Psychology study guide
Psychology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
This page supports candidates preparing for a psychology subject examination - a broad, multiple-choice assessment of core psychological science rather than a license to practice. It suits undergraduate psychology majors consolidating coursework, graduate applicants who need a demonstrated knowledge baseline, and career-changers or post-baccalaureate students building a transcript record. The Psychology study guide has 9 sections and about 3,707 words.
01Biological bases of behavior (neuroscience, sensation, perception, motivation, emotion)
This domain tests how biology produces behavior: how neurons signal, how drugs alter those signals, how brain systems map onto functions, and how sensory input becomes perception. Expect questions that ask you to predict an outcome rather than recite labels.
400 words, about 2 min02Cognitive psychology (learning, memory, thinking, language, intelligence)
This domain covers how organisms acquire, store, and use information. Questions usually present a behavior and ask which process or schedule explains it, so learn the defining features rather than the labels.
395 words, about 2 min03Developmental psychology (lifespan physical, cognitive, and social development)
This domain asks you to place a described behavior at the right developmental stage and to distinguish normal variation from delay. Most items hinge on one signature milestone plus its underlying cognitive limit.
428 words, about 2 min04Social psychology (social cognition, influence, relationships, group behavior)
This domain tests how the imagined or actual presence of others changes thinking and behavior. Items typically describe a classic situation and ask you to name the process or predict the direction of an effect.
390 words, about 2 min05Personality and individual differences (theories, assessment, psychometrics)
This domain covers how psychologists describe enduring patterns of behavior and how they measure them. Many items contrast reliability with validity or ask you to interpret a standard score.
365 words, about 2 min06Abnormal psychology and psychopathology (classification, diagnosis, etiology)
This domain tests diagnostic criteria, duration thresholds, and etiological models. The commonest point-losing mistake is choosing a plausible label that fails one duration or exclusion rule.
423 words, about 2 min07Treatment and intervention (psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, prevention)
This domain tests treatment matching: which intervention has the best evidence for a specific presentation, plus the safety rules that govern medication. Expect items that contrast two plausible treatments.
416 words, about 2 min08Research methods and statistics (design, measurement, data analysis, ethics)
This domain tests whether you can judge what a study can and cannot support. Items ask you to identify the design, the threat to validity, or the correct interpretation of a statistic.
458 words, about 2 min09History, systems, and applied psychology (foundations, professional issues, applications)
This domain tests the intellectual lineage of psychology and how psychology is practiced and regulated. Items often pair a founder with a school, or ask which applied method is defensible.
432 words, about 2 min