How to Prepare for the IHBAS M.Clin.Psy./MPhil Entrance Exam

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The Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dilshad Garden, New Delhi, is a major government mental health and neurosciences institute under the Government of NCT of Delhi. Its Clinical Psychology programme has historically been academically affiliated with the University of Delhi.

Following the transition from M.Phil. Clinical Psychology to Master in Clinical Psychology (M.Clin.Psy.), RCI has now approved IHBAS to conduct the new two-year M.Clin.Psy. programme.

RCI-Approved Intake: 28 Seats
Course Duration: 2 Years
Previous M.Phil. Stipend: ₹25,000/month
M.Clin.Psy. Stipend: To be confirmed in the new IHBAS prospectus

Expected 2026 Examination: Date yet to be announced

The exact category-wise seat distribution, stipend and admission schedule for the 2027 batch should be confirmed once IHBAS releases its official prospectus.

Under the current RCI guidelines, candidates can apply with:

• a 4-year B.A./B.Sc. degree in Psychology with at least 55% marks; or
• a 3-year degree in Psychology followed by the prescribed fourth-year Bridge Course or first year of a Master's in Psychology, with the required marks.

The minimum is 50% for SC/ST candidates under the RCI guidelines.

IHBAS has traditionally been considered one of the more difficult and unpredictable Clinical Psychology entrance examinations. The paper contains a mixture of conceptual and highly factual questions, and success requires a broad knowledge of Psychology rather than preparation limited to Clinical or Abnormal Psychology.

The focus also changes from year to year. A topic that receives considerable attention in one examination may receive very few questions the following year.

Under the previous M.Phil. pattern, IHBAS conducted a 100-question MCQ examination in 90 minutes with no negative marking. Selection was based on entrance-test merit without an interview.

The previous official distribution was:

General Psychology – 10
Social Psychology – 10
Physiological Psychology – 10
Statistics & Research Methodology – 10
Personality – 10
Developmental Psychology – 10
Clinical Psychology – 25
Abnormal Psychology – 15

However, students should not assume that the same pattern will continue for M.Clin.Psy. RCI's new M.Clin.Psy. guidelines prescribe a written entrance examination and interview, with 70% weightage to the written test and 30% to the interview. The final IHBAS pattern for 2027 will therefore depend on its new prospectus.

Prepare Psychology comprehensively rather than concentrating on only a few areas. Particular attention should be given to:

Research Methodology & Statistics: Research designs, sampling, reliability, validity, experimental methods and major statistical tests.

Clinical & Abnormal Psychology: Therapies, developers of therapeutic approaches, psychopathology, classification systems and important clinical terminology. Do not assume that IHBAS is simply a DSM examination, but do not ignore DSM and ICD either.

Cognitive Psychology: Learning, memory, attention, perception and important experiments and theories.

Personality & Developmental Psychology: Major theories, theorists, stages and personality assessment.

Social Psychology: Major theories, experiments, social cognition, attitudes, attribution, conformity and group processes.

Biopsychology: Brain structures, hormones, neurotransmitters, neuropsychology and biological processes.

History & Indian Psychology: IHBAS has historically asked factual questions about psychologists, books, terminology, Indian Psychology and developments in Indian mental health. Important legislation such as the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 should also be prepared.

Outliers are particularly important for IHBAS. The examination has a history of asking unexpected factual questions from less frequently studied areas, including obscure concepts, books and authors, historical terminology, Indian Psychology, legislation, specific psychological tests and details of therapies.

Our analysis of recent IHBAS papers, including the 2025 examination, also showed a significant number of such outlier questions. We therefore expect unpredictable questions to remain important in future examinations as well. At PSYSIUM, we continuously monitor these outliers across IHBAS and other Clinical Psychology entrance examinations. We identify the unusual topics being tested and regularly add them to our dedicated Outlier Study Material, so that students are prepared beyond the standard high-yield syllabus.

The transition from M.Phil. Clinical Psychology to M.Clin.Psy. means that some aspects of the admission process may change.