Using Old Notes To Study For The EPPP Exam

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EPPP Study

Today in How To Pass the EPPP Exam Without Even Trying! we will discuss Using Old Notes To Study For The EPPP Exam.

The first pillar of EPPP study is one of the most obvious strategies for passing the EPPP exam. You must be familiar with the concepts of each of the eight domains or content areas that the EPPP tests for.

As a quick recap, these are the eight domains:

1. Biological bases of behavior
2. Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
3. Social and multi-cultural bases of behavior
4. Growth and life-span development
5. Assessment and diagnosis
6. Treatment, intervention, and prevention
7. Research methods and statistics
8. Ethical, legal, and professional issues

EPPP Study Materials

You must be familiar with the material in each of these domains that is commonly tested for on the EPPP exam.

How do you do this? Well, you could gather up all of your psychology notes from graduate school, put all your textbooks in a pile next to you, and gather the content that you don't have by perusing the Internet.

Is this a good strategy? Well, on the positive side, at first glance it is free. Also, you may already have most of the content materials that you need.

What about the negative side? Well, I say that it appears to be free at first glance. But, it is not free. Here's why.

You must take the time to gather up all your notes and textbooks from your years in graduate school. Do you still have all these books and notebooks? Maybe. Can you find them all? Are they well organized? Legible? Are your notes complete?

Did your graduate program cover each of the domains fully? Many psychology graduate programs, while excellent programs, emphasize some of the eight domains covered on the EPPP exam more than others. You will need to fill in the blanks yourself. For example, some programs may give more weight to psychoanalytic theories, while other programs may give more weight to cognitive behavioral theories. Did your program cover industrial organizational psychology? If you are relying on your notes and textbooks I hope so, because it is on the EPPP exam.

Allocation of EPPP Study Time

Do you know how much time to devote to studying each particular domain on the EPPP? For example, do you know how much material tends to show up as questions on the EPPP exam for treatment of mental disorders? How about ethics? How much of the EPPP exam covers statistics? You must allocate your precious EPPP study time to the topics that frequently appear as questions on the test. There is too much material to study all of the material for each of the content areas. You would be an old, old man (or woman) before you could learn every concept in every domain that could possibly be on the EPPP exam.

Are your old notes and old textbooks up to date? Some material, no doubt, has changed since you began your graduate school psychology program. It is important that the EPPP study materials on which you are spending your important time studying is up to date and includes new material that may be included on the EPPP exam.

The material that is not contained in your textbooks or notebooks you could look up on the Internet. You would need to examine the source of the content to be sure that it comes from an authoritative source and is accurate. Using the Internet to get much of the study material you need for EPPP study would be time consuming, to say the least.

By now, you have probably drawn the conclusion that relying on your old notes, old textbooks, and the Internet for learning the content of the eight domains you must master for EPPP study is impractical. Notice though, that I did not say these sources do not have their place in preparing for the EPPP exam. Your notes, textbooks, and the Internet are all valuable resources for clarify the concepts that you need to learn (if you don't already know them) and review.

In my next article I will discuss more of what you need to know about The First Pillar of The Three Pillars Of How To Pass The EPPP in How to Pass the EPPP Exam Without Even Trying!

Next Article: Why You Need Commercial Study Materials To Pass The EPPP Exam

The Three Pillars Of How To Pass The EPPP Exam

Previous Article: Why You Need To Pass The EPPP Exam

There are three very important requirements to studying and passing the EPPP examination. These concepts may be thought of as the Three Pillars of How to Pass the EPPP Exam.

Pillar 1. Understand all of the concepts of the eight domains of knowledge covered by the EPPP. This is best accomplished through the use of commercial test preparation programs such as The Association for Advanced Training in the Behavioral Sciences (AATBS), Academic Review (AR), Taylor Method, and PsychPrep. The EPPP Flashcard Secrets, and the EPPP Secrets Study Guide are a good place to start.

Pillar 2. Memorize the theories, concepts, theorists, formulas, and key terms that are on the EPPP. This is best done using  flashcard software. Be sure to use a flashcard program that is driven by an advanced learning algorithm.

Pillar 3. Learn test taking strategies specifically targeted towards the EPPP. The test taking strategies  you learn should include techniques targeted to multiple choice exams such as: ruling out wrong answers, narrowing down choices, being aware of exception questions, exam pacing, and specific strategies for coping with lengthy exams populated with complex questions.

These concepts are discussed in greater detail throughout How to Pass the EPPP Exam Without Even Trying! Browse through this website to explore the many articles on how to implement these strategies. There is a lot of information here, so come back often.

Until we meet again remember to continue your EPPP study!

Updated 2-12-2113

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

Why You Need To Pass The EPPP Exam

by The EPPP Study Guy

Previous Article: Welcome To How To Pass The EPPP Exam Without Even Trying!

Why do you need to pass the EPPP exam? Why do you need a web site that teaches you how to pass the EPPP? Why can't you just walk in, take the EPPP exam, and pass the EPPP without preparing?

The Importance of the EPPP Exam

As a psychologist, the EPPP is one of the most important exams you will ever take.

You may have gotten all A's in your graduate psychology classes. You may have passed your comprehensive exams with flying colors. The professors may still speak in hushed whispers about the brilliant answers you gave during your dissertation defense. Your dissertation may have been published in the Journal of the American Psychological Association. And your internship director may have thought you hung the moon. But guess what?

Effect of Not Passing the EPPP

If you do not pass the Examination for the Practice of Professional Psychology (EPPP) you will not be allowed to practice as a licensed psychologist in the United States or Canada.* Not now. Not ever. Never.

No private patients. No insurance company reimbursement. No  “Licensed Psychologist” title on your business cards. Your employment prospects will be severely limited. You will not be able to partake of the full benefits of being a psychologist. In short, you will have wasted thousands of dollars on graduate school education and years of study and sacrifice.

What is the EPPP?

The EPPP is the examination that you must pass as part of the requirements to practice in the USA and almost all Provinces in Canada.

Creator of the EPPP

The EPPP was created by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards in the United States and Canada. The ASPPB is physically located in Montgomery, Alabama.

EPPP Content Areas

The EPPP exam consists of 225 multiple choice questions from eight content areas which are as follows:

1. Biological bases of behavior
2. Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
3. Social and multicultural bases of behavior
4. Growth and lifespan development
5. Assessment and diagnosis
6. Treatment, intervention, and prevention
7. Research methods and statistics
8. Ethical, legal, and professional issues

EPPP Exam Locations

The EPPP test is administered at local Pearson VUE testing centers on a computer. You only have four hours and fifteen minutes to complete 225 questions.

You may think that surely since you have passed through a graduate school program in psychology and been awarded a doctoral degree that you will be able to easily answer the questions on the EPPP. After all, you are familiar with the content areas. You did well in your classes and maybe even went to a highly competitive psychology program that was fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. You successfully wrote a dissertation or research project and even have experience in the field.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

EPPP Tricky Questions

These are some of the trickiest questions you will ever be tested on. Differences between the four answers to each question on the EPPP are extremely subtle. You must select the “best answer” not necessarily the correct answer on the EPPP. Questions and answers are frequently negatively worded on the EPPP.

You must know the particular content the eight domains usually focus on. You must both understand, and be able to apply, knowledge from each content area on the EPPP.

Why You Should Not Plan On Retaking The EPPP Examination

You may be thinking, “I'll take the EPPP exam without much preparation and if I don't pass I'll retake it until I do.” Think again.

EPPP Exam Registration Costs

Taking the EPPP exam is expensive. The current administrative fee from Pearson VUE testing centers to sit for the EPPP is $87.50. The cost from ASPPB to sit for the EPPP exam has increased to $600.

Before you can register to sit for the EPPP you must receive a Permission to Test letter from your state psychology board. State psychology boards charge you licensing and administration fees ranging from several hundred to over a thousand dollars as part of the process of obtaining permission to sit for the EPPP exam.

Limits On EPPP Testing Attempts

The ASPPB limits the number of times you may retake the EPPP exam. You may only take the EPPP exam up to four times per year. Most state psychology boards limit your ability to retake the EPPP exam even further. In some states after several failures on the EPPP exam you are required to explain to the state psychology board why you should be permitted to retake the EPPP exam. You may be asked to complete remedial work. The board of psychology may impose a waiting period on you before you can retest. At the least, you must wait the time that the EPPP reapplication and approval process consumes. It may be months before you are authorized to retake the EPPP exam again.

EPPP Retesting Fees

Each time you retake the EPPP exam, of course, you need to pay fees to the state psychology board, the Pearson VUE testing centers, and the ASPPB.

No—Passing the Examination for the Professional Practice in Psychology is no casual matter. And that is why this web site exists to help guide you through the process. With the proper knowledge, strategies, skills, and preparation you can and will pass the EPPP Exam.

Footnotes

*All U.S. states and Canadian provinces whose boards are members of ASPPB require applicants to pass the EPPP (except for Prince Edward Island and Quebec). Quebec requires out-of-province candidates to pass the EPPP.

(revised 6/1/2020)

Next Article: The Three Pillars Of How To Pass The EPPP Exam

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