Time Management

A while back, when I was still writing my dissertation, I was having a lot of trouble keeping focused on writing. I wrote a qualitative dissertation, so I knew it would be quite a lengthy dissertation, requiring many hours at the keyboard. I became easily overwhelmed at a seemingly endless task, wondering if I would ever finish. I arranged for a consultation with a dissertation coach, who mentioned the Pomodoro Technique. This technique saved my academic life and provided an easy way to create time management. Some of you may have already heard of this technique (especially with writing a dissertation), or used it previously.

For those of you unfamiliar, let me divulge the secrets of this technique that can make it an invaluable tool for completing large tasks, like I am now using for studying for the EPPP. The Pomodoro Technique is using 25 minute blocks of time (or whatever you decide) where you work non-stop, no distractions, until the buzzer rings. After the 25 minute block is up (called a "pomodoro" or "tomato" in English), you take a 5 minute break. You document what you have completed during that tomato, and after the 5 minute break, you go back to work for another 25 minute block and repeat the break and recording the task(s) completed. After 4 tomatoes, it is suggested you take a longer break (15-30 minutes). If you get distracted during a tomato and cannot focus on completing the task(s), the tomato is "squashed" and doesn't count. If you do get distracted during a tomato, it's recommended to write down tasks you are thinking about on a to-do list and come back to it following the tomato.

Now, not only does this insure that you will not exhaust yourself by not taking appropriate study breaks, but this also teaches you how much work you complete on average with each tomato, which makes it much easier to plan a study schedule, for example. After I began studying the past week, I have learned when going through Academic Review's study guides, I found that it took me about 20 tomatoes to get through one subject book. While not all books are the same length, it's likely that it will take me a similar amount for the rest of the books, which means I can plan out my study schedule appropriately to go through all of the study books in the timeline desired.

I know this doesn't work for everyone's study style, but this has been a great technique for many people in providing structure, discipline, and planning abilities. You can download the free ebook or just your basic cheat sheet, along with to-do lists and recording sheets here. If you would rather time and record your tomatoes online, you can use mytomatoes.com or there are tons of phone apps out there for the pomodoro technique. A lot of times its fun to keep track of how many tomatoes you complete for the day, and can be helpful to someone with a competitive personality. So, if you find yourself having trouble keeping focused and/or maintaining a good study schedule, consider giving this technique a try.

My Study Schedule: What I have learned so far

Here is my tentative study schedule for the EPPP. This took some experimentation on my part, and I would recommend that you do so once you have planned out how your study sessions will look. Initially, I told myself I was going to study certain sections of test using books from Academic Review as a study session. However, I realized that sections of the study materials vary in length, and I didn't think it was realistic for me to plan study sessions based on the length of materials. So now, I have changed my plans for specific amounts of time (hours). 

In planning a schedule, this is where knowledge about yourself and your study habits will also come into play. For me, I know I am not someone who can sit and study material for long lengths of time. I would rather spread out my goal hours throughout the week, with maybe a little bit more on weekends since I have more free time. However, I know other people who have no problem studying for long periods of time. Whatever you choose, be realistic!  

How you decide to create your schedule will be somewhat based on how much anxiety you have about the exam, and perhaps what advice others have given you on how much to study. From my supervisors at internship, I have been told that 5 hours of weekly study for 3-4 months would likely be sufficient, or at least it was for them. I don't think that is too off base for me, so I have designed a plan with just a little bit extra, just in case. 

The other thing that is important to do is to set a test date deadline with a little flexibility. This is important since the state board that you are applying for licensure for may or may not move as fast as you would like them to for approval to take the EPPP. Remember, you'll have to get an authorization to test form following the approval of your application for licensure, which gives you 60 days to take the test. Ideally, I would like to take the EPPP as soon as possible. However, I know that filing the appropriate paperwork following completion of my internship will likely take at least a few weeks, so I have put my absolute deadline for October 15th. 

However you design your study schedule, be sure to account for the other things going on in your life. As I am sure you know, studying for the EPPP should not be your entire life. You can see from my schedule, I have already inserted gray boxes where I won't (and probably shouldn't attempt to) study. Plan to study, but also make sure you still have room to breathe for life's plans. People in our profession can burn out easily, and you don't want the EPPP to contribute to that already! 

