What is the difference between the initial and final review coaching session? Is one coaching
session more important than the other? How will participating in the coaching sessions help my
EPPP or CPLEE score?
Dr. Elizabeth Stanton addressed these questions in a Facebook Live event last month. In her
broadcast, she gave an overview of what the initial and final review coaching sessions entail.
She explained why utilizing both will contribute to a passing EPPP or CPLEE score.
In Part 1 of this series on studying during the holidays, we explored five tips for staying on track with your EPPP studies during the stressful and busy holiday season. Today we finish off the list with five more tips for keeping the course so you can enjoy the season and keep your study schedule!
All things being equal, it is best for your holiday studying to take place in the morning so you have the entire day ahead of you to enjoy. If you save your EPPP prep for the evening, you may have to pull yourself away from an enjoyable activity with family and friends or risk leaving it until too late once everyone else has gone to bed and you are too tired to study effectively. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it does represent one very good best practice.
Earlier this year in a couple live broadcasts, Dr. Graham Taylor answered questions about multitasking and EPPP exam prep. His two-part series explored some of the common challenges people face when trying to navigate their EPPP preparation around other commitments like family, a job, and internships, and how to effectively overcome these challenges. In the second video, Dr. Taylor considered the dark side of multitasking and shared some research showing that the more you multitask, the worse you become at it.
The holidays can be a wonderful time to reconnect with family and friends, as well as a time to focus on the things that matter the most to us. But the holidays can also be a time of stress. One of the things that can add to holiday stress is the type of intense study regime familiar to anyone preparing for their EPPP.
Sometimes I hear people ask questions like:
How can I possibly enjoy this holiday season with the licensure exam hanging over my head?
Should I just skip Christmas this year to focus on my EPPP studies instead?
How can I balance my EPPP preparation with the events of the holiday season, including my commitment to friends and family?
If you find yourself resonating with any of these, I have good news for you. Keeping to an EPPP course of study does not need to ruin the holiday season. In fact, if you follow the 10 techniques laid out in Parts 1 and 2, you’ll find that you can have a productive course of EPPP study and still enjoy a relaxing, fun-filled holiday season!
If you tend to feel down when winter rolls around, it can be hard to focus on studying for the EPPP. While the holidays are typically known as a cheerful time of year, they can unfortunately be characterized for some by a feeling of heaviness and of being weighed down. Decreased daylight and increased time indoors can contribute to anxiety and depression that many associate with the winter season.
According to Counseling Today, about 5% of adults in the United States experience what is called seasonal affective disorder or, fittingly so, SAD. It classifies as “major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern.” The shorter daylight hours throw off the circadian rhythm leading to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Symptoms are like that of depression such as decreased interest in activities you normally enjoy, difficulty getting out of bed, oversleeping, physical aches and pains, and fatigue. What sets SAD apart from depression is the pattern of symptoms in that they typically appear after daylight savings time.
Here are five tips to beat the winter blues, and stay focused on studying for the EPPP.
“Not even the rigors of grad school and internship prepared me for what I face now studying to pass the EPPP.”
“I keep putting off my EPPP test preparation because it overwhelms me. I know I need to start but I don’t know where to begin.”
“My entire career has been put on hold until I pass the EPPP. The problem is that I’ve already failed once.”
“I tried to start preparing for the EPPP once before, going through hundreds and hundreds of practice questions. It only showed me how unprepared I actually was. I know I need to put together a study plan but I don’t know where to start. I feel overwhelmed with the amount of material I need to learn.”
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Do any of the above concerns sound familiar? These types of anxieties represent typical feelings among those who are aspiring to become licensed psychologists.
Through almost two decades of working to prepare students to pass the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP), I’ve listened to anxieties such as those represented above. In the process of my work, I’ve collected the following tips and coping strategies that have proven effective in helping psychology students overcome these types of fears and steer a course toward EPPP success.
Continue reading
What are you thankful for? It’s the nationwide dinner table question for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Did you know that answering this question can help you pass the EPPP?
Based on extensive research done by TSM’s Robin Phillips, here are 5 thoughts on gratitude that are crucial to keep in mind all year-round: Continue reading
In all the focus on being academically prepared to take the EPPP, it’s easy to overlook some of the important practical preparations a candidate needs to do in order to be properly prepared.
In the video below, Dr. Graham Taylor walks us through the best practices for your exam day routine, from the moment you wake up through to the process of taking the exam itself. Dr. Taylor also addresses what the week before your exam should look like, as well as the day directly prior to it.
Do you have a goal of passing the EPPP before the year ends? Or do you want to create a study schedule by 2018? Whatever your goal may be, finding time to study can be a challenge, especially when we hit the holiday season. It’s important to get into the habit of studying before the holiday season is in full swing. Here are five practical tips to create space in your life for studying. Continue reading
The ASPPB has changed the launch date of the EPPP Step 2 to January 2020.
The EPPP Step 2, which is intended to complement the existing EPPP through assessing competency and skills, was previously being planned for a January 2019 launch. By pushing the date forward by a year, the ASPPB has more time to develop the new exam to the same standards as the existing EPPP.
This means that those licensed prior to 2020 will not be required to take the EPPP2.