail, sophisticated test taking strategies to learn, and the need to hone your skills by doing a lot of practice exams. Your graduate school training, no matter how thorough, does not adequately prepare you to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.

All of which is another way of saying that a lot of preparation time is required to pass the EPPP examination. It's not unusual for examinees to spend months, and sometimes more than a year, preparing for the Examination For Professional Practice in Psychology.

Next Article: When To Begin Studying For The EPPP Exam: Part 2

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