If you are coming toward the end of your 4+2 or 5+1 psychology internship or are working through an overseas transitional program, then you are probably thinking about registering for the National Psychology Exam. Passing the exam with a score above 70% is essential to obtaining full general registration as a psychologist. Many provisional psychologists feel anxious about the prospect of the exam and have stress about how much to study, which readings or activities to do, and what areas to focus on. The good news is, that by the time you have completed your university studies, have administered and scored a range of assessments, written some case reports, and worked with a range of clients with varying presentations, then you have been studying for the exam all along!
The exam is based on the application of psychology so the more experience you have had the better placed you will be to pass the exam. The exam contains 150 multiple choice questions which are all scenarios with 5 options. More than one answer may be acceptable, but the best answer will be the correct one. You will have 3.5 hours to complete the exam and it runs 4 times per year in February, May, August and November. You can sit the exam at an exam centre or from home. If you fail the exam, you can re-sit up to 2 more times, but will need to wait until the next exam block.
The exam covers 4 domains:
- Intervention
This includes counselling skills, service delivery, evidenced based interventions, application of therapy technique and knowledge of various models of treatment. - Assessment
Including detailed knowledge of 6 assessments (WAIS, WISC, PAI, DASS, K-10, SDQ), a general knowledge of a range of curriculum assessments, diagnosis of a range of disorders from the curriculum, a knowledge of different forms of assessment, and issues around test selection. - Ethics
Including a knowledge of the APS Code of Conduct, knowledge of professional issues, and a knowledge of relevant legislation. - Communication
A knowledge of procedures for record keeping, report writing, referrals, and
communication issues with diverse groups.
Some tips to set you on your study path.
- Base your study on the exam curriculum. The curriculum can be found on the AHPRA website www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Registration/National-psychology-exam.aspx
- Do some broad study on all domains using a range of sources and recommended readings. A list of recommended readings can be found at the exam site above.
- Identify areas which you have had the least experience to do more in depth study. For example, if your work role has not had an assessment focus or it has been some time since you administered some of the bigger psychometric assessments, you may do more in depth study in this area by re-reading the test manuals.
- Do some practice questions once you have done some study to identify areas where you may need to give more attention. Practice questions can be found at the Psychology Board exam website, and at the back of the text Elements of Applied Psychological Practice in Australia by N Pelling & L Burton. There are some good ethics scenarios in the text Ethical Practice in Applied Psychology by C Boyle and N Gamble.
- Join a Facebook exam group or study group to connect with others, get some tips and share resources.
- Do start studying at least 6 weeks prior to the exam.
- Make sure you have the following documents:
- National Psychology Examination Curriculum
- National Psychology Exam Candidate Manual
- National Psychology Exam Recommended Reading List
- Guidelines for the National Psychology Exam
- A brief orientation to the National Psychology Examination
- National Psychology Examination Sample Questions
- APS Code of Ethics
If you are interested in one-on-one supervision or to join a group session to prepare for the National Psychology Exam, then please contact Amy on 07 3472 5061 or via the Contact page.