You can try just winging it; not recommended.  Better to be extremely deliberate with this one.  First, adopt a [...]]]> This applies only to the CA vignette exam. The thing about the vignette exam is that it’s complicated.  Long vignettes, groups of long, similar answers.  Typical result while studying:  dizziness, confusion, frustration.  Solution:  Slow down.

You can try just winging it; not recommended.  Better to be extremely deliberate with this one.  First, adopt a rating system (0-2 if you’re AATBSing, checks, plus/minus, or other symbols if you’re not).   Then apply–run practice questions and exams online, rate each answer in each answer set.

Then comes the part you may be tempted to skip:  Look at the rationales given by the test-prep course for how they got to the right answer.  How did they rate each answer part?  Are your zeros (or checks or plus/minuses or whatever) the same as what they came up with?  If not, why not?  Checking against the test-prep course this way is laborious and not a lot of fun.  But it works.

You’re not learning content for the second CA exam.  You already know the content–that’s how you got through the first exam.  You also know how to get yourself through a long exam–this one’s only half of the first–a mere two hours.  What you’re learning this time is how to best approach this very peculiar test.  It’s probably unlike any you’ve ever taken.  But it’s very doable.  You can pass.  There are people passing every day.

So:  Rate, check ratings, repeat.  Result:  Less dizziness, more licensure.

Good luck!

Hi,

I was glad to find your site – it was helpful in preparing and passing the first exam.

I’m planning [...]]]> Congratulations to SWTP reader Eva, who passed the California Clinical Vignette exam earlier this week.  Here, some emails that preceded exam time, and an explanation of how she made it happen:

Hi,

I was glad to find your site – it was helpful in preparing and passing
the first exam.

I’m planning to take the second exam tomorrow. I just got into the
“hard” questions for AATBS. They seem absolutely ridiculous in terms
of the language used to phrase potential answers: it is sooooooo
incredibly confusing. I am considering not even taking them because it
might erode whatever confidence I was feeling so far. Are there any
questions on the exam that are like the “hard” questions? Or, do you
think I’ll be ok with reworking the medium questions and retaking the
mock exams?

Thanks in advance,

Eva

Eva,

Those hard questions are impossible, nearly unanswerable, and nothing like the questions on the real exam, in my experience. Their only value is in helping you mega-hyper-concentrate on every word in each question and answer…which you’re already doing if you’re getting the medium questions right. Probably best to do with the exam tomorrow: quit studying. You’re ready.

Good luck! Let me (or the blog) know how it goes.

Best,

Will

Thanks so much for your reply. Helps to know I was going in right direction when I decided to take a break and just focus back on mock exams. Geez, those hard questions are enough to make you really worry…taking a deep breath, eating and taking one more mock exam.

Thanks again for your quick reply-
I’ll keep you posted re: tomorrow ;)

Eva

Hey Will,

I just got back from my test. I passed!!! I have no idea how well or poorly I did other than the 17 I had to get right. I really had no sense of my performance during the test, which is frustrating. Still, I am thankful I passed and enjoying the completion of this stage in my life.

Thanks again for your help – I appreciated your encouragement yesterday very much.

Eva

ps – you were absolutely right about the hard questions – why do they even put them in there? it could just erode your confidence for no good reason. that, and i felt like the practice exams were not super helpful – the real exam was much more subtle – it was much harder to decipher the “rightest” of the right than on the practice exams….breathing easier now ;)

After congratulations, Eva accepted my invitation to share her process with Social Work Test Preppers.

The strategy of folding your paper into 10 squares (per side = 20 total per page – they give you two sheets at the exam) so that you can rate each potential answer is useful. I tend to work as intuitively as possible, trusting my gut and knowing that I have the all the information I need in my head to get the right answer. Even so, as I quickly discovered while studying, there is so much information that it is hard to keep track of it. So, the system of ranking each part of each answer can be a useful way to keep track of it and still work intuitively. Basically, at the very least, it helps you to eliminate answers more quickly and just focus on narrowing down the remaining 2 or 3 choices so that your brain doesn’t go on overload during the exam. I found that the real exam was much more subtle in its answers (it was harder to distinguish between “right” and “most right”) than the practice exams, so having a tool to knock out one or two answers was really helpful. Even so, you still have to rely heavily on your gut.

The strategy is as follows:

Make/draw 10 squares for each side of two pieces of paper:
1. fold paper 4 times (leaves you five rows) in the portrait direction
2. fold paper lengthwise (portrait) in half

see image:
3. draw a cross in each square (kind of like a window); each space allows to rate one answer
4. draw a cross in each of the four squares; each space allows you to rate one of four aspects of an answer
5. if each answer has a fifth element, you can use the center of the cross for the fifth element
6. i labeled each answer 1-4 and then added the question number to be able to go back and compare my rating with the aatbs rationale to improve my ability to rate accurately

Rating system (you’ll find this in aatbs, and i believe in gerry grossman too – they might explain better, but this is how i broke it down):

0=not something that responds to the question (wrong)
1=maybe
2=responds to question accurately (right)

Highest number = “rightest” answer; sometimes you’ll get two answers that are even – then you compare based on gut. you’ll usually fall off on the right side if one has to do with safety – assessing/evaluating suicidality/homocidal intentions or referring to a doctor/psychiatrist. In other words, you’ll have to assign a higher value to one based on the importance.

The other thing to keep in my mind is that all these test prep companies make money off of our anxiety – so, really, managing your anxiety is going to be the most important aspect (at least, it was for me). Just to give some balance here – some people study months and months. I studied all day for four days for the first exam, and studied three straight days for the second exam. I took the second exam two weeks after I got the BBS notice (about six weeks after exam 1). I know I do better if I study a lot before the exam because of the way my brain works, I forget a lot of stuff quickly – so go with what works best for you. To some extent it is about what you know, but mostly it is nailing the strategies – understanding what to look for and how to knock out incorrect answers as quickly as possible. If you study the knowledge base in the best way that works for you (cramming vs. studying every day over a longer period of time) and then really focus on specific strategies (such as the squares) that help you understand the “rules” of how the test works, and you’ll be successful.

Three things I did that helped:
1. Since your time doesn’t start until you hit “enter” on the computer, take your time setting up your squares. it actually helped me focus, and feel more prepared by taking that time. It slowed down my nervous energy a bit, and got out a little anxiety by doing “busy work”.

2. I focused on visualizations for days ahead of time – seeing the “congratulations, you passed!” message when i hit enter at the end; calling friends to tell them; updating my facebook account to say LCSW; etc. Whenever I started to experience some doubt or anxiety, I went straight back to one of those visualizations and the feelings of relief and excitement they engendered. I also imagined myself going through questions and clicking on answers to get the “green” button that comes out of the aatbs practice exams when you get the answer right.

3. Know ahead of time how much time (more or less) you have for each question and give yourself some buffer time. For example, I knew that I had about 2:30 per question – or about :50 minutes per 20 questions to give myself about :20 minutes of time of buffer for the second exam. It helped me keep my pace without having to figure it out during the exam. It’s also nice to know you have time to go to the bathroom, eat a snack if your brain is drained, etc.

In your first meeting with Kevin, 47, he tells you that he’s been “feeling funny” lately, having trouble [...]]]> A law and ethics question. My answer and explanation are in comments. On the exam (or at least on practice questions I’ve seen), questions may ask exclusively about law or ethics. Different answers, so heads up.

In your first meeting with Kevin, 47, he tells you that he’s been “feeling funny” lately, having trouble getting up in the morning, sleeping “too much.” Kevin says he has “occasionally” used crack cocaine in the past, but says “I haven’t hit the pipe in a week.” Kevin has been homeless in the past. He currently lives in a sober living house downtown. Kevin tells you he sometimes thinks people are talking about him and laughing about him, “but it doesn’t bother me much.” Kevin says he has not worked since being laid off two years ago.

3. What are the legal and ethical considerations in this case?

1. Get client’s informed consent before beginning treatment
Terminate with Kevin if countertransference feelings emerge during treatment
Base your fee on client’s ability to pay
Take steps to have client hospitalized if he is a danger to himself or others

2. Get client’s written consent before making referrals
Work cooperatively with other professionals involved with this case
Bill more to client’s insurance in order to reduce his co-pay
Take steps to have client hospitalized if he is a danger to himself or others

3. Get client’s written consent before making referrals
Work cooperatively with other professionals involved with this case
Base your fee on client’s ability to pay
Refer client to a specialist–case is out of LCSW’s scope of practice

4. Seek consultation if countertransference emerges during course of treatment
Get client’s written consent before making referrals
Work cooperatively with other professionals involved with this case
Base your fee on client’s ability to pay

]]> Though it wasn’t stressed in written exam prep materials, some suggest knowing a little something about Virginia Satir for the vignette. So…go know it!