Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists (BLEPP), Philippines

Which Philippine law is the primary legal basis for the regulation of the practice of psychology and the licensure of psychologists in the Philippines?

• ARepublic Act No. 10029
• BRepublic Act No. 9258
• CRepublic Act No. 11036
• DRepublic Act No. 8981

Under the enhanced Table of Specifications adopted by the Board of Psychology (Resolution No. 02, s. 2023), what is the percentage weight assigned to Advanced Psychological Assessment in the Psychologist Licensure Examination?

• A30%
• B25%
• C20%
• D15%

A psychologist administers the same intelligence test to a client twice within a two-week interval and obtains nearly identical scores. This demonstrates which measurement property?

• ATest-retest reliability
• BConcurrent validity
• CInternal consistency
• DPredictive validity

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) uses a standard score metric with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. A client obtains a Full Scale IQ of 85. In which classification does this score fall?

• ALow Average
• BAverage
• CBorderline
• DMild Intellectual Disability

A test developer finds that a new depression scale correlates 0.82 with the Beck Depression Inventory administered on the same day. This evidence supports which type of validity?

• AConcurrent validity
• BPredictive validity
• CContent validity
• DFace validity

The Rorschach Inkblot Method is best classified as which type of psychological assessment instrument?

• AProjective technique
• BObjective personality inventory
• CNeuropsychological battery
• DStructured clinical interview

Which of the following best describes the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)?

• AAn empirically keyed, objective self-report inventory with validity scales designed to de…
• BA projective technique relying on interpretation of ambiguous inkblots
• CA semi-structured interview that generates DSM-5 diagnoses
• DA performance-based measure of executive functioning

In psychological assessment, the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) is used to construct a confidence interval around an obtained score. If a client scores 110 on an IQ test with an SEM of 5, the 68% confidence interval for the true score is approximately:

• A105 to 115
• B100 to 120
• C108 to 112
• D95 to 125

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) asks respondents to create stories about ambiguous pictures. The TAT is theoretically grounded in which psychological tradition?

• APsychodynamic theory, particularly the concept of projection of unconscious needs and con…
• BBehavioral theory, focusing on observable responses to visual stimuli
• CCognitive theory, measuring information processing and schema activation
• DHumanistic theory, exploring the client's phenomenological world

A psychologist finds that a neuropsychological test battery correctly identifies 90% of patients who have a brain injury (true positive rate). This statistic is best described as the test's:

• ASensitivity
• BSpecificity
• CPositive Predictive Value
• DNegative Predictive Value

Which ethical principle is violated when a psychologist uses a psychological test for a purpose for which it was not designed or normed, without documenting the limitation?

• AAppropriate use of assessment instruments
• BInformed consent in assessment
• CConfidentiality of test results
• DDuty to protect third parties

In psychological testing, 'norm-referenced interpretation' means that a client's score is compared to:

• AThe performance of a standardization sample representative of the population
• BA pre-determined criterion or cutoff level of mastery
• CThe client's own previous test scores over time
• DExpert consensus ratings of expected performance

The Mental Status Examination (MSE) is a structured clinical observation. Which of the following is NOT a standard domain assessed in the MSE?

• AGlucose tolerance
• BAppearance and behavior
• CMood and affect
• DThought process and content

Factor analysis conducted during the development of the WAIS revealed that intelligence tests load on two broad factors: fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystallized intelligence (Gc). This finding is associated with which theoretical model of intelligence?

• ACattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory
• BSpearman's two-factor theory (g and s)
• CThurstone's primary mental abilities
• DGardner's theory of multiple intelligences

A psychologist notes that a client's MMPI-2 validity scale K is markedly elevated while scales F and L are within normal limits. The most likely interpretation is:

• AThe client is presenting a favorable self-image and possibly underreporting psychological…
• BThe client is exaggerating symptoms and may be malingering
• CThe client answered items randomly, producing an invalid profile
• DThe client has genuine severe psychopathology across multiple domains

In forensic psychological assessment in the Philippines, the psychologist's primary obligation when appointed by the court is to:

• AThe court and the truth, maintaining objectivity rather than advocacy for either party
• BThe referring attorney who commissioned the evaluation
• CThe examinee's welfare and therapeutic interests
• DThe insurance company funding the litigation

When scoring the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (Bender-Gestalt II), the psychologist is primarily assessing:

• AVisuospatial and visuomotor integration skills and signs of neurological dysfunction
• BVerbal intelligence and language processing
• CEmotional conflicts through projective interpretation of drawings
• DAchievement in reading and arithmetic

