After long and diligent study as a student, major hurdles may remain for you to achieve your academic or professional goal in California, as is true in most states and Provinces. For aspiring attorneys, the hurdle is the California State Bar Exam. For aspiring physicians, it is the California State Medical Licensing Exam. Psychology students must prepare for formidable California State and National Psychology License Exam requirements, including the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE). To be able to practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California or as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) one must pass examinations as stipulated by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Without successfully passing such professional examinations, years of work may fail to come to fruition.
Even before these last hurdles are reached, exams such as the LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, or GRE must be mastered to allow the pursuit of training in many professional fields.
Accommodations such as extended time or special quiet environment may be available on an individual basis if certain criteria are met that indicate the necessity for such accommodation. A psychodiagnosis of an Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or a Learning Disability (LD) qualifies some students for such special accommodation. A psychological evaluation by a qualified licensed psychologist, using certain specified psychological tests is required to meet the criteria that the specific State Board provides to the student.
The psychological tests that I am often called upon to administer include the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale IV (WAIS IV), the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS IV), the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, (WJ III) the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test III (WIAT III). The designations III and IV indicate the latest revision of these tests. State Board criteria specifically require the use of the latest revision of these tests. More information about these tests can be found on the page titled Intelligence & Memory Tests.