Have I been punked!? ExamEdge practice EPPP tests...

[procrastin8r]

I'm starting to study for the EPPP, and have just purchased a bundle of Exam Edge practice EPPP tests for a steal. I thought the price was too good to be true, but what the hell? I'm afraid I was right, because I just passed my very first practice EPPP test (74/100 or a score of 534). This is NOT good news. I brushed up on the ethics study guide for a few hours, have not studied in any way at all. I should not be getting a passing score! I took a practice test a year ago w/Psych Review, and got a 50/100 (so, not bad considering I didn't study at all, but nowhere near passing). I have not studied since then, because of a delay in my license app processing.

Exam Edge had several errors on the questions (e.g., stating the APA has 89 ethical standards, instead of 10; phrasing a mandated reporting questions as "call the law", etc.). I noticed repeated questions twice. Some of the questions were so absurdly easy, I had to laugh: Psychotic disorders are treated with... (wait for it) anti-psychotics! A 77-year old patient is in the phase of life called... (drum roll) maturity!

I feel like I just took a PSY 101 exam, with some advanced brain anatomy questions and nit-picky questions about naming the correct APA ethical standard number. So, either everything I heard about the EPPP was a lie, or Exam Edge is a complete scam that falsely lures test-takers into a sense of security, resulting in them flunking the actual exam. Has anyone else experienced this? Can anyone recommend an alternative source of affordable practice tests? (I already have study materials handed down from a colleague).

TL/DR: I just got punked by Exam Edge, but taking one of many poor-quality, overly-easy practice EPPP tests. I'm an idiot. Please advise.

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[WisNeuro]

I've never heard of this company, may be a caveat emptor situation. My rec was Academic Review. but that is dated as I haven't looked at EPPP materials in nearly a decade at this point.

 

[foreverbull]

I’ve never heard of this company. That’s not a great sign—you want to make sure you’re buying from a reputable practice company. AATBS, Psychprep, Academic Review, Taylor method... I’m forgetting one or two newer ones but these are established and the practice tests are much harder for all. The EPPP will be harder than your questions. This sounds like someone trying to make a quick buck off of intro psych exam questions.

 

[foreverbull]

Also, this company provides a lot of exam preps for different exams and several folks complained on the BBB Website that the exam questions of their respective exams were misspelled, nothing like the real exams, etc.

Exam Edge, LLC | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile

View customer complaints of Exam Edge, LLC, BBB helps resolve disputes with the services or products a business provides.

www.bbb.org

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Is there any evidence that any of these services actually improve performance? I don’t think so. Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t get screwed for even more dough.

 

[bookwormpsych]

My mom, being the sweetheart she is, tried to help me when I was gathering materials to study for the EPPP. She bought me a "package" of Exam Edge exams and man... they were awful. Luckily, I explained this to her. Now, my mom can be a very forceful woman... forceful enough to get her money back on the package. I ended up using PsychPrep and PrepJet. I wouldn't call it a "scam" necessarily, but I also wouldn't ever ever ever recommend someone to use it.

 

[Hippo Campus]

Is there any evidence that any of these services actually improve performance? I don’t think so. Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t get screwed for even more dough.

These services as in test prep programs?

If so, I think they do. The recorded lectures really helped me in addition to the online exams. Of course, I shelled out about a grand for those programs, so i'm assuming they're of better quality than Exame Edge.

 

[WisNeuro]

These services as in test prep programs?

If so, I think they do. The recorded lectures really helped me in addition to the online exams. Of course, I shelled out about a grand for those programs, so i'm assuming they're of better quality than Exame Edge.

There is limited info, and what there is, does not accurately address the topic. If I recall, some evidence for chapter reviews and mock exams being helpful, but attending workshops and more intensive things tend to be correlated with higher rates of failure. All correlational. My hypothesis would be that the diploma millers tend to do things like the workshops and such, explaining the failure rate there.

 

[beginner2011]

There is limited info, and what there is, does not accurately address the topic. If I recall, some evidence for chapter reviews and mock exams being helpful, but attending workshops and more intensive things tend to be correlated with higher rates of failure. All correlational. My hypothesis would be that the diploma millers tend to do things like the workshops and such, explaining the failure rate there.

