Are demographic Variables Associated with Performance on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)?

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is a universal requirement for psychology licensure in the United States and much of Canada. However, in the 53 years of its use, many fundamental questions about this "high stakes" exam remain. Specifically, the EPPP relies exclusively upon content validity evidence, and it is unknown if scores are associated with relevant performance criteria. Limited evidence suggests that failure rates vary according to applicant demographics. To further assess the latter, a Freedom of Information Act request was submitted to a populous US state (N of applicants = 4892). Significant differences in first-time failure rates were found according to ethnicity (i.e., Blacks = 38.50%; Hispanics = 35.60%; Asians = 24.00%; Whites = 14.07%). Men (18.85%) failed more often than women (15.82%) and PsyDs (20.07%) failed more often than PhDs (15.02%), but the magnitude of difference in these two analyses was relatively small. Meaningful interactions between ethnicity, gender, and degree type were not found, but given the ethnic performance discrepancies and limited validity evidence, additional psychometric investigation of the EPPP appears warranted (e.g., in terms of criterion and predictive validity testing). Further, it is recommended that the EPPP Step-2 should undergo similar assessments prior to implementation.