hipEPPP

Day 76: AATBS TestMASTER Practice Exam #6 Results

2010-10-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Feeling utterly discouraged. I am actually performing worse than baseline on some domains, and my AATBS license expires in less than two weeks. Simply taking the practice exams is either not working, or a critical mass is still developing...

Day 63: AATBS TestMASTER Practice Exam #5 Results

2010-10-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

After almost a month without studying, it is time to get back into the swing of things and refocus my energies toward leaping the licensure hurdle. To reignite my motivation, I took an entire practice exam in Exam Mode with the following results:

Confusing outcome. Time remains of little issue. Distractibility may remain a critical factor--I took this practice test in a coffee shop with a live musician playing amplified music.

Day 34: IO Practice Exam Score

2010-09-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

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Feeling stuck in IO-land with only a cursory introduction of Lifespan Development into the mix at this time. Fittingly, the return of my personal LPC has resulted in a severe decrease in workplace hygiene and, consequently, my job satisfaction. Thankfully, my suggestion of job enrichment possibilities has prompted my promotion, and I hope to experience some degree of relief during the workday.
Meanwhile, family-life stressors continue to serve as a moderate distractor from establishing any semblance of a study regimen, and I am introducing notecards of failed test items as a temporary solution for a pending away-from-study-mode-while-traveling scenario. I need to complete the set of notecards by Thursday morning. I will try to publish the template I have developed for creating and printing to 3x5 index cards. They look pretty spiffy.

This evening's disappointing IO practice test performance.

Day 29: Audio Overload

2010-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Listened to the AATBS IO audio CD on the way to work, and the Clinical CD on the way back. Definitely have a good grasp of the clinical content on the CD, despite what is reflected in my most recent practice exam performance. Still working toward learning the IO material, but essential have the audio CD material down. I need to work through the IO written material, and move forward with Lifespan Development.

Day 21: Clinical and IO Practice Exam Scores

2010-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Day 15: Clinical Practice Exam Results

2010-08-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

After a two runs through the AATBS Clinical Psychology audio CD, and a cursory endeavor through the incomplete sentences review for each section in the AATBS Clinical written materials (courtesy of my fiance), I took my first run at the Clinical TestMASTER questions with Exam 2. I produced a score of 75%—head and shoulders above the initial baseline from Starbucks:

iStudy: EPPP Neuropsychology iPhone App

2010-08-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ronald Bell has an iPhone (and iPod Touch/iPad) application covering the Neuropsychology domain of the exam:

iStudy: EPPP Neuropsychology is a neuropsychology study tool designed to help you study for the EPPP exam.

iStudy: EPPP Neuropsychology offers the following:

- "Test mode" which includes flash cards for common neuropsychology terms and concepts.

- "Study mode" which lets you review specific questions of your choice.

- "Report card" to help you keep track of your learning progress.

- Modes to help you review and study questions that you're struggling with most.

This app requires no network connection, allowing you to study neuropsychology anywhere.

You can get the iStudy: EPPP Neuropsychology App for US$2.99 in the iTunes Store.

Day 11: Ethics and Abnormal Practice Exam Scores

2010-08-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I listened to the Abnormal CD for a third time, and still found "new" information in the content, but significantly less than the previous listening. Consequently, I chose, today, to complete two AATBS TestMASTER Practice Exams for the Abnormal domain, in addition to the Exam 3 Ethics and Professional Issues content.

Passing both the Abnormal and Ethics domains today, the result was demonstrable gains in my EPPP performance in just over one week:

In assessing my progress, it is noteworthy that the content areas introduced are personal strengths historically, and hence the learning curve is not as steep as I anticipate, say, I/O will be. Still, I am performing more in line with how I had performed on the paper-and-pencil exams and, toward this end, I would also like point out that I took the online exams today in a library rather than a Starbucks.

My plan, now, is to introduce the Clinical domain by listening to the Clinical Audio CD on the commute to work tomorrow. Progress!

