Books to Read for BLEPP (Psychometrician Board Exam)

by Ms. Merillie Alberto

I’ve been asked a lot of times how did I do it (topnotching the Psychometrician Board Exam in 2016, ranked 8th). I mean I don’t know how to answer. If you’re asking me for a simple straight to the point summarized answer, I would give you 1) good study habits 2) love for Psychology. Since I’ve been asked for tips and tricks in studying, I decided to make this sort of guide for those who want to take the exam. The way I studied, I had a priority book for every subject and a “support”. I also used the handouts provided by the review center as support too. BLEPP 2017 is going to be in October 29-30 next year which means a longer and more than enough time for preparation compared to us, we took it in August 30-31, 2016 so use your time wisely! And make sure to make the decision of taking the exam in the first 2 to 3 months of 2017 and be really sure about it. The earlier you decide you’ll take it, the earlier you’ll be able to ready yourself for the exam. We don’t want to rush things, do we?

Let me share the recommended books to be read and the books I’ve read. I provided some of my insights about them and how I used them too. (This is your warning that this post is long.)

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

· Theories of Personality by Feist and Feist

PRIORITY READ

This is the recommended book by our lecturers in the review center. They say the board who creates our exams uses this book. This book looks complete and it will give you in depth discussions of the theories. I personally enjoyed reading this because it doesn’t throw all technical on you. It’s like reading a novel and it explains very well by talking to you. TOP is one of the hardest subjects because there are so many theories so cover to cover reading is a must and if you’re planning on doing it, do it on this book. If you still don’t have a copy, try to get one now as this book is quite thick and you should start reading early if you want to finish this. But as I remember, there are some theorists that are not in here so you still need other sources.

How did I use it? Color-coded highlighting (which I did for almost all of my sources). Orange for concepts, yellow for definitions, green for positive aspects of the theory and pink for negative, I used blue or green if it’s research results and related studies. Also, I took notes but I didn’t make notes for everything. I made notes for the terms I never heard. Did I do cover-to-cover of this? Almost. Wasn’t able to finish the last part, the cognitive behavioral people but I scanned through that area.

· Personality: An Introduction by Burger

This was our book in undergrad so I’m pretty familiar with its contents. This is not a priority read but this could help. This is not as complete as Feist and Feist but this has pretty good content too. I recommend reading this before reading the book by Feist and Feist. This will serve as a good boost before you dive right into the concepts in depth. Why do I recommend this? This book has another way of explaining things. The board exam questions are going to be tough. They might use complicated or simple words so you need to understand the concepts in the way that you can explain them on your own. I personally used this book as a support for Feist and Feist and I enjoyed reading it too.

Did I take notes too? Yes, I did. The same way I did with Feist. Cover-to-cover? Yes. I finished this book since this is one of the first I started reading (May-June I guess?).

ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

· Abnormal Psychology by Barlow and Durand

If you’re looking for a book that will be a priority, I would recommend this but I didn’t finish this cover to cover so as my friends. I focused more on the part that explains the disorder from a theory’s perspective. A pretty good background in TOP will be an advantage for Ab Psych since a lump of questions (during our time) relate directly to TOP and it might be like this again. The knowledge required to conquer the board exam is to know the theories in depth, not only the concepts but the application of it. Say, a man has depression, how do you explain it using Freudian view? If Adlerian? How about the Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective? This book could help you in that aspect.

· Abnormal Psychology by Ann Kring

This is a support. I just scanned thru this so I can’t say much but this book is good too.

· Abnormal Psychology by Whitbourne and Halgin

The reason I have this book is because this was what we used in undergrad and the edition I have uses the DSM-IV TR. This is also the only book that I have a physical copy and I prefer physical copies when studying. I just scanned through it. I used this to get the general description of the disorders and yeah, another support.

There’s a unique way I used this book. If you’re familiar with how academic books look and made, that will be an advantage. I started taking Ab Psych seriously only a month before our actual board exam so you can sense some panic there. I made notes out of the key terms from each chapter. To make it easier, I took the definition of the key terms from glossary rather than scanning them on the chapter pages which takes a lot of time (but this method gives a better definition and some good explanations). I am actually thinking of sharing that reviewer to you guys. Let’s see if I will. :D

INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

· Industrial Psychology by Aamodt

PRIORITY READ

The BOP(Board of Psychology) has been using this book since the first batch(as ates and kuyas said) and I don’t think they intend on using other books as the main source of their board exam questions. Read on this and as they say, “Buhay ka na sa I/O!”