A psychologist calculates a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92 for a new anxiety scale. This value primarily indicates:

• AHigh internal consistency—items are strongly intercorrelated and measure a cohesive const…
• BHigh test-retest reliability—scores are stable across testing occasions
• CStrong convergent validity with other anxiety measures
• DHigh inter-rater reliability among multiple scorers

A child earns a raw score that places them at the 50th percentile on a standardized achievement test. This means the child performed:

• AAt the median of the normative sample—better than 50% of peers
• BAt exactly average, scoring 50% of items correctly
• CIn the borderline range of achievement
• DAt the 50th standard score point

The DSM-5 introduced the specifier 'with peripartum onset' for mood episodes. Under this specifier, the onset of a major depressive or manic episode must occur:

• ADuring pregnancy or within four weeks after delivery
• BWithin six months before the expected due date
• CExclusively within the first year postpartum
• DOnly if the episode occurred in a prior pregnancy

According to the DSM-5, which of the following is a key distinguishing feature of Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) compared to Major Depressive Disorder?

• AA chronically depressed mood lasting at least two years with fewer required symptoms and…
• BThe presence of psychotic features accompanying the depressive episode
• CEpisodes of hypomanic mood alternating with depressive periods
• DOnset exclusively in childhood or adolescence

Which of the following best characterizes the cognitive triad described by Aaron Beck in his cognitive model of depression?

• ANegative views of the self, the world, and the future
• BNegative views of others, the past, and one's body image
• CIrrational beliefs, cognitive distortions, and emotional reasoning
• DLearned helplessness, external locus of control, and hopelessness

A person experiences persistent, uncontrollable intrusive thoughts about contamination and engages in ritualistic hand-washing that takes three hours a day, causing significant occupational impairment. The DSM-5 diagnosis most consistent with this presentation is:

• AObsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• BGeneralized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• CIllness Anxiety Disorder
• DSpecific Phobia, situational type

In the DSM-5, the diagnosis of Schizophrenia requires at least two of five symptom criteria to be present for a significant portion of time during a one-month period. Which of the following is one of the three criteria that must be present if only two symptoms are met?

• ADelusions
• BBlunted affect
• CAlogia
• DAvolition

Which of the following symptoms is classified as a 'negative symptom' of schizophrenia in the DSM-5?

• AAvolition
• BDelusions
• CHallucinations
• DDisorganized speech

A 28-year-old presents with at least five days of elevated mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, and grandiosity, but has not been hospitalized and continues to function at work. No history of a full manic episode is present. The most appropriate DSM-5 diagnosis is:

• ABipolar II Disorder with a current hypomanic episode
• BBipolar I Disorder with a current manic episode
• CCyclothymic Disorder
• DMajor Depressive Disorder with mixed features

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the DSM-5 is characterized by four symptom clusters. Which of the following is NOT one of these clusters?

• APsychotic disorganization
• BIntrusion symptoms
• CAlterations in cognition and mood
• DAlterations in arousal and reactivity

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized in the DSM-5 by a pervasive pattern of instability in which of the following domains?

• AInterpersonal relationships, self-image, affect, and impulse control
• BGrandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy
• CSuspiciousness, restricted affect, and social detachment
• DDramatic emotionality, attention-seeking, and shallowness of emotion

The biopsychosocial model of abnormal behavior, as opposed to the purely biomedical model, asserts that mental disorders arise from:

• AAn interaction among biological vulnerabilities, psychological factors, and sociocultural…
• BBrain chemistry imbalances alone that can be corrected through pharmacotherapy
• CUnconscious conflicts originating exclusively in early childhood experiences
• DMaladaptive learned behaviors reinforced by environmental contingencies

Republic Act No. 11036, the Philippine Mental Health Act of 2017, includes which of the following provisions directly relevant to psychologists?

• AIt mandates the integration of mental health services in the general health system and re…
• BIt requires all psychologists to hold a doctoral degree before obtaining a license
• CIt replaces RA 10029 and abolishes the Board of Psychology
• DIt restricts the practice of psychotherapy exclusively to psychiatrists

Epidemiological studies have consistently found that the prevalence of specific anxiety disorders is significantly higher in women than in men. Which of the following theoretical explanations accounts for this gender difference?

