MATSEC AM Philosophy study guide
MATSEC AM Philosophy · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
MATSEC Advanced Matriculation (AM) Philosophy is a subject examination offered under the MATSEC Examinations Board, which is listed on the University of Malta site as a board of L-Università ta' Malta. The board publishes regulations, guidelines and policies, syllabi, current session information, applications, past papers, and marking schemes and exemplars. Candidates should treat the syllabus document for the current session as the authoritative statement of what the examination covers, because the board's public pages do not enumerate the Philosophy content domains. The credential is typically taken by post-secondary students in Malta who need an Advanced Matriculation subject, including candidates preparing for university entry or for further study in philosophy, humanities, or related fields. Because the syllabus is revised periodically, always download the version for the session in which you intend to sit the examination rather than relying on older copies. To prepare, obtain the current syllabus and the most recent past papers and marking schemes, then work through the prescribed texts and themes in the syllabus, practising essay answers under timed conditions and comparing your structure and argumentation against the published marking schemes and exemplars. Topics on this exam: Philosophy (AM syllabus content domains not enumerated in source). The MATSEC AM Philosophy study guide has 1 section and about 389 words.
01Philosophy (Advanced Matriculation): Argument, Exposition and Evaluation
The MATSEC Advanced Philosophy paper is essay-led. It tests two things at once: accurate exposition of canonical positions, and your own philosophical evaluation of them. Strong answers reconstruct arguments in premise–conclusion form, use technical vocabulary precisely ( valid , sound , a priori , analytic , supervenience ), and engage named objections. Textual anchors-Plato's Euthyphro , Descartes' Meditations , Hume's Enquiry -must be accurate, not decorative.
389 words, about 2 minMore study resources for MATSEC AM Philosophy
- Practice questionsIn Plato's Allegory of the Cave, what do the shadows on the wall most directly represent?
- FlashcardsTripartite analysis of knowledge. The claim that knowledge is justified true belief: truth, belief, and justification are individually necessary and jointly sufficient.
- Cheat sheetMATSEC AM Philosophy is a two-year advanced-level subject examined by written papers; the syllabus is organised around compulsory core areas (typically epistemology, metaphysics/philosophy of mind, ethics, and logic) plus optional set-text or theme modules chosen by the school.
- Key termsa priori. Knowledge or justification that does not depend on sensory experience, such as basic logical truths or mathematical axioms grasped by reason alone.
- Study planMap the full AM Philosophy syllabus into a one-page topic inventory, grouping units under metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, and logic.
- Common mistakesThe candidate treats the essay as a memory test because that is how school essays were often rewarded; exposition feels safer than committing to a position, and the candidate has not been trained to build a line of reasoning under time pressure.
- Exam-day guideBring the ID type your school or the MATSEC Examinations Board has specified for your session.