Let's Check Your Baseline

This is a print out from my first diagnostic assessment (my "baseline"), free courtesy of Academic Review, which assesses your competencies of all sections of the test. You can take this diagnostic test multiple times (once per month), as a way to keep track of your progress. This tool can be very helpful for remedial studying - focusing on the areas you may need some more attention. As you can see from these scores, I do have one big sore thumb - social psychology. However, this makes complete sense to me since I did not take social psychology in undergrad, and the EPPP asks about basic concepts in these areas (i.e. undergrad level). I also have some strengths - Neuropsychology (which I just completed a rotation on at my internship), diagnosis and psychopathology, and research design and statistics (this one has to be a fluke). 

Take advantage of diagnostic tests to help you plan your study schedule and guide your areas of focus for areas that might be a bit of concern.

I am pleased with a 62% with no studying! Only 8 more percentage points to go, which I believe to be more than achievable. :)

Planning a Study Schedule

I have been agonizing over how to study appropriately for EPPP in terms of planning a study schedule. I'm planning on taking the exam in late September to mid October, depending on how fast the paperwork can get through the licensing board. Here are some of the general suggestions I have read about planning a study schedule, which unfortunately discuss the vast amounts of variability among individual needs.

TIMELINE:  This varies depending on your level of anxiety, style of studying, and time available for studying.  People have advised anywhere from 1 to 4 months of studying before taking the exam.  Most people agree that a shorter, more concentrated effort is favorable to studying intermittently for a long period of time.

Examples of Successful EPPP Strategies

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Strategy	Actual Timeframe	Recommended Timeframe
Created flashcards from study books, took practice exams and reviewed rationales for answers.	5 weeks	4-6 weeks
1-2 hours for 6 months – listened to cds 2-3 times, skimmed books (particularly ethics), took a few practice exams.  Set date 5 weeks in advance – took practice exams, highlighted answers and used as a study guide, took notes on sections that were areas of weakness.	5 weeks
Read all books once, listened to all cds at least once, took practice exams.	6 weeks
Read I/O book, took practice exams and studied rationales for answers.	6 weeks
Made flashcards, took practice exams, listened to cds .	10-12 weeks
Began studying 2 hours/week a year in advance, though not intensely.  Read some of the book and took notes, listened to cds.  Took practice exams and read rationales to answers.  Suggests to start studying 6-10 hours per week, then shift to daily studying for a month.	2 months	4 months
Read all books once, listened to all cds at least once, took practice exams and reviewed answers, studied chapter glossaries.	3 months	2 months
Read all books and made study notes.  Scheduled test 4-6 weeks out and reviewed study notes, studied copies of glossaries from study books, and took practice tests.  Did this every day for the last 3 weeks.	3-4 months
Memorized study books – spent about 2 weeks per book, covered all areas 2x.  Listened to cds, quiz sessions with others taking the exam, 1 practice exam per week.  Wrote own test questions.	230 hours (~15 hours per week)
Listened to cds, read books, made and reviewed flashcards.  Took 2 tests per week and reviewed answers.	4 months	4 months
Listened to cds, read parts of study books, took practice exams.	6 months (not intense)
Reviewed study materials, took practice exams and reviewed answers	5-6 months

As you can see, there is a lot of variability in study strategies and timeframes. The common denominator is that each of these individuals passed the EPPP on the first try. Try not to get overwhelmed by these options; just determine what works for you.

But what does work best for you? While I would like to think of myself as a "professional student" at this point, I feel like I haven't taken a test like this in quite some time - maybe the GRE Psychology Test...which I didn't really study for when I took it.

The Taylor Study Method, one of the purchased study programs, provides a personalized program based on the number of hours per week and the deadline test date you report, and how you scored on their diagnostic test. However, I don't have $350 a month to pay for this program (or at least not at this point).

For now, I am planning on studying at least 5 hours a week for the next three to four months, with a couple of exceptions here and there due to moving and other commitments that involve heavy travel. I'm a big fan of Google Docs, and here is an example used by a colleague of mine and some of her friends. You can find other example study schedules on the Shared Documents Page. I'll post my schedule once I've gotten everything finalized. :)