They say this is the easiest subject and I agree (but you don’t have too, we are all different after all). According to one lecturer, it is the easiest because this is an applied subject, meaning most of the concepts of I/O root from TOP, Ab Psych and Psychological Testing. If you’ll notice, the four subjects overlap and concepts appear and reappear once you start studying in different books of different subjects. Read this cover-to-cover and I bet you’ll survive I/O.

Did I read this cover-to-cover this? Yes. It’s just a must.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

· Psychological Testing and Assessment by Cohen and Swerdlik

PRIORITY READ

If you’re looking for a book in Assessment that is almost complete, this is it. But beware because this book is really technical. This is the only book that I have to read twice before I fully grasp what is being discussed but it will really feed you with everything that you think you will need to conquer the most difficult subject of the board exam.

I didn’t do cover-to-cover of this book because of time restriction but I read up to the 4th or 5th chapter. I can’t be sure since my book is already borrowed. After doing those chapters, I did the same thing with what I did with my Whitbourne and Halgin book. One friend was able to finish this by just reading the terms that are bold typefaced. Use this whatever way you want, just use it.

· Psychological Assessment by Kaplan and Sacuzzo

PRIORITY READ

I’ve put priority read too because if you want to understand Psychological Assessment but had difficulty understanding Cohen and Swerdlik, this will work for you. This is an easier read, it has a way of explaining things without making it sound too complicated. I’d recommend reading this first before jumping to Cohen and Swerdlik if you have time. In my case, I scanned through this. I made notes too but not as extensive as I did with the Cohen and Swerdlik book.

But wait, how do I deal with Statistics? Statistics!!!!

Know about the concepts and different statistical tools and you’ll be fine. Know the difference between parametric, non-parametric, the statistical tools to be used if the data is nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. And know if it’s for difference, correlation and the likes. Statistics is crucial to survive Psychological Assessment! For this, I made notes from the summaries of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences by Gravetter and Wallnau and the handouts provided by the review center.

And how do I deal with Ethics?

I relied on my review center notes, handouts and drills for this. To answer board exam question about Ethics, you need the basic knowledge of our profession’s Code of Ethics, common sense, a sound judgment and your conscience. Combine those to approach the situational questions and I bet you’ll be good. Be really careful as the choices for questions about Ethics look like all of them are acceptable, good and proper. Go for the one and only best answer among them. My review center really helped in enhancing our skills in this area. (RGO Review Center)

I guess this has given you a clue on how to start reviewing for the board exam. You don’t have to follow the tedious way I studied. Find what works for you and what doesn’t and pick it up from there. Plan, make your own study strategy and it doesn’t have to follow everybody else’s. Study the way you want to.

I hope this helps. Good luck and God bless on your journey, future RPm!

If you have questions and topic suggestions, put it in the comments. Thank you!

Her profile link:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/merillie-alberto/books-to-read-for-blepp-psychometrician-board-exam/1257942194244081

Schedule of BLEPP 2017

RA 10912 Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016

AN ACT MANDATING AND STRENGTHENING THE CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR ALL REGULATED PROFESSIONS, CREATING THE CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER RELATED PURPOSES

RA 10912 Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 by TinoRepaso on Scribd

Older posts re CPD


http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2015/10/continuing-professional-development-cpd.html

http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2016/08/amendments-to-revised-guidelines-on-cpd.html

OPPORTUNITIES FOR RPms

INDUSTRIAL

~Hindi lahat ng nasa industrial setting ay nakakaranas ng increase sa salary kapag nakapasa as RPm pero tandaan natin na eventually maaaring ma-professionalize na po ito dahil may board examination tayo. Tandaan na tayo po ang magpupurchase, magadminister, at mag-interpret ng examinations. May use ang license pero maaaring hindi pa lahat ng company ay marerecognize yan. *pero darating rin doon*
~Magpa-experience muna as HR staff dahil ma-apply mo doon ang natutunan mo sa IO. Ako nagamit ko siya noon. 

