The world of Psychology has immense power to change the perspective of the world. The subject has become popular in today’s generation and growing day by day. People are now much aware of their mental health and working on it to live a better life. Mental health professionals are an important part of the process. To be in the field, one should have a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree at least. The ways to get into the colleges for the degree are 1. Merit basis 2. Entrance basis.
The preparation of MA/M.Sc psychology is a crucial part to get into the profession. The strategical approach is required regularity and effective ways. Without getting into any complexity there are certain steps that one can follow to secure good marks in MA Psychology entrance exams and to get into your dream colleges.
1. Syllabus knowledge: the preparation starts after knowing the various dimension of the subject. There are various universities whose admissions are based on the entrance exam and the syllabus or the pattern of entrance may vary from university to university, so it’s become important to understand the pattern of entrance in different universities. Digging into the specific topics of certain universities can help you to secure seats in colleges.
2. Topic-oriented preparation: after having proper knowledge of the syllabus next step is to find useful content. We also need to avoid the less important topics. That can achieve by a detailed analysis of the previous year’s question paper. The topic covered in bachelor’s and written notes (you should have if you are from a Psychology background) is a good way to analyze that given topic, but if you do not have a psychology background then you should ask for help from your mentor of Psychology.
3. Practice: it is always said that” practice makes a man perfect”. After going through available and collected materials or once done with the selecting topic, practicing those topics over and over can lead to perfection. Regular practice and consistency are the keys to success.
4. Finding the weak spot and correction: one can make mistakes while doing the preparation. Some topics are hard and some are easy to cover, evaluation of the topics in which there are chances of making mistakes and then correcting with proper guidance are the useful step in proceeding forward.
5. Interactions with mentors: proper guidance of mentors and professors is required to have a structured analysis of the whole syllabus. Getting stuck in between the journey is normal whether in a topic or tendency of confusion, with the proper help of mentors or your teachers you can cross that barrier.
6. Ease with the subject: the subject “psychology” itself is highly interesting. Study to gain knowledge rather than just reading or clearing just an exam. Building a relationship with the subject can ease out the journey.
Preparation can be the toughest part of any journey. Proper dedication and never giving up attitude can do wonders in life whether is about any exam or general situation. Psychology subject is an everyday subject, we can find the relevancy around us by engaging our awareness which can help in cracking any exams in life.
List of Recommended Books:
Introduction to Psychology: Ciccarelli or Baron
Social Psychology: Baron Robert
Theories of Personality: Bem P Allen
Human Development: Laura Berk
Bio-Psychology: James W. Kalat. Bio-Psychology, Key-Points was written by Dr. Arvind Otta is also very useful to be aware of the terminology.
Cognitive Psychology: Robinson-Riegler
Statistics: Quinn McNemar / Minium
Research Method: Lewin & Fox
Psychological Testing: Ronald Jay Cohen and Mark E. Swerdlik
Abnormal Psychology: Sarason and Sarason or Davison & Neale
Clinical Psychology: Alan Carr / Hecker and Geoffrey
Industrial Psychology: Michael Aamodt
Latest Advancement: Follow Psychology Journal or Magazine. You can also refer to Psychology Magazine
On Top of all UPS Education has also related their latest book “Psychology Entrance Examinations” which includes all these topics in a very decent manner. The Book is useful for all the Master’s Psychology Entrance Examinations including CUET PG, TISS-NET, GATE Psychology, GRE Psychology, and many more. A Student with less resources can refer to this book and get a chance to secure the Admission Seat at his/her desired Institution.
Other Resources: https://www.upseducation.in/psychology-learning-materials
Can Non-Psychology Students pursue Master’s in Psychology?