Comprehensive Examination and Clinical Practice Examination
The Clinical Psychology Program (CPP) at PHSU utilizes two broad measures for the formative evaluation of student learning, the Comprehensive Examination (CE) and the Clinical Practice Examination (CPX). The CE focuses on the assessment of knowledge acquired on the foundations of the discipline, the profession and in research. The CPX is designed to assess clinical competencies related to relationship, clinical and psychological assessment and diagnosis, intervention, and consultation.
Comprehensive Examination (CE)
The CE is offered by the end of the second year. All students must take the CE, even those who are admitted after completing a master’s degree program from other institutions. Students must have approved all the courses of the first two years of the program and must be in satisfactory academic progress, as described elsewhere in this catalog. The format of the CE is similar to the licensing examination prepared by the Board of Registration of Psychology of Puerto Rico.
The courses assessing the Discipline Specific Knowledge (DSK) area are:
Social Bases of Behavior, Psychology of Personality, Fundamentals of Neuroscience (Biological Bases of Behavior), History of Psychological Thought, Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior, Human Growth and Development and Integrative Knowledge
The courses assessing Profession Wide Competencies (PWC) area are:
Ethics in Professional Psychology, Fundamentals of Psychopathology, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Assessment, Cognitive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Principles of Psychoneuroimmunology, Test Construction, Quantitative Research Methods, Descriptive and Inferential Statistics and Research Proposal Development.
To approve the CE, students need to achieve a minimum global score of 80% and in all the Discipline Specific Knowledge areas. Additionally, they must also obtain a minimum of 80% in the Ethics in Professional Psychology section. Students who do not comply with these criteria will repeat the specific failed areas during a second administration.
Remedial Plan for Comprehensive Examination (CE)
If a student fails the second administration, a remedial plan will be written to assist students in addressing the deficiencies identified by their test performance. Remediation plans may include readings, additional revision of written materials, additional courses, or other specified training experiences with the mentorship of a faculty member. All remediation plans, and the contractual agreement drawn by faculty, will be provided to the student in writing. The goal of remediation is to help students acquire the knowledge needed to pass the CE and the licensing examination. A student may have only one remedial plan. Failure on the CE after completing a remedial plan will result in a referral to the Institutional Promotions Committee. The Promotions Committee will determine whether a student who has failed the CE following a remediation plan is eligible for additional remedial opportunities or should be dismissed from the program.
Clinical Practice Examination (CPX)
All students must approve the CPX as a requisite to apply to their pre-doctoral internship. To be able to take the CPX, students must have approved all requisites of the third year and must have approved the Comprehensive Examination. To pass the CPX, the student must obtain a minimum Adequate Level of Performance (ALP) of 80%. Students should also obtain the established ALP score on each of the sections of the test.
The CPX team evaluates the student’s performance in the areas assessed: History taking, mental status exam, clinical diagnosis, clinical intervention, history documentation, ethical management, interviewing skills, and patient satisfaction. After the evaluation, students receive a letter with their Global score and their specific scores for each component of the CPX. Failure to obtain a global score of 80% will require the student to repeat the CPX. A remedial plan will be elaborated to assist the student to address the detected deficiencies.
If a student obtains a global score of 80% but fails one area of the test, he/she will engage in a remedial plan to address the deficiencies noted in that specific area. However, a student who obtains a passing score on the test but fails two or more areas, is considered to have failed the CPX and must repeat the entire examination. A remedial plan will be elaborated to assist the student to address the detected deficiencies.
Remedial Plan for Clinical Practice Examination
All remedial plans will be articulated and written in a contract format specifying the specific areas in need of remediation, the training site where the student will see patients for the plan, and the expected outcomes.
Student failing the test or two components of the test.
Students failing the whole test or two or more components of the CPX, will go through a minimum of one semester of remedial practice in a practicum site selected by the program. The Coordinator of Practice will contact the supervisor of the site, inform the areas that need improvement, and provide an evaluation form to be completed by the end of the semester.
After the remedial practicum, the student will repeat the CPX in the next cycle. If he/she does not pass in the second occasion, the student will have a second practicum placement of up to a semester before repeating the CPX for the third time. If the student does not pass in the third chance, he/she will be referred to the institutional Promotions Committee. The promotions committee will determine if the student should be eligible for an additional opportunity or should be dismissed from the program.
Students failing one component or area of the test
Students failing one area of the CPX, will go through a minimum of two months’ remedial plan. The Coordinator of Practice will contact the student supervisor, inform the specific area that needs improvement, and provide an evaluation form to be completed by the end of the
experience. After the remedial experience, the student will be evaluated in a reduced version (one or two standardized patients) of the CPX based on the area in need of improvement. If he/she does not pass in the second occasion, the student will have a practicum placement of up to a semester before repeating the CPX for the third time. If the student does not pass in the third chance, he/she will be referred to the institutional promotions committee.
Unjustified absence or tardiness to CE or CPX
A student who arrives 15 to 30 minutes late to the CE must complete the rest of the exam within the same period given to other students, except when the tardiness is justified. However, a student who arrives over 30 minutes late will not be allowed to take the exam unless the tardiness is objectively justified. A student who does not take the CE on the assigned day will not be able to take it until the next administration of the test, usually during the following year.
Tardiness to the CPX will prevent the student to see the standardized patient assigned for that period and will receive a grade of “0” on that particular exercise. A student who does not take the CPX on the assigned day will not be able to take it until the next administration, usually during the next year.
Academic Honesty related to CE and CPX
The CE and the CPX are complex assessment methods developed by program faculty and implemented through a staff of employees. These evaluation techniques are costly and time consuming in terms of preparation, implementation, scoring and reporting. Therefore, any violation to the honor code is considered a serious offense that may result in dismissal from the School. Violations include cheating during the CE or sharing the content of the test with other students. Divulging information of the CPX to students waiting in the reception area may result in immediate suspension from the test and from the program.
|