Prospective clinical forensic PsyD student in need of advice from a forensic psychologist (preferably PsyD) or a PsyD student w/ emphasis/concentration on forensic
Hi,
I need advice from a licensed psychologist who does forensic work or someone who is a recent PsyD graduate about to take EPPP / CPLEE. I am eager to start a program and chose the PsyD path because realistically I am much more interested in clinical work than research and I don't have any research experience and therefore would not be a strong PhD applicant. I figured skip the master's because though helpful, it would cost a lot and only cut down the amount of credits, not the amount of time it takes for me to get the PsyD. I am fortunate enough to be financially capable of paying the absurd amount of money for tuition so the cost is not my concern.
My biggest concern is the pass rate for the CPLEE was 92% and 23% for the EPPP in 2025 for the Chicago School in LA. Roughly 150-200 test-takers; over half were taking it for, at the least, their 2nd time. How on earth can that 23% be the pass rate?
That's extremely concerning. I knew going into this that my program (forensic) was not APA accredited which wasn't a big issue because clinical forensic psych usually isn't unless it's a specialty or concentration in addition to a applied clinical PsyD. The other TCS programs there are APA accredited.
I'm entirely and honestly embarrassed I didn't double check their reported stats on the TCS website to compare to the state board's sooner than 2 weeks til registration.
So here I am:
I'm in my early 20's and recently graduated in 2025. I got my bachelor's in psychology and decided I needed to take a gap year before applying to any doctorate program. I am now about one year into this gap year post-undergrad. I have been working in clinical settings as a behavioral health technician (BHT) for roughly 2 years now. I first started working part time (< 20 hrs; typically 32 hrs) at a treatment facility in undergrad. Briefly got an ABA job as a BT for 6 months just to prevent having a huge gap in the resume while I was finding a job I felt was more relevant and rewarding for me.
I applied to a handful of programs with forensic emphasis/concentration/whatever. I only got into the Chicago School (TCS) in LA. Initially, I was very excited. I'm young; only have a BS in psych; no research experience, no master's, just my relevant-to-what-I-want-to-do jobs. I had 2 letters of recommendation from my admin at that nonprofit RTC I worked for, 1 from a PhD prof who taught my forensic psych course. I figured it would be a long shot getting into a program, but expected to get into TCS. Fast forward to May 2026, I'm about to decide whether or not to wait another application cycle before I've put any financial investment into the TCS program or if I take an insane risk betting on being the minority 23% who is prepared to pass that EPPP not just the CPLEE. I register for classes in 2 weeks. Or not.
Also, yes I considered getting a masters (LMFT) would just be so I could have a solid income before I went back to get the PsyD. I want to be a psychologist and focus more-so on competency/risk assessments, diagnoses, legal consultation, expert witness testimony, etc. as opposed to being a therapist/ private practice. I will apply to get my LMFT along with PsyD apps this coming cycle, but only as a back up to get my education started.
I am leaning toward ~not~ enrolling due to the licensure rate, above average cost of tuition, and overall crappy reputation among the reddit community. But I haven't had the chance to talk to an actual alumni or someone who experienced what I'm worried about; graduating from TCS and not passing the licensure exams. Please help!!