:)

ACADEME
~Dito makikita mo na may use talaga ang license mo. Sa ngayon, may ilang schools ang tumatanggap ng RPm para makapagturo ka ng board subjects. *siyempre mas maganda kung may masteral units ka rin para mas ayos* Kapag pwede kang makapagturo ng psych subjects, syempre may salary ka. Kaya lang usually kapag part-time no work, no pay. Kaya kailangan mong mag-strive para mapermanent. Mas mataas ang rating ng licensed sa walang license. *sa campus namin ganoon*
~May bearing ang license sa academe. Kung minsan pwede ang partner ng RGC sa pag-administer ng exam o kaya naman minsan acting as guidance and counseling coordinator ka muna habang tinatapos mo ang materal mo *yes dapat kumuha ka para makuha mo iyang position na yan talaga at siyempre mapermanent ka*
~Maaari kang magvalidate ng mga gawa ng students mo o ng students ng iba. Siyempre huwag mong kalimutan humingi ng letter from them at certificate na ikaw nagvalidate noon magagamit mo sa CPD.
~Kapag napermanent ka sa school mo (college), may mga opportunities ka na maka-attend ng PAP o national seminars at sasagutin nila iyon kasi gusto nga ng advancement sa academic settings.

CLINICAL
~Dito aminado ako, wala akong masyadong alam. Pero mula sa mga kaibigan ko, may ilang clinics na ayos ang pay at malaki ang help sa kanila kasi napapractice ang pinag-aralan. Nakakagawa ng psych reports plus nahahasa sa supervision ng RPsy.
~Dahil napapractice mo maaaring malaking tulong ito sa'yo kung sakaling magtake ka ng board for RPsy. May mga nakapagsabi kasi na maraming bumabagsak pa rin kahit nagtuturo doon. Kailangan kasi application talaga. Dapat rin tapos mo ang MA/MS/MP mo saka nakuha mo yung required subjects at minimum 200 hours na clinical practice.

MILITARY SETTING
~May 6 months training ka sa military kapag nakapasok ka sa screening procedure nila
~May rank ka na raw kapag nakapasok ka dahil license mo *naks feeling dauntless*
~Magagamit mo ang pinag-aralan mo
~Maganda ang pay at benefits
~Siyempre feeling strong 😄😂

SIDELINE
~Kapag masuwerte ka dahil active ka sa field at may experience ka na sa mga iyan, kung minsan pwede ka rin maglecture sa review center. Through invitation po ito. Work hard, maabot rin natin ito.
~Research assistant habang nasa academe or pwedeng ikaw na mismo ang researcher. Sa academe kapag nakapagpublish ka may incentive ka. *sa amin 10k o higit pa. May iba mas malaki pa talaga*
~Facilitator ng team building
~Speaker
~Research panelist
~Test Validator

CPD POINTS, ANO YUN?

~Sa lahat ng ginagawa natin, dapat humingi tayo ng certificate, program ng event, saka letter of invitation para may CPD points tayo o maconvert natin ang mga yan sa CPD. Kasi kailangan makabuo tayo ng 45 CPD points sa loob ng tatlong taon.

OO. Mahigpit sa field natin na kailangan natin gumalaw at gumawa para makapag-renew. Tama naman dahil dapat updated tayo.

~Publish works, graduate ng master's degree, speakership, panelist, conventions, conferences, workshops, paper presentation, etc. ay ilan lamang sa pagkukunan ng CPD points.

PAANO PO ANG CPE?
~Ang alam ko papaconvert po iyon sa CPD sa PRC. Saka dapat may PAP certificate of good standing daw. Kung next year ka na, asikasuhin mo na maaga pa lang.

Sana nasagot ko ilang katanungan ninyo. Salamat po. Ilang beses na rin kaming nagpost dito pero this time use the #OPPORTUNITIESFORRPMkung sakaling gusto niyong mahanap agad ito.

