Sample MPhil Entrance Exam Questions by Subject

MPhil entrance exams vary by university and discipline. Below are representative sample questions across common fields — use to gauge depth, not as actual papers.

Philosophy

1. Explain and evaluate Plato's Form of the Good in the Republic.
2. How does Aristotle's eudaimonia differ from hedonism?
3. Compare Descartes' and Hume's accounts of causation.
4. Is free will compatible with determinism? Defend a position.
5. What is the "hard problem" of consciousness (Chalmers)?

Economics

1. Derive the Slutsky equation; explain income/substitution effects.
2. How does a central bank use interest rates to target inflation? Limitations at ZLB.
3. Analyze welfare effects of a tariff in a small open economy.
4. What are the identification challenges in estimating returns to education?
5. Discuss the role of institutions in long-run growth (Acemoglu-Robinson).

Literature

1. Analyze the function of the ghost in Hamlet.
2. Compare Milton's and Blake's conceptions of the Fall.
3. How does Morrison's Beloved represent traumatic memory?
4. Define high modernism; illustrate with Woolf/Joyce/Eliot.
5. What is the "death of the author" (Barthes); implications for criticism?

Political Science

1. Distinguish procedural vs. substantive democracy; examples.
2. Explain the principal-agent problem in bureaucratic accountability.
3. How does federalism affect policy diffusion? (US/India/EU)
4. Assess the UN Security Council's effectiveness post-Cold War.
5. Can populism be democratic? (Müller, Mudde, Urbinati)

Psychology

1. Contrast Freud's structural model (id/ego/superego) with modern dual-process theory.
2. Design a study testing the testing effect (retrieval practice) vs. restudy.
3. Explain the diathesis-stress model for schizophrenia.
4. How does cultural context shape emotion regulation? (Markus & Kitayama)
5. What are the ethical limits of nudge interventions (Thaler & Sunstein)?

Preparation Tips

• Review past papers from your target department (often on university library/site).
• Master core theories, methods, debates — not just facts.
• Practice writing timed essays (typically 2–3 hours, 2–3 questions).
• Develop a research proposal outline — often part of admission.