Psychology
The scientific study of the human mind and our behaviour.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need Mathematics to study Psychology?
Along with other A Levels such as Biology, Geography etc., Psychology has a requirement of approximately 10% of examined content relying on math skills. As such we teach a lot of mathematics and statistics as part of the first component – Research Methods. Therefore, experience has shown that without a good grounding in Maths, students tend to struggle in Psychology (you do not need to be a Maths genius, just at ease working with numbers and data).
Is it a Science?
Psychology is regarded as a STEM science subject and counts as a science subject for most universities (including Oxbridge) when apply for courses, including medicine. Psychology is best described as an applied science – we use scientific methodology to investigate the reasons behind human behaviour.
How is it assessed?
There is no coursework in Psychology – it is a 100% exam assessed. The exams, however, tend to be short – medium length questions with some short essays. 15 marks is the largest question on any of the 3 papers.