• AA combination of biological predispositions (HPA axis reactivity, hormonal factors), soci…
• BWomen's greater access to mental health services, resulting in more diagnoses but similar…
• CThe DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were specifically developed using predominantly female samp…
• DHormonal fluctuations alone fully account for the gender difference in anxiety disorder r…

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is characterized by which of the following core features?

• AThe presence of two or more distinct personality states with disruptions in memory, behav…
• BPersistent belief that one's body has been replaced by that of another person
• CVoluntary, intentional simulation of multiple personalities for secondary gain
• DPsychotic fragmentation of a single personality into delusional subsystems

The diathesis-stress model of psychopathology proposes that mental disorders develop when:

• AA biological or psychological predisposition (diathesis) interacts with a sufficiently se…
• BStress alone, without any predisposition, causes mental illness in a dose-dependent manner
• CGenetic diathesis always leads to disorder regardless of environmental stress
• DEarly childhood stress permanently overrides any protective biological factors

The primary medication class used in the pharmacological treatment of Major Depressive Disorder is:

• ASelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• BBenzodiazepines
• CAntipsychotics
• DMood stabilizers

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the DSM-5 requires symptoms to be present before age:

• A12
• B7
• C6
• D16

Anorexia Nervosa in the DSM-5 is characterized by which triad of features?

• ARestriction of energy intake leading to significantly low body weight, intense fear of we…
• BRecurrent binge eating episodes, compensatory purging behaviors, and normal body weight
• CPersistent eating of non-food substances inappropriate to developmental level
• DAvoidance of food based on sensory characteristics rather than weight or body image conce…

The concept of 'learned helplessness,' as developed by Martin Seligman through animal experiments, was extended to explain which psychological disorder?

• ADepression
• BSchizophrenia
• CBorderline Personality Disorder
• DDissociative Identity Disorder

Intellectual Disability (DSM-5) is defined by deficits in both intellectual functioning AND adaptive behavior. Intellectual functioning deficits are established when the IQ score is approximately:

• ATwo or more standard deviations below the mean (approximately IQ 65–75 with a confidence…
• BOne standard deviation below the mean (approximately IQ 85)
• CBelow IQ 50, regardless of adaptive functioning
• DBelow IQ 80 on any standardized intelligence test

Which theory of personality is most closely associated with Carl Jung, emphasizing the collective unconscious and archetypes?

• AAnalytical psychology
• BIndividual psychology
• CObject relations theory
• DSelf psychology

Sigmund Freud proposed that the id operates according to the 'pleasure principle,' seeking immediate gratification. The ego, in contrast, operates according to which principle?

• AThe reality principle
• BThe moral principle
• CThe social desirability principle
• DThe mastery principle

Erik Erikson's eighth and final psychosocial stage, experienced in late adulthood, involves the conflict between:

• AEgo Integrity vs. Despair
• BGenerativity vs. Stagnation
• CIntimacy vs. Isolation
• DIdentity vs. Role Confusion

Alfred Adler's concept of 'inferiority complex' refers to:

• AAn exaggerated, pervasive sense of inferiority that becomes a fixation, preventing health…
• BThe normal developmental experience of feeling inferior to adults during early childhood
• CA DSM-5 diagnosis characterized by low self-esteem and depressive symptoms
• DThe tendency of individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder to mask inferiority wi…

Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (Social Learning Theory) introduced the concept of 'self-efficacy,' which refers to:

• AA person's belief in their own capacity to execute behaviors required to produce specific…
• BThe actual skill level or competence a person possesses in a given domain
• CThe degree to which a person attributes outcomes to internal rather than external causes
• DThe tendency to model behavior after high-status individuals in one's social environment

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs places which category of needs at the base (most fundamental level)?

• APhysiological needs (food, water, sleep, homeostasis)
• BSafety and security needs
• CBelongingness and love needs
• DEsteem needs

Gordon Allport distinguished between 'cardinal traits,' 'central traits,' and 'secondary traits' in his trait theory. A cardinal trait is best described as:

• AA single, dominant characteristic that so profoundly shapes a person's behavior that virt…
• BA set of 5–10 traits that form the core of a person's personality
• CSpecific, situational preferences that are less central to the person's identity
• DA biological temperamental dimension present from birth

Hans Eysenck's biological theory of personality proposed that introverts and extraverts differ primarily in their level of:

• ACortical arousal, with introverts having higher baseline arousal and seeking lower stimul…
• BSerotonin availability, with introverts having higher serotonin levels
• CSocial learning history, with introverts having been punished more for social behavior
• DPrefrontal cortex volume, with introverts having larger prefrontal cortices