Are you a school psychologist in CA looking to get out of the public school life? Do you dream of one-day owning your own business, and being your own boss, while still practicing school psychology? Well Join the LEP club!
An LEP is a school psychologist who has met the criteria and passed a licensing exam from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to practice privately, outside of the school setting. All information regarding the scope of practice of an LEP and requirements for testing can be found on the BBS website www.bbs.ca.gov.
What does the LEP Exam consist of?
The Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) test is an exam that evaluates the knowledge and skills required to become a licensed educational psychologist. The exam assesses candidates’ understanding of key areas such as assessment and intervention, consultation and collaboration, ethical and legal issues, and educational psychology theories and practices. Speaking from experience, you pretty much need to know…everything related to special education laws, best practices, being a school psychologist, and being a private practice (educational) psychologist. This means, you will need to know not only special education eligibilities, but DSM-5 medical diagnosis related to learning. Sounds fun? Yes, if you like studying.
The LEP test typically includes multiple-choice questions that cover various topics related to educational psychology. These topics might include cognitive and academic assessments, social-emotional assessments, development of individualized education plans (IEPs), crisis intervention, and strategies for working with diverse student populations. The exam ensures that candidates have the expertise necessary to diagnose learning and behavioral issues, design effective interventions, and collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to support students’ educational and psychological needs.
If I passed, you can too!
I was on a mission, to say the least. From what I could tell, there is really little to no test-preps or courses to help prepare for this exam. The only one that I found (and took) was Empower LEP. I also became slightly obsessed with the YouTube videos of the Podcast as I began to dream this Spring about moving on from my regular school psych job. I won’t go into the details, but it’s a combination of feeling unappreciated, overwhelmed, and stuck with no other options to make more money, other than becoming an administrator. Hard pass.
I found the course that I purchased helpful, especially the practice quizzes, as they showed me how little I knew for passing the test. No, I am not endorsing it and I do not know the creator of the course. I am just sharing what I did to help me pass.
Tips for Passing the LEP
Having recently passed the Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) exam (July 2024), I can share some tips that were crucial to my success. First and foremost, creating a structured study plan is essential. Break down the material into manageable sections and allocate specific times each day for studying. Consistency is key, so try to stick to your schedule as closely as possible.
I also utilized various study resources such as websites, everything on the BBS related to being an LEP, the CASP Code of Ethics, YouTube Videos, and Making Flashcards. I then typed up my flashcards and re-watched all of the videos, as I compiled them into a comprehensive “study guide.” This was my process for studying. As a creator of many games and counseling activities on TpT, I am always inspired to take what I am doing in my profession and turn it into a product. So, making a study guide as I studied myself was no different.
Click HERE to learn more about the LEP Study Guide!
What’s Included in the LEP Exam Study Guide?
This Study Guide consists of the 4 areas of the LEP exam that are covered (Assessment, Consultation, Intervention, and Laws & Ethics). Was ALL of this information on the LEP Exam? Nope! But by having as much of it as I could handle crammed into my brain, I was able to answer a variety of scenario questions accurately, or with my best guess, since it was multiple choice.
Study Tips:
Use the Video and Website links, especially the CASP Code of Ethics website, as a tool for studying before using the flashcards. A blank flashcard page is included to make additional flashcards for topics that may not have been included in this study guide. You are your own captain of studying. This is a HARD test (the LEP Exam)! Using these study materials will help with much of knowledge base content for taking the test, but a lot of your ability to pass will depend on your own experience in doing the job of school psychologist and then applying your experience to what you would do or consult with a school, teacher, or parent to do as an LEP.
Other tips that might help
While I was a solo studier, another important tip might be to join a study group or find a study partner. There are several people looking to form study groups in the Empower LEP Facebook group. Discussing complex topics with peers can definitely deepen your understanding and reveal perspectives you might not have considered. Additionally, teaching the material to someone else is a powerful way to reinforce your knowledge.
Other websites that might be helpful include Quizlet. Not only did I study the tests/flashcards made for the LEP exam, but I studies ones that people made for Special Education Laws and the School Psychologist PRAXIS exam. Its all about knowing as much as you can, so that you can answer the 150 questions confidently with a vast knowledge base.
Lastly, don’t neglect self-care during your study period. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and burnt out if you don’t take regular breaks and maintain a healthy balance. And when you take the exam…stay positive! I’m not even sure that I was breathing for the entire test! And I know that my negative thoughts were swirling. So, take your time with studying, and with taking the test. I did not have any time at the end to review the many questions that I did not feel confident about…but I think that was because I spent the time with each question to really process what I was being asked.