Experience is not always the best teacher: Lessons from the certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner certification program

This article examines the factors associated with successful attainment of the Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP) credential. A brief overview of the development of the examination and its content validity is provided. Level and type of education, psychiatric rehabilitation experience, and letters of recommendations were examined. The first 1,054 applicants for this test-based credential were included in the study. Level of education and mental health-related education were found to be positively correlated with test score and the prediction of who passes the examination. Objectively scored letters of reference contributed a small, but significant percentage of the explained variance. Surprisingly, years of PsyR experience were not correlated with test outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of relevant educational experience for the certification of PsyR staff. Implications for test validity and the preparation of CPRPs are discussed.