Anecdotally, I would also expect an effect of workshop attendance on test anxiety. If I shelled out $1k for a workshop it would probably make me more anxious during the exam, not less (especially if my practice exam scores didn't noticeably improve).

 

[Hippo Campus]

I would go with PrepJet. It's about 150$/mo and they have 6 practice tests (plus an initial diagnostic test which you can take for free) and a bunch of domain-specific quizzes.

 

[procrastin8r]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I agree, it could have been worse $$$$$

In an unexpected twist of events, I passed the official ASPPB practice exam! So, still recommend not giving ExamEdge a single penny, but my exam ExamEdge performance may not have been as overestimated as I thought? Now, I'm even more baffled =) Going to brush up on areas I scored lowest on, and take the 2nd official practice exam... If I pass that, then I suppose it's time for the real thing?

 

[procrastin8r]

My mom, being the sweetheart she is, tried to help me when I was gathering materials to study for the EPPP. She bought me a "package" of Exam Edge exams and man... they were awful. Luckily, I explained this to her. Now, my mom can be a very forceful woman... forceful enough to get her money back on the package. I ended up using PsychPrep and PrepJet. I wouldn't call it a "scam" necessarily, but I also wouldn't ever ever ever recommend someone to use it.

WOW, GO MOM! I immediately gave up on getting my money back. Obviously I'm not a "very forceful woman" =P

 

[bookwormpsych]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I agree, it could have been worse $$$$$

In an unexpected twist of events, I passed the official ASPPB practice exam! So, still recommend not giving ExamEdge a single penny, but my exam ExamEdge performance may not have been as overestimated as I thought? Now, I'm even more baffled =) Going to brush up on areas I scored lowest on, and take the 2nd official practice exam... If I pass that, then I suppose it's time for the real thing?

If you're feeling like you need something to study with, PrepJet is one of the things I used. They have a monthly plan that's relatively cheap where you get quizzes, practice exams, and summaries (the info needed to study). The monthly is good for brushing up on things, rather than doing the entire program. And also useful if you plan on taking the exam soon. However, if that is the route you choose, they have an exam called the "diagnostic exam" that you take first. Do NOT be discouraged by this, it's made to where you do horrible and panic-buy their program! The program is awesome, though, aside from that.

If you're doing that well on the practice EPPPs, I think you'll do fine! I never took the practice and just went for it so I can't say how they compare, but I'm sure being from ASPPB themselves, they're the closest representative test! Good luck to you and your endeavors and I'm sure you will do well!

Also, I didn't know what other words to use to describe my mom as a "Karen" haha!

 

[DynamicDidactic]

These services as in test prep programs?

If so, I think they do. The recorded lectures really helped me in addition to the online exams. Of course, I shelled out about a grand for those programs, so i'm assuming they're of better quality than Exame Edge.

Is anecdotal evidence the best we can do? Might as well start recommending homeopathy if that is your bar for evidence. Sorry to be snarky. Simply speaking I have a hard time believing it helps when there is no data. Even correlational, where is that?

 

[Hippo Campus]

Is anecdotal evidence the best we can do? Might as well start recommending homeopathy if that is your bar for evidence. Sorry to be snarky. Simply speaking I have a hard time believing it helps when there is no data. Even correlational, where is that?

Of course, anecdotal evidence is not the best we can do. I'm not familiar with the literature on this topic and as I stated earlier, I'm speaking from personal experience. I'm sure you're familiar with the following table provided by the APA, but it does show that commercial study guides have similar passing rates as individual study and several other methods. Claiming that commercial material and programs don't work is a bit disingenuous.

 

[WisNeuro]

Of course, anecdotal evidence is not the best we can do. I'm not familiar with the literature on this topic and as I stated earlier, I'm speaking from personal experience. I'm sure you're familiar with the following table provided by the APA, but it does show that commercial study guides have similar passing rates as individual study and several other methods. Claiming that commercial material and programs don't work is a bit disingenuous.

Not really all that disingenuous. This is correlational, we'd need to actually run groups to see about the effect. The issue with this particular kind of data is that it is fairly susceptible to cohort effects. I'm willing to bet a year's salary that that commercial workshop group is fundamentally different than test takers as a whole.

