Psychology Oral Exam Study Tip Moment #1
By Dr. Evelyn Jagpat
How do I best use the time given to review the clinical vignette during my Psychology Oral Exam?
During your psychology oral exam you will be given about 10 minutes to review the clinical case. Although you may feel like this is not much time, in reality, 10 minutes is more than sufficient if used wisely. You will likely feel rushed and may be tempted to not use the full time allotted. Resist this urge. Let your examiners signal you when time is up.
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First and most importantly take a moment to breathe, relax and then target your time.
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Take notes and write down impressions as you go along. Remember to refer to them during the exam as needed and to also look at the case details again if you need to clarify information before answering a question.
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Use the time effectively. This is where practice with actual oral responding to cases and familiarity with answering clinical questions about specific cases come into play. If you have prepared appropriately, then you can review the case using critical thinking, keeping in mind the key details and types of questions that are likely to be asked. Our practice exams and study guide go into much more detail on how to do this effectively.
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Read the case more than once. First for familiarity then focusing on targeted details using critical questions to guide your focus.
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Try to synthesize the material and do an initial case conceptualization. Do you know what the most critical elements are in conceptualizing this case? Below are just a few that you will gain practice applying with our study program.
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Consider the following:
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1) What is your initial diagnostic impression?
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2) What assessments do you need to conduct?
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3) Are there any red-flags? What may some of these be?
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4) What other relevant data may you consider, e.g. culture issues, diversity issues, and many more? How are these relevant and how may they impact your formulation and diagnostic impressions?
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5) What is your initial targeted treatment plan for this specific client?
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See our Study Guide and Online Testing Program for help and practice doing this and answering the kinds of questions you need to know to answer for your Psychology Oral Exam. Learn more HERE
Wishing you all the best on your oral exam!
Dr. Eve
Tags: psychology licensure, psychology oral exam, psychology oral exam study strategies, psychology oral exam Texas
