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Resource Guide for Psychology Graduate Students with Disabilities
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Understanding & Meeting Program Requirements
By Rhoda Olkin, PhD, and Carol Williams-Nickelson, PsyD
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS
Preliminary exams are given in some programs after the first and/or second (full-time) years. Generally, students must pass these exams in order to continue in the program or advance to candidacy. Students with disabilities should check with their respective programs about preliminary examination requirements so that preparation can begin early. Consider the timing of exams (i.e., how many in one week), accommodations needed, and pace in the program in relation to disability needs.
QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS
Programs vary in the type and duration of qualifying examinations, however, almost all programs that prepare practitioners to practice have some type of oral and written qualifying examination. The oral exam may cover a variety of applied topics. Students may be presented with a case and asked to discuss its conceptualization, diagnosis, treatment planning, diversity issues, referral procedures, ethical implications, and assessment strategies, just to name a few. Frequently, the oral examination may model what may be experienced during the oral portion of the state licensure exam. State licensure requirements and examinations vary, so it is best to check a specific state for its requirements.
The written portion of qualifying exams usually covers the breadth of psychology and serves as a mechanism for faculty to assess each student's baseline level of psychological knowledge and proficiency required for entry-level admission into the field. Some programs create a specialized written exam that can be taken in a few hours. Other programs administer written exams over the course of 2 days and are given to the student topic by topic. Still other programs use the GRE Psychology Subject test or the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) as their written qualifying exam, with minimum cutoff scores to pass each. The EPPP is a nationwide proficiency examination that state licensing boards use as part of the criteria to grant licensure to practice psychology in a particular state. States use different cutoff scores for passing, so be sure to check with each state to determine the minimum score that must be obtained to pass the written portion of the licensing exam in that state. Finally, some programs allow students to present a case write-up as the written portion of the qualifying exam.
Qualifying exams are usually administered at the end of the third or fourth years of training. Almost always, students must pass the oral and written portions of the qualifying exams before they can hold a dissertation proposal meeting, and before they can apply for internship. Students should review the requirements, expectations, and timing sequence for qualifying exams in the program handbook. It may also be beneficial to talk to some of the advanced students about their experiences in taking the qualifying exams. In some cases, the program may provide a reading list or set of resources that will help students prepare for the qualifying exams. Should you require accommodations for the oral or written portion of the qualifying exam, be sure to discuss this with the advisor or examination committee.
What follows are some suggestions that students with learning disabilities have found useful in preparing for and taking an oral qualifying exam:
- Tell the committee in advance that accommodation(s) will be used and describe the nature of the accommodation(s).
- Write down the questions that the examination committee asks.
- Repeat the question back to ensure that it is correct.
- If needed, write a few quick notes to help provide an organized response.
DISSERTATION ASSISTANCE
Students with disabilities should consider the nature and scope of the dissertation early in their training so that they can gather the necessary materials and obtain the necessary accommodations to develop a sound dissertation. Faculty members expect the same quality work from a student with a disability as they do from a nondisabled student. For those who fatigue easily, planning is particularly important because the dissertation must be high quality scholarly work. Because the dissertation requires synthesis of scholarly sources, and, therefore, a lot of reading, students with print impairments may need extra time to collect materials in accessible formats.
The following suggestions may be helpful during the dissertation process:
- Schedule at least 1 hour per week for writing assistance if needed.
- Schedule at least 1 hour per week for proofreading if needed.
- Avoid "running around" as much as possible. Materials that may be needed for the dissertation might be available at nearby libraries, but not available through interlibrary loan programs. Students with vision or mobility impairments may consider securing an assistant who can travel to collect and photocopy materials.
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