 

[Hippo Campus]

Not really all that disingenuous. This is correlational, we'd need to actually run groups to see about the effect. The issue with this particular kind of data is that it is fairly susceptible to cohort effects. I'm willing to bet a year's salary that that commercial workshop group is fundamentally different than test takers as a whole.

Sure, I could agree with that. The bottom line is that there are many ways one could go about preparing for this exam and what works for one person may not work for another.

 

[WisNeuro]

Sure, I could agree with that. The bottom line is that there are many ways one could go about preparing for this exam and what works for one person may not work for another.

Definitely. Best way to study for this is how you study for other exams you do well on.

 

[foreverbull]

Is there any evidence that any of these services actually improve performance? I don’t think so. Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t get screwed for even more dough.

I see what you’re saying, but I’m not sure how I would‘ve known how to go about gathering and then distilling all of my own grad school materials with zero input except for the short blurb about domains from ASPPB. Particularly for I/O, which I’ve never had a course in, but also generally other than the obvious ones like Diagnosis/Psychopathology and Ethics, which are pretty straightforward. By the time I was at the EPPP stage, I’d sold all of my textbooks except for stats/research and the DSM-IV-TR, so I would’ve been heavily relying on whatever free quiz questions I could’ve found on the Internet, Youtuvebvideo lectures, and my class notes all while having no idea if I was focusing on the right information. I’m not sure I would’ve banked on passing from just that alone. The time involved also would’ve been higher than what I spent studying to account for the gathering and condensing—I would imagine this would take a fair amount of time if no one has done it for you.

Yes, these practice companies encourage anxiety about the EPPP—I don’t dispute that—but I also don’t know that I would’ve known exactly what content I needed to study on my own with no textbooks and old notes from classes several years prior to guide me. And no practice tests whatsoever.

 

[JustNoticing]

That survey question about method of study showing 80% pass rate was a select all that apply question, so it really limits what inferences one can draw. We would have to know what percentage used "individual study" without also using commercial test prep materials to draw some of the conclusions being drawn here.

 

[procrastin8r]

they have an exam called the "diagnostic exam" that you take first. Do NOT be discouraged by this, it's made to where you do horrible and panic-buy their program!

Literally read this after I panicked about my poor performance on the diagnostic exam! Thank you so much for the insight and the support! I took the 2nd ASPPB practice test today, passed it also, with an even higher score. So, I have enough data now to justify the risk - signed up to take the EPPP on Monday! Eeee!

 

[procrastin8r]

I PASSED!!!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I PASSED!!!

Congrats, that's great news!

 

[psychdoc001]

Wow Congrats on your passing! This is such a random question but really wanted to verify, in New York, can we take the Eppp right after internship + graduation of the doctoral program? even though it is Before post-doc? Or the EPPP should be taken after postdoc?

 

[Hippo Campus]

Wow Congrats on your passing! This is such a random question but really wanted to verify, in New York, can we take the Eppp right after internship + graduation of the doctoral program? even though it is Before post-doc? Or the EPPP should be taken after postdoc?

EPPP can be taken as soon as the state allows you to. You need to submit your internship hours and have them approved and you'll then get instructions on how to register for the EPPP.

Reference this page.

 

[Iam710]

Greetings,

Is there someone who is preparing to take the EPPP exam in Southern CA willing to study online

 

[Leylrasool]

Greetings,

Is there someone who is preparing to take the EPPP exam in Southern CA willing to study online

HI, I have my test scheduled for Oct 17th.
Im in Upland CA

 

[Iam710]

HI, I have my test scheduled for Oct 17th.
Im in Upland CA

Fantastic...When did you register for the exam? Currently, registration is
closed, as ASPPB is going through the portal change.

 

[Leylrasool]

Fantastic...When did you register for the exam? Currently, registration is
closed, as ASPPB is going through the portal change.

Sorry for the delay in responding, I had scheduled back in September 20th.

 

[LaOceana]

Greetings,

Is there someone who is preparing to take the EPPP exam in Southern CA willing to study online

Hello, are you still looking for an online study buddy?
I am actually in WA state but would be interested in an online option.

 

[mastercoin]

I think www.examedge.com has too many complaints for me to seriously consider the website a reputable study guide for dialysis nurse certification. BBB.org has a list of many complaints against examedge.com to warrant any serious consideration