Passing the NPE, or National Psychology Exam, is a central part of becoming a registered psychologist in Australia. At COPP we have been supporting provisional psychologists to pass the NPE for over three decades. If you’re currently a provisional psychologist and are thinking about the exam, you may find the below information useful.

Preparation

When it comes to successfully completing the NPE, preparation is crucial. As a general guide, your preparation should include:

• developing a comprehensive study plan that is targeted and includes timed milestones
• using professional networks, workplaces, libraries and colleagues to source study materials
• setting adequate time aside for private reading and study
• seeking advice and assistance from supervisors
• seeking advice and support from colleagues
• attending workshops, training institutes or continuing professional development (CPD) events, and
• seeking appropriate structured and unstructured learning opportunities that focus on developing the core competencies assessed by the exam.

Think about knowledge application

It can be tempting to study for the exam by using rote memorisation techniques, such as flashcards and topic summaries. While it is important to know key information, candidates can be taken by surprise when they discover that the exam is a practice-based test.

Many of the exam questions take the form of vignettes, and will ask for a decision around a “what would you do?” scenario. This is quite different from asking you to select facts from a list of options.

For this reason, it is best to study for the exam in a way that captures applied skills, going beyond simple overviews of each exam domain. When preparing for the exam, look for study modules that will ask you to not only recall information, but also develop and test your ability to apply that knowledge in practice.

Think about the exam as a reflection of what you learned in your internship

The good news is that you’ve been studying for the exam for as long as you’ve been undertaking your internship! Rather than think of the NPE as a stand-alone assessment, we encourage you to think of the exam as a reflection of the knowledge and skills you will gain across your internship.

The exam is designed to test the competencies, which should align with the daily experience you aquire in your placement, supervision and PD. If you have selected these components well, then everyday of your internship will be building your knowledge and experience towards passing the exam. If you want to guarantee that you have covered all bases, let us take out the guess work out for you – our programs are designed to cover everything you need.

What’s in our Exam Preparation Course?

COPP’s exclusive NPE preparation course consists of 50+ hours of study modules that guide you through the exam curriculum, and give you applied scenarios to practice and test your knowledge across each domain. We’ve structured the course to go beyond an overview of each domain, to give you the opportunity to connect the exam curriculum knowledge to routine clinical work.

Talk to us today to find out about our comprehensive Psychologist Registration Programs, including our 5+1 program and our bespoke 4+2 completion program.