OCR AS Psychology: G542: Core Studies - Wednesday 5th June 2013

i know right! im hoping i can get close to that *fingers crossed*

Hi, whats a2 psychology like?
I will be doing Forensic psychology and Psychology of education for options + research methods

Hi, whats a2 psychology like?
I will be doing Forensic psychology and Psychology of education for options + research methods

A2 Psychology is a bit more intense! There's approximately 72 cases to remember (which does seem like a lot) but the exam format shouldn't put you off, see like any OCR exam, they follow a pattern and the key success to this exam is to cross out any questions they've already asked (and there's a lot as this exam was introduced in Jan 2010) and revise the topic they've not asked! You need to work on the evaluation (Part b question) as that's worth 15 marks, and you answer a total of 4 questions (each 25 marks each - part a is 10 marks and is usually "describe the study...") so its worth doing! My college did Forensic and Health/Clinical but either way, its still the same format


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i apologize in advance if i ask you for any help or resources for next year!!

A2 Psychology is a bit more intense! There's approximately 72 cases to remember (which does seem like a lot) but the exam format shouldn't put you off, see like any OCR exam, they follow a pattern and the key success to this exam is to cross out any questions they've already asked (and there's a lot as this exam was introduced in Jan 2010) and revise the topic they've not asked! You need to work on the evaluation (Part b question) as that's worth 15 marks, and you answer a total of 4 questions (each 25 marks each - part a is 10 marks and is usually "describe the study...") so its worth doing! My college did Forensic and Health/Clinical but either way, its still the same format


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I only do forensic of those two, but I'll say that it's very, very interesting! Lots more studies (no, I mean it!) but you have to learn them in less detail, so it's not so bad. There's a lot more emphasis on evaluations and issues, and the biggest downside is that the exam itself is horrible as far as timing goes. Sometimes it can feel like a bit of an information overload, but I have enjoyed it a lot.

Haha it's fine! I'll only have them for Forensic and Health/Clinical Psychology! I was happy to get a B on that exam, so close to an A though :/ 3 away :P


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thanks would you recommend any good revision guides?

yeah those two are what i'll be doing and that's really good, gutted though! i looked at what the papers are like and wow.. gonna have to improve my essay writing skills!

thanks would you recommend any good revision guides?

I'd say revision guides are useless, you'd be better off making your own revision resources as they aren't that good

Im taking g543 on monday and ive managed to cut down to 27 studies. These are things that havent come up before and just wondering how likely is it that they will come up? Im taking a risk for this exam as i find it difficult to remember 30+ studies at a time


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Very likely, they don't repeat questions cause there's so many studies they've not asked


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ahh okay, did all your predictions come up when you did the exam?

Yeah all but 1, i predicted stress would come up but disorders came up (plus i hardly revised that topic so that was my fault) but yeah just revise whats not come up! I got a B on that paper and was 3 off an A :P


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wow thats really good! you're gonna get an A for psychology!

Fair enough. But how can you be expected to revise everything, every little detail of every little thing? Its impossible. And yes, maybe for some it is possible. But for others they struggle to memorise one detail let alone everything else. People obviously did revise. They just didn't revise that part. Why should they feel bad for not revising something? When there is so much more to memorise.

I don't think you understand this concept. Whilst you may revise something and it may stick it in your head, it doesn't stick in other people's heads. This is more of a memory problem rather than not understanding the content.

You know what. People like you really do annoy me. How can you even sit on your computer screen and write such a horrible thing? How can do you do that? People are worried about results day and here you are telling people how its their own fault. You do understand that exams are just a memory test... You cannot apply something to a question if you have not even learnt it.

Tbh, people did what they could in the given time period. And if that means missing out chunks of revision then so be it. I'm pretty sure most people didn't revise Thigpen and Cleckley in detail as it came up in January 2013.

You seem to come across as 'people who work hard get what they deserve'. This is not true. And maybe one day you realise that. Or maybe you won't. Because people like you should usually get everything they want and more.

It's not impossible to revise every single thing. The vast majority of people who get As will have revised every single thing.

I'm sitting on my computer screen because I don't have the opportunity to say it in any other way. If I did, I would. I would say it to the face of absolutely any one who complained that they hadn't revised everything and then found the paper difficult.

Yes there is limited time. But the difference between people who get good grades and the people who get average grades, is that they know there is limited time and instead of use this as an excuse for not revising properly, they plan for it. They make sure they understand the content throughout the year rather than leaving it all to the last minute to learn, and they start revising far enough ahead that there will be time to fit it all in. They don't just revise the content as it's been taught in class, they do extra work on top of that, and they do all the past papers and they plan answers.

In Section C there is absolutely no excuse for not being able to get a good mark, as the structure is exactly the same every year with the exception of what is asked on the b part question. The other questions such as improvements&implications, assumptions and strengths/weaknesses can all be planned in advanced and checked over by a teacher to make sure they are good. This is the only pattern you should rely on.

You should not rely on the other patterns, such as Thigpen and Cleckley coming up in January means it's unlikely it'll come up in June. Unlikely, but not impossible. Most people on this thread were sure one of the perspectives would come up and it looked like they would, but they didn't. OCR can give whatever questions they want, and they are likely to throw in a curve ball every so often to stop people getting too reliant on the patterns. People who get good grades know that, and revise everything anyway just in case. I'm sure a lot of people didn't revise Thigpen & Cleckley, and I'm sure they will be the people who get average marks.

To some extent I believe you get what you deserve, but I also do appreciate that there are things out side of your control that can affect how you do in exams. However, I don't believe that many of the factors being used as "outside of control" are legitimate excuses for not being prepared, eg not enough time, not a good memory, not a good teacher. You plan for limited time and start revising far enough in advance that you do have enough time, and if you have a bad teacher or bad memory you work harder to make up for that. I myself spent the 4 days running up to our psychology exam in hospital, but I will not use that as an excuse. I still managed to revise everything on the course despite being extremely ill for a good 2 weeks before the exam, because I care so much about doing well. I also expect to do well, because I worked hard. I would never, ever, ever think I could get away with not revising everything and still get top marks. If we didn't need to revise it, why would we be taught it?

At the end of the day, the people who care the most work the hardest and usually do the best. You can either use your excuses or you can get good results, you can't have both. I think many people will properly realise this on results day when they haven't done as well as they wanted to.