Welcome, tonight, May 21, 2001 we are chatting with Bernard Rousseau about preparing for the NESPA exam, the Speech-Language Pathology licensing exam. Bernard Rousseau, M.A., received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts Degrees in Communicative Disorders from the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Central Florida. He is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). Bernard is a research assistant to Diane Bless, Ph.D., Professor and Director of Voice Services at UW-Madison's Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Bernard is also on the staff of Licensure Exams, Inc., a multidisciplinary coalition of professional educators formed to prepare students and working professionals to take the professional licensure exam in speech-language pathology. <Robin> I'd like to introduce Bernard Rousseau who will chat about preparing for the NESPA exam <Bernard> Thanks Robin <Adrienne> Bernard can you first explain what the NESPA is and when we take it? <Bernard> The NESPA is a test of the Praxis Series administered by ETS <Bernard> It is offerred 6 times a year <Adrienne> so when someone says the "Praxis exam" it is the same as "the NESPA"? <Bernard> and is usually taken near the end of the graduate degree along with comprehensive examinations <Anonymous74> Hi...I'm Janice from California State University Northridge <Adrienne> welcome Janice! <Bernard> That is right, the test is actually called the Praxis test formerly NESPA <Adrienne> ok <jillspeech> hi Janice..I'm at Northridge too...Distance ed <Kelly> hi Jill and Janice I am at CSUN cohort 1 <Adrienne> is everyone else in here a student? Has anyone taken the NESPA? <Anonymous74> me too...Cohort 2 <Kelly> I have reviewed a few practice praxis - seems like time will be an issue <Robin> Bernard, how many questions are on the exam, and is it a multiple choice format? <Adrienne> you take the test after your Masters? <jillspeech> in the last year of graduate work..no haven't taken test <Bernard> The exam consists of approximately 150 questions and the duration of the test is 2 hours and yes it is in multiple choice format <Denise> are there review books you can study from? <Kelly> CSUN is due to take their exam in Nov 01 or Jan 02 <Kelly> the review books I am using are suggested by ETS in the registration packet <Robin> there are review books to study from as well as a website that offers on-line study <Bernard> yes there are review guides to study from. One of the better ones is a book titled Review for the National Speech Language Pathology Audiology Examination written by M.N. Hegde <Bernard> good review text for comprehensive exams as well <Robin> there is another text available by singular publications too...How to Prepare for the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology by Kay T. Payne, Ph.D <Bernard> I have helped put together a website along with an educational psychologist and the site is geared towards helping students prepare for the comprehensive exam and praxis <Bernard> it is actually a fee based website, but there are a lot of useful resources available on the site at no charge <jillspeech> wonderful! <Kelly> what is needed to pass this exam? <Adrienne> can we post the address somewhere? <Bernard> sure. The website address is www.nespaexam.com <Adrienne> easy enough! <Bernard> the site is convenient for those who would rather a more interactive study medium, rather than dealing with textbooks, and you can access the site at any time <Bernard> The exam is scored pass/fail. A passing score is 600 <Adrienne> out of 1000? <Bernard> I believe it is out of 1000, Adrienne <Janice> regarding the website...is there a time limit of use for the fee? <Kelly> is this exam for all slp students or for school based only? <Bernard> I would encourage students to visit it and take the free sampler, when you sign up to take it, you'll also receive daily emails with a question of the day, study tips, and definitions <Bernard> You can sign up for 1, 2, or 3 months <Bernard> I believe there are also shorter time's , if Im not mistaken, 1 and 2 weeks are also available <jillspeech> When would you recommend the exam be taken? <Bernard> I would recommend taking the exam during the semester before graduation or during the time you are taking comprehensive exams <Bernard> This way, things are still fresh <jillspeech> yes that makes sense Bernard <Robin> Bernard, what other tips can you offer? <Adrienne> what areas are covered on the exam? <Bernard> Comprehensive exams are usually administered in essay fashion, but in reviewing for them, you come across a lot of information that would be useful for Praxis as well <Anonymous4267> Any review books to suggest? <Bernard> The sections of the exam consist of Assessment, Treatment, and Management Issues <Kelly> the praxis web site gives you a mini slp study guide with subject based topics <Adrienne> great <Bernard> I would suggest Review for the National Exam in SLP/A by M.N. Hegde <Robin> also the How to Prepare for the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology by Kay T. Payne <Bernard> The study site we put together again is www.nespaexam.com . Uou can go there and access study tips, practice questions, strategies that worked, and hear from others who have taken the exam <Bernard> I would recommend the use of case study information to prepare for the exam as most questions are in this format, where you are given a scenario and then asked to choose the best answer <Adrienne> are there strategies that definitely won't work?... like memorization <Adrienne> are there multiple answers that would be appropriate, with one just MORE appropriate? <Robin> Do most programs have comprehensive exams at the end of grad school? <Bernard> Yes, most programs do, but it varies from program to program. My masters program actually allowed students who passed Praxis to be exempt from taking comps, but most programs choose not to do this <Kelly> does anyone know the actual cost of this exam? <Adrienne> wow, talk about incentive! <Kelly> CSUN is contemplating