Day 7: Work Intrusions

2010-08-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

It may seem like an excuse, but my commute/carpool situation with work is interfering with my studying. I may need to change my work schedule to eliminate the intrusions that break my momentum during the week.

Today, I listened to the Ethics CD on the way to, and the Abnormal CD on the back from, work. I'm finding the Ethics CD less helpful at this point, but the Abnormal CD continues to provide various points to memorize. I would like to point out the unusual pronunciations of "acetylcholine" and "somatoform" on this CD.

Day 4: Abnormal Content Introduced

2010-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Woke up, showered, shaved, got in the car, and listened to the entirety of the AATBS Abnormal Psychology audio CD on the way to work. Worked 10 hours. Listened to the entirety of the Abnormal CD on the commute home. Uncertain if I will be up to practice exam questions tonight, but may try to complete TestMASTER Exam 3's Ethics content before bed.

Days 2 & 3: Ethics & Professional Issues Progress

2010-08-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I listened to the AATBS Ethics Audio CD twice -- approximately three hours apart --- while driving out of town and back. I commute 1.50 hours each way to work everyday. I wish that there was a way to make better use of the audio materials, but I feel as though I cannot listen to the Ethics CD again without throwing my iPhone out the window. Perhaps, I will stray from my original study plan to begin approaching the Abnormal content in the car tomorrow. For, today, I answered the 29 ethics questions from AATBS TestMASTER Exam 2 with a result of 72% (versus 66% two days ago). I feel a little better about the overall situation after such a score, because it is more in line with my prior performances on the paper-and-pencil practice tests.

Day 1: AATBS TestMASTER Practice Exam #1 Results

2010-08-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

I initiated AATBS's TestMASTER this afternoon. I have 90 days now, to take the exam. I hope that this time restriction will provide for increased motivation and focus. To orient myself to the process, I completed Exam #1 in the Exam Mode, and with the following disappointing results:

Unsurprisingly and surprisingly, my areas of optimal performance were in the Social Psychology and Statistics domains, respectively. Unfortunately, these areas are of limited weight in the overall score.

In comparison to my performance on the paper-and-pencil practice exams, I severely under-performed. Aside from outright poor performance, I can identify a number of potential factors detrimental to my score, including differential environmental and state-dependent aspects of my test-taking situations. In the past, I took the exams in quiet, distraction-free, office environments while under the influence of significant quantities of caffeine. Today, I took the TestMASTER Exam #1 at a Starbucks, and in a severely under-caffeinated state.

Further, and likely accounting for a greater proportion of the variance in my performance, the paper-and-pencil practice exams that I took had the correct answer immediately below the options, and which I covered with a piece of paper while answering the questions. Nevertheless, I was undoubtedly exposed to the correct answers at some level while working my way through the exams.

Finally, it is noteworthy that my last paper-and-pencil practice exam did not include the answers during administration, and yet I passed the exam in approximately two hours. I used the "timed" mode to take the TestMASTER Exam #1 today, but the ticking timer was so distracting that I disabled it partway through the testing session. Hence, I have no idea how long it took me to produce today's sub-par practice exam results.

EPPP Approval

2010-08-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Months... months it has taken, but today, I received approval from the Board of Psychology to sit for the exam.

EPPP Practice Test #3 Result

2010-04-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just made my first attempt to complete an EPPP practice exam in one sitting. This was also my third practice test. I have done no study or other preparation other than reading the AATBS Strategies and Ethics volumes. I do not know what test preparation produced the practice exam that I took this afternoon. I finished the 200-item exam in just over 2.5 hours. I produced a score of 73%. Incredible.

About Me

2010-03-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

Greetings! I am Dr. hipEPPP. Currently, I am the sole author of hipEPPP. I started this blog to help others, as well as myself, get and stay motivated to make the transition from unlicensed to licensed Psychologists by passing the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology. Through the sharing of my own EPPP experience and resources, it is my hope that others may find temporary respite in the shared frustrations and support during the preparation and examination process. We will pass this exam, and the blog title's teleographic tense stands as testament to our future success.