Lahat po ng bagay ay mahirap. Sa mga RPms po na kakapasa lang, huwag po kayong sumuko. Nanggaling rin po ako diyan. Nasa sa iyo po iyan kung gusto mo ng growth at makuha ang desired na salary na gusto mo. Kung ako sa'yo, start ka muna sa experience at say 'yes' to opportunities! Be active! Hindi ka makikilala kung hindi ka nakikipag-interact at magpatuloy na mag-aral lang. Salamat po. :)

FAQ on Registration and Oath taking

Saan po kami makakakuha ng Oath form and documentary stamps?
Sa PRC mismo


Nakapag register na po ako and waiting for oath taking na lang pero di po ako bumili ng ticket di po ko makakapunta sa oath taking on Oct.5 sa PICC.When po yung oath taking ng hindi pupunta?
Bumisita sa PRC Office kapag kukunin ang license/ID, certificate at hilingin ang PRC official na mag-take ka ng oath.


Hi good PM. Sorry to ask po again. Just want to know if ever po ba na hindi pa ako nakapag bayad ng 1050 sa pre-registration. Hindi po ba ako pwede magattend ng oath taking kahit may ticket na? 
Yo can attend the oath taking but PRC will not release your ID and certification since you are not paid yet. Your registration number appears or reflected in your ID and the certificate issued after the  oath taking.


Ask ko lang po ulit if kasama na dun sa Php700 ticket ang food sa oath taking sa PICC?
Per person ang bayad, passer at guest o yung kanyang kasama sa oath taking (entrance fee, seat, food and drinks).


Is it true that there is a morning and afternoon oath taking session (Nagkakaubusan daw po kasi ng pang-afternoon oath taking eh)?
Tama, may pang-umaga at pang-hapon dahil madami na ang magtake ng oath.
Morning oath taking - 9:00 AM
Afternoon oath taking - 1:30 PM


Anong oras matatapos?
Marahil mga 2-3 hours ang program lalo na may pang hapon pa na oath taking. Check ang PRC or PAP sa program.


Good morning po. Itatanong ko lang po. If pwede po bang next year oath taking nalang po 
sumabay yung passer ng year 2016? Tanong lang po. God bless po.
Hindi kayo allowed na mag-practice sa pagiging RPm kung hindi kayo nagtake ng oath kung balak nyo na sa 2017 pa kayo mag-oath.


Is there any outlet po for the ticket na pwede naming bilhan dto sa Vigan or Ilocos region po?
Sa PRC Manila lang po ang ticket outlet para sa oath taking, wala pong regional outlets.


Hello po, may update na po ba regarding the ticket for oathtaking for those who are based 
outside Manila?
PRC Manila lang ang bilihan ng ticket. Kung dito sa Manila ang oath taking nyo, magpabili na lang sa mga kakilala (ibigay ang inyong details sa kanila).

Good afternoon. Ang oath taking tickets po san po makakabili. Pag may 2 year old po bang 
batang kasama may bayad pa rin? Wala kasi mapapagiwanan.
Kung tungkol po sa bata subukan pong humanap ng mapag-iiwanan para wala na kayong ibang iintindihin pa at baka ma-bored lang ang bata sa event.

Pwedeng via online bumuli ng ticket for the oath taking ?
Wala pa pong online ticketing system ang PRC (for now).


Kasama pa po ba mga passers sa need bumili ng ticket? Or parents nlang?
Lahat ng papasok ng Plenary Hall ng PICC at dadalo ng oath taking ay magbabayad.


Required po ba n may magulang sa oath taking? 

Hindi po.

Hi good morning po, is there any news for the oath taking here in Cebu? So we can prepare, 
e.g., leave from work, attire, purchase the ticket, etc. Thank you! 😊 Also, I'm excited.
Wala pa po, check lang po ang inyong regional PRC office.

Hello po. Its me again.. question, pano po ung arrangement ng seats sa oath taking?
Per tables pa rin po ba xa o ung hilera nlng ng chairs this year?
Noong 2014 may mga round tables po  since may i-serve na pagkain at first come first served ang basis sa table free seating walang seating arrangement (may 3-5 tables reserved for guests, PRC officials at topnotchers in front of the stage).


Hi ask ko lang po kung may iba pa po bang nagbebenta ng ticket maliban sa may prc kasi po 
1 guest lang daw per passer. Isa lang binenta nilang ticketfor guests.
PRC lang po.