the passed praxis = no comps according to Dr. Green <jillspeech> boy would that be nice... <Janice> I like that! <jillspeech> Kelly sounds like you are on the ball with this.. <Bernard> Yes Adrienne there may be cases where there are more than one answer that might work, in those cases as in all others the "best" answer for most cases is most appropriate <Bernard> The cost to register for Praxis is $70 <Bernard> I believe you can register online at www.teachingandlearning.org <Janice> is the test given online? <Kelly> when does the new schedule of dates come out for the fall? <Robin> Bernard, do you know what percentage of people taking the test pass it? <Bernard> No I'm not sure of any percentages Robin. Kelly, test dates in the fall will be in September and November, but I'm not sure when the new schedule comes out, I'm assuming after the last exam in June <Bernard> Janice it is paper and pencil based <Robin> How long does it take to get your test results? <jillspeech> it sounds like the test is a combination of general knowledge that you have learned.....and that you need to study the material in a more functional way rather than memorize... <Bernard> Some of the praxis series exams are offered on the computer, but as far as I know, NESPA is not one of them <jillspeech> I like that <Bernard> It takes approximately 4-6 weeks after the exam to receive a score report <Bernard> Yes that is absolutely correct Jill, synthesis of information is very important <Kelly> Thanks Bernard for your time, I am sorry I have to go, does anyone know where you can review this chat after it has occured in case I miss something? <Bernard> Thanks for chatting Kelly, take care <Robin> Kelly, we will be posting all of our chat transcripts on the website this summer <Kelly> thanks Robin goodnight <Robin> if you are on our reminder list, you will receive a note when the chat transcripts are posted...if not, check our message board for updates <Adrienne> Bernard, how much time should I allow to study before the test? <Bernard> Adrienne, that differs from person to person, but I would recommend being as prepared as you can be prior to any testing situation, some people do very well on standardized tests, others not so well, <Adrienne> would it be comparable to studying for the GRE? <Adrienne> time wise <Bernard> Adrienne regarding your GRE comparison, yes, that would be a pretty fair approximation <Adrienne> ok, thanks <Bernard> for those that don't test well, I would recommend extra preparation, but it is important not to study too much, especially the night before the exam. I actually recommend taking a few nights off prior to taking the exam to clear your mind, but some don't like this. <Bernard> Some people actually do well when they cram. For those, I recommend at least a night off, and a quick review the night or two before <Denise> Can you tell us how long it takes to take the test and the number of questions? <Bernard> Denise, you are given 2 hours to take the exam and there are approximately 150 questions covering Assessment, Treatment, and Management issues in a case scenario format, multiple choice <Janice> thank you for the information...I will certainly check out your website. <Bernard> Thanks Janice <Adrienne> Bernard you are getting your doctorate correct? <Bernard> Yes, I am working on it <Adrienne> did you take the NESPA before starting that? <jillspeech> Bernard..how would you suggest we organize our coursework for this exam..any additional tips...? Bernard> Jill, have you taken comprehensive exams or will you be taking those before taking Praxis? <jillspeech> not sure but I think Praxis will be first <jillspeech> with a possible pass on comps if we pass <Bernard> okay, because I think in preparing for Comps you will actually be doing yourself a favor for taking Praxis. Use that time to study for both. You can knock two birds down with one stone <Adrienne> optimist! <jillspeech> yes got it <Bernard> However, since Comps are usually in essay format, you'll have to modify for Praxis accordingly, since it is given in multiple choice format <Suzanne> Yeah, a lot of people at SJSU skip doing a thesis, study for comps/Praxis at same time. <Bernard> But my feeling is that if you can write well enough on a subject, multiple choice shouldn't be a problem. Obviously if you write well, this indicates that you understand the material, the rest is just <Bernard> synthesis, and being able to select the "best" possible answer <Adrienne> My problem lies in over-analysis <Bernard> yes, that can be a problem <Bernard> My advice is never change your answer unless you're absolutely positive that you made a mistake <Bernard> That applies to any exam you're taking. Most people go back to change their answers only to find out that they had it right the first time <Adrienne> that is frustrating <Bernard> You should always think a question through, but don't ever spend more than a few minutes on one question <Adrienne> it doesn't sound like you have much more than a minute! <Bernard> that is the beauty of a pencil and paper exam, you can actually go back to change answers, but this can also be the worst possible thing to do <jillspeech> timed tests are my nemesis...brain isn't what it used to be..so we should skip it if we don't know answer within a few minutes? <Bernard> That is correct. 120 minutes to answer 150 questions <Adrienne> good question! Do blanks count against you? <Denise> Are we penalized for wrong answers? <Bernard> Yes, skip it and then go back to save yourself time. Yes blanks count towards your score as well <Adrienne> so answer everything? <jillspeech> thank you that helps <Bernard> Yes you are penalized for wrong answers Denise <Robin> Any other questions for Bernard? <jillspeech> Thank you Bernard...very informative <Adrienne> I appreciate the tips!! <Bernard> the best advice for taking an exam is to strategize. Plan your strategy before the exam, and stick with it <Robin> thank you very much Bernard <Bernard> It was my pleasure. Good luck to everyone taking the exam <Denise> Thanks for the advice. |
