The present study was conducted in the context of previous research on the validity, correlates, and stability over time of clinical psychology program graduate scores on the national licensing exam, the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of programs that demonstrated great improvement on the EPPP. Nineteen clinical programs that had dramatic improvement from 1988-1991 to 1997-1998 on mean EPPP scores were identified. Letters were sent to departmental chairs for their explanation for the increases. The themes of greater scientific rigor and selection of better quality students were salient. (Contains 1 table.)