Nakapag oath na po kami sa prc ,in case na gusto namin na mag oath sa mga susunod na year sa PICC, it depends na lang po samin kung uulit kami ng oath ?
It is your decision, check PRC... I have not heard of repeated oath taking

May question po ako. Required po ba umattend ng oath taking para makuha license?
No but you can practice until you have taken an oath with any of PRC officials.


Hi, pwede po mag ask? kung hindi po ba mkkapunta ng oath taking, pwede po bang mgpabili nlng ng psychometrician pin sa klasm8 na mkkpnta?
Check po nyo ang PRC or PAP.


Hello po 😊 di po ba necessary mag attend ng oath taking sa Cebu or Davao? and saan po pwede maka bili or makakuha ng pin kung hindi makakadalo ng oath taking?
Check po nyo ang PRC or PAP.


Dahil po wala akong makuhang tulong mula PRC, hehe, itatanong ko na lang din po sa inyo 

kung paano ko po kaya mareretrieve yung account ko sa PRC Online if nalimutan ko yung 
password ko? Hindi po kasi nagana yung option na "Forgot Password" eh.
Visit and check with PRC.


My friend is asking, pano po ba nagiging conditional ung status?
Sa ibaba ng score meron pong nakasulat na conditional - kung fail naman po - tanggapin na lang po na fail. Basahin din ang batas anong ibig sabihin ng conditional sa link na ito -  http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/p/ra-10029-or-philippine-psychology-act.html


Nag exam po ko neto lang and yung general weighted ko po eh 74.80 is there any possibilities po ba na maconsider po ito?
Kung failed ang nakasulat sa ilalim ng score mo, tanggapin mo na ito at pagbutihin sa susunod na exam.

Helo may I ask, when is the next board exam? Thanks! Good day
Wala pa pong schedule, check lang po nyo ang PRC Exam Schedule. For 2017 maaring mga buwan ng Disyembre sa taong ito lumabas ang schedule.


Kaylan po ulit ang review for RPM's thanks
Check po ang FB page ng mga review centers - may listing kami sa blog.



Magandang gabe po admin pano po magpamember sa PAP po ? Salamat po sa response.
Check PAP FB Page or website for details


Hi is there a psychometrician licensure exam here in dubai?
Wala pa po, Pilipinas pa lang sa ngayon.


Hi sir tino balak ko po mag-exam next year kaso nagdadalawang isip po ako kung rgo o sparks ano po ba marerecommend niyo ? thanks po
Follow discussion here - https://www.facebook.com/psychometricianreviewer/posts/534774020066415


Hello! Gandang gabi po.. pwede po bang magtanong kung paano po magpa-enroll sa Spark?
PM nyo po sila sa FB Page nila

Open Letter to the Silent Warriors of BLEPP 2016

http://i.imgur.com/54vegcK.png?1

a Ann

To those whose time has not yet come, There may be thousands of thoughts running through your mind now, So many you don't know how to make it stop, so many you just want to explode and you wished you could have a built-in self destruct button for times like these... And it doesn't help that every time you refresh your facebook wall, or twitter, or instagram, you see another happy passer posting about their success. Not to undermine those who passed of course but can you help it if you feel upset? Each post reminds you that you weren't able to make it and that must suck like hell.. Or maybe even hell would taste a little bit sweeter. But hey, this will pass and when it does, it is then you can decide what to do next. Do you really want this? If so, how badly? Would it be worth the pain of trying and hoping again? Taking an exam again after you failed is like choosing to love again after a nasty break up. At the moment you feel like you can't go on... At the moment you want nothing more but to forget and avoid anything that reminds you of that great love... But then the dust settles and they tears from your eyes dries, and you realize that this chance may be worth one more try. So don't give up. No, I know strength is not the absence of weakness, but that despite that, you still choose not to give up. So cry now but plan later. Sabi nga ni Adler, we are motivated by feelings of inferiority which urges us to strive and strive... You will reach your success.. You define it and you get to decide how to come to terms with it. Just remember. You are much more than ratings on a piece of paper... You are much more than what you give yourself credit for. Sincerely yours, Fellow Psych Major

PRC Verification of Rating

Visit prc.gov.ph and click the verification of rating menu, supply the needed information,  to check your rating.