Don’t make this NPE mistake
The NPE is a source of great stress and pressure. You may study for weeks/months (if not longer) since you stress about failing. Luckily there’s a lot you can do to prepare. You may spend time doing practice questions, for instance the Psychology Squared Kahoot! questions and perhaps attend our amazing NPE study group to prepare. OK, enough of the shameless plugs!
If you fail, the consequence is a 3 month delay until you can resit, another whopping fee and ongoing pressure to keep your study knowledge current. Read on to avoid some common mistakes.
Some more inadvertent mistakes may be forgetting to study all the curriculum material, forgetting to do practice questions or not dedicating enough time to getting prepared. Study smart. Talk to people who have done the exam and get tips. Did we mention that you should do lots and lots of multiple questions?
However, we think it’s also important to realise that it’s a big mistake to sit the exam at home (if this can be avoided). You may be confused here! Stay with us. We'll explain. You may have the option to either do the remote option to sit the exam at home, or to sit the exam in an examination centre.
You may be tempted to sit the exam from home due to the convenience of not having to travel to the exam centre. However, there are many problems with sitting the exam from home: 1) The checks to ensure you aren't cheating are significant, time consuming and frustrating. 2) If there are technology issues, you need to wait and wait for these to get resolved, and 3) There are countless and growing examples of assessee having 'technology fails' whereby some kind of internet disconnection has led to them failing the exam. If you sit the exam from home and this happens, we suggest you contact AHPRA immediately to seek a free re-sit, however this may be only in 3 months time. However, if you need or want to sit the exam at home, allow extra time before starting to ensure you have the right emails handy with the right link for the exam, that you have tested your internet, installed any necessary software, checked on your antivirus protection won’t block your access or know how to troubleshoot it if it goes down, have a back up plan of using your mobile phone as a hotspot, ensure your work area is clean and tidy for them to check your workspace, sit the exam on a day that you can spent time contacting AHPRA and don’t sit the exam on the last day. That way, if there is a chance to resit due to issues, you have enough time before the end of that exam period.
Our advice: Don't risk it. Go into the exam centre. If you live far from one, make it a 'holiday.' Take the time to prepare, rest and relax and take your NPE on a sunny day in some exotic location!
Good luck with your studies- remember, review your options, and plan ahead.. It isn't worth it for all the risks and hassles involved. Stay safe and be smart when you sit your NPE!
Here are some links to other useful resource to support your NPE studies:
Our helpful Free NPE Bookfinder
Our comprehensive NPE peer-facilitated study groups