Prior to my current, full-time post-doctoral position, I graduated from an APA-accredited Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology, including a 2,000-hour APA-approved Pre-doctoral Internship. I also possess a M.A. in Counseling Psychology, and have worked in both academic and applied clinical settings for over ten years, in roles ranging from psychotherapist and corporate trainer to published author and editor. As a point of reference for my level of experience prior to sitting for the EPPP, I have just over 7,500 total supervised hours in clinical practice. You can follow me on Twitter @hipEPPP, or Email me directly at .

Verification of Prior Experience Submitted

2010-03-20T18:38:00.001-07:00

The Director of Clinical Training at my internship site has mailed the Verification of Prior Experience form to the Board, fulfilling the 1500 pre-doctoral hours requirement of the state. 1500 post-doctoral hours almost complete as well. Many more hurdles to come with respect to completing my application to sit for the EPPP. I continue to debate how diligently I should be studying at this point, when I have no assurances that I will be eligible to sit for the exam anytime soon.

EPPP Practice Test #2 Result

2010-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today, I took my first PsychPrep EPPP practice test. The result: 64%. Baffling. 69% on Academic Review, but only 64% on PsychPrep? This outcome flies in the face of common wisdom regarding the difficulty level of the respective brands of practice test materials. My colleagues assure me it is more a function of the idiosyncrasies of that PsychPrep exam, rather than any reflection on the reliability of my performance.

Overall, I an fairly surprised at my performance out of the gate, so to speak. My peers have been studying for months on end, and report that they have yet to reach this level of performance. Somehow, I continue to feel it to be a fluke despite their protestations to the contrary. Tomorrow's goal is to begin reviewing the items to which I responded incorrectly. I really have no sense of what domains I am particularly weak in aside from I/O.

EPPP Practice Test #1 Result

2010-03-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Before embarking on this EPPP journey, I decided to establish my basal level on Wednesday. I completed the first of what will likely seem to be an endless number of practice exams. I took a paper and pencil version of an Academic Review exam that a friend gave me. It took just under four hours. The result? 69%. I was shocked.

Self-Handicapping Job Interview

2010-01-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

As precisely and repeatedly advised to not do during the licensure preparation process, I am exploring a possible major life transition. It's an opportunity that presented itself, and that I, perhaps foolheartedly, agreed to explore. Not only would the start date and major geographical relocation fall in the middle of my early preparation, but my workload and cost of living would increase at least doubly while my salary would decrease 10 percent. Still, my quality of life during this post-doctoral year would improve significantly. Choices. Responsibility. Self-handicapping?

Preparation Phase - Day 2

2010-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Membership in Yahoo! EPPP_Prep Discussion Group was approved today—began exploring their Goldmine files and resources.

The "Preparing to Take the EPPP Discussion List" (EPPP_Prep) is a mailing list intended for students who are preparing to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) as developed and administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). Please consult the ASPPB website (www.asppb.org) for EPPP Exam information, including the Information for Candidates brochure, the Candidate Acknowledgment, and retired exam questions.

While NOT taking an approach of "how to beat the test" and keeping the list's purposes on high ethical grounds, the discussion will include topics related to pertinent areas of content, test taking strategies, etc. and other topics related to certification requirements for the professional practice of psychology.

Keep in mind that commercially available test preparation materials are copyrighted, and that explicit discussion of EPPP test content is prohibited. You are responsible for ensuring that any information or material you post to the group does not violate ethical or copyright guidelines or the ASPPB Candidate Acknowledgement.

Members MUST read and abide by the standards and procedures detailed in the Frequently Asked Questions files and in the ASPPB Candidate Acknowledgement. The moderators assume no responsibility for any information, files, or links to material that are posted to the group. Members may be removed or banned from the group at the moderators' discretion.

Study materials and files provided by members are for the use of group members only and may not be resold or distributed in any other way.

Preparation Phase - Day 1

2010-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Procured 12 paper-and-pencil practice exams for USD$86.00.
Numbered a sheet of paper from one to two-hundred.

The Beginning

2010-01-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

This blog will provide a chronology of my personal journey toward licensure.