The Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Kerala, is a well-known mental health, teaching, and research institution in Kerala. IMHANS operate autonomously under the Government of Kerala, and is affiliated with the equally well-known, the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS), Kozhikode, Kerala. It's a competitive course to get into, and with limited seats and a merit-based entrance process, it attracts students from across the state and country seeking professional training and RCI-license in clinical psychology. 

Psychology Programs Offered by IMHANS Kerala

IMHANS Kerala offers the following programs in clinical psychology:

• MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) (formerly MPhil Clinical Psychology)

The MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) Program offered by IMHANS is recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India.

MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) (formerly MPhil Clinical Psychology)

The MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) (formerly MPhil Clinical Psychology) program at IMHANS, Kerala, includes supervised clinical training, assessment, and therapeutic intervention. Successful completion of the program makes graduates eligible for a license with RCI to work as clinical psychologists in India.

Course Duration and Number of Seats for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS Kerala

The number of seats available and the duration of the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) program are as follows:

• Total Seats: 8 (Eight)
• Duration of the Program: 2 Years

Eligibility Criteria for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS

Candidates need to meet the following criteria to get admission into the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) program at IMHANS, Kerala:

• Applicants must have their Bachelor’s in Psychology (4 Years) or Bachelor’s in Psychology (3 Years) + Master's (1 Year) in Psychology/Clinical Psychology/Applied Psychology or other relevant specializations for admission into the course, from a UGC-recognized university.
• Minimum Marks
  • General/UR: 55% aggregate
  • SC/ST: 50% aggregate
• Mode of Study
  • Full-time; On-campus

Method of Selection for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS

Selection in the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) program will be based on merit, determined by an Entrance Examination, which includes a Written Test and an Interview.

Exam Pattern for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS

The following is the exam pattern of the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) program at IMHANS Kerala:

• The written exam will have 75 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs).
• Level of Questions: UGC NET (especially, Research Methodology and Statistics, Psychological Testing, Biological Basis of Behavior and Human Development, and Intervention).
• Negative Marking: 0.25 marks.
• Total time allotted: 60 minutes.
• Interview: Yes (only candidates who get shortlisted from the written exam will be invited).
• Final selection of the candidate will be based on the total marks obtained in the entrance examination (Written Test — 75% & Interview — 25%).
• The exam and interview will take place in Kozhikode, Kerala.

Application Process for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS

The application process to get admission into IMHANS, Kerala’s MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) is the following:

• Candidates need to visit IMHANS’s official application submission portal. There, they need to select New Registration from the side menu and register themselves.
• After the registration, you need to pay the application fee. For the General Category, it’s Rs 1500, and for the Reserved Category (SC/ST), it’s Rs 1250.
• Candidates can submit the application fee through the online mode or by utilizing a challan [can be generated online at the time of registration]. On the successful submission of the application fee, candidates will receive their application numbers. Candidates need to use this [application number] to log in and fill out the rest of the application form carefully while uploading all the necessary documents.
• Documents/Certificates to upload with the online application:
  • SSLC or equivalent certificate – for proof of date of birth.
  • Nativity certificate – as proof of nativity.
  • Mark list(s) of the qualifying examination.
  • Certificates for special reservation claims, if applicable.
  • Income certificate in the prescribed format (can be found on the official website or prospectus), if applicable.
  • Community certificate (issued by the Tