How Long Does It Take To Write The CRPO Exam?
Well, there are two ways to answer this question.
The first way is to address the literal question of how long it takes to physically write the exam on exam day. The time allotted for the exam is 3 hours. Most test takers report that in order to be thorough and thoughtful, they take almost all of this time to write the exam. Very few test takers report finishing in under two hours. The majority of people take between 2 ½ hours and the full 3 hours to write the exam.
The reason the exam takes this long to complete is the sheer volume of questions which are asked. All told, test takers will be provided with approximately 70 different sections over the course of writing the exam. These vary from choosing multiple answers from a range up to 15 different selections, to choosing only one best response from a group of 4 possible selections. When totalled up, this leaves the number of individual responses needed to ace the exam at approximately 200-300. The act of making this many thoughtful and informed decisions is what takes up most of the time and causes most people to approach the 3-hour time limit.
Pro Tip: There is no reason to review responses from past questions once they have been selected. Responses cannot be changed after being inputted, so reviewing selections is a waste of time which serves no practical purpose during the exam. To better understand how many responses to choose, our CRPO Exam Video Training Course is an amazing resource. In the course, you will learn helpful hints and tips from our course instructor on how to approach each question in a rational, thought-out way.
The second way to approach the question of how long it takes to write the exam is to speak to how long registrants have to write the exam after they first secure their Qualifying status as a Registered Psychotherapist. This is a time frame suggested by the CRPO to ensure there is a freshness to your training, as well as an expediency on your part to prove your skills and advance in your career by attempting the exam.
The time limit which exists is that you must attempt the exam in the first 24 months following your initial registration. This usually comprises a period of four separate exam cycles from which to choose. Interestingly, we encounter a lot of test takers who take the exam on the final cycle before their 24-month window is closing. This approach is fine—depending on life circumstances and such—but it is our experience that people who write the exam in the first or second cycle after graduation are usually more relaxed and in a better mindset. Those who write the exam closer to their 24-month deadline tend to be more anxious and have more trouble handling stray thoughts and nervousness as any time cushion which they had has evaporated.