acceptme

I don't know of any and I don't think they would help very much. Just do a ton of practice problems, the concepts will come with practice. A lot of books combine questions into concepts (triangles, circles, surface area and volume, etc) so you can target the concepts you want to review. But seriously, with the math sections there's no better studying that copious amounts of practice problems.

From ETS (the official GRE people): https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf

I can only speak from my experience, but I wouldn't worry too much. I scored 157V/160Q/5.0AWA and got into a top 20 clinical program whose average were around 160/160. There are so many other things that make up your application. What I've casually heard from professors/clinical directors is that if all your scores are at least at the 75th percentile your application will be read (rather than just thrown away based on your score alone).

Everyone is different, but for the general test I started studying 3 months in advance. I was also working full time so I usually studied for 20-60 min after work and a couple hours on the weekends. For the psych test I studied for 2 months (again while working full time). Unless you plan on taking the test soon, I wouldn't bother starting to study. In my opinion, the tests (and studying for them) sound a lot more daunting than they actually are.

I wouldn't worry about the specifics of the study too much. My senior thesis was in a neurobio lab with mice and I'm starting a clinical phd this year. The senior project is really just to show the admissions committee you have research skills (data collection/analysis and if you can, present at a conference or publish).

Another pragmatic point: if you go a psyd route it a lot of debt to take on. Even a fully funded phd slashes your salary for 5ish years. Not saying that is a deal breaker but it's a very important consideration. A masters would also do this but for a shorter amount of time and for less money.

The university I work at can't take volunteers for legal/university policy reasons. However in that case you could try working part time in multiple labs to get more experience (part time RAs are much cheaper for the PIs)

I think it depends on your research background and focus. I applied this year and received an honorable mention. I had a neuropsychology focus and none of the reviewers had any issue with my research proposal being too "clinical." You just need to frame things specificically for NSF. I had professors who have served on the review board read my proposal and they helped me frame it in a way that would be appealing to NSF readers.

I agree. You could also augment your psychology course work by taking classes at community college. Or even better, if you work at a university some places allow staff to take courses there for free or at a discounted rate.

Based on your timelines I can assume you are 21 and straight out of undergrad? Have you considered taking sometime off to work as a research assistant or lab manager? Then you can reapply with more experience and hopefully get into a fully-funded Ph.D program.

I'm in an RA/lab manger combo role and doing the first and second round interviews for RA positions. From my experience the formality is the same for grad school and RA positions, however the questions asked (and the questions you want to ask) are pretty different. For my in-person interviews it's usually about 50% me asking questions to start and the latter half the applicant asks questions. A good interview should flow like a natural conversation and one question will just lead into the next. As an interviewer I like applicants to ask specific questions about research projects and the positions itself. If the lab has a website, read through it and come up with a question. Even if the information is out of date, that's okay because it shows that you took the time to read the website. I also like when people ask me what my favorite/least favorite thing about the job is. I think it shows that the applicant is trying to understand if they are a good fit for the lab. Also, ask what RAs from the lab go on to do (grad school, med school, where, etc). Ask how the PI is as a mentor. Really take the time to assess how happy the RAs are in the lab. If they look beat down and miserable, then stay away. If they provide glowing reviews of the lab and PI, awesome. Grad schools are assessing whether or not you will be good clinical psychologist. RA interviews are to determine if you will be able to do quality research. In the interview talk specifically about your research skills and what you can bring to the team. Show, don't tell. By that I mean every thing you say should be backed by a specific examples. That's all I can think of now. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. I am the hiring manager for 5 different job postings (4 RAs, 1 lab manger) and am happy to help.

I'm from the area and the PGSP program is well respected. Just a trend I noticed (so take with a gain of salt), but there are not a lot of clinical schooling options in the area and a lot of the people who attend the program seem to do so because moving is not an option. I've worked with several professors and graduates from the program and they are great researchers and clinicians. Personally, I didn't consider applying because of the cost. They even charge tuition the year you are away on internship which seems borderline unethical to me.

Didn't work for the VA, but I have heard great things from friends. You get a lot of hands on work and experiences that prepare you for graduate school (and help you get into great programs). I agree with the poster above. RA positions vary hugely from lab to lab. I'm in academia and within my institution there is huge variation, even within the department. Some RAs have the chance to contribute to publications (or even have a first authored paper) and travel to conferences, while others just collect data and are not given any ownership in it. If the lab you are considering has a website with current and past RA names, search your PI on pubmed and see if any of their names are on papers.

Your general GRE scores are a bit low. You could make yourself more competitive by raising those scores. Getting some publications out will help a lot, especially a first authored one. Aside from that, it is really important to show a good "fit" with the program and PI. Try to emphasize what makes you right for each specific program and lab in your personal statement. Best of luck. It is totally normal to have to apply multiple times. Chin up and take this time to strengthen your application.

Look on the job search sites of the universities you would be interested in working in. I found my RA/lab manager job through the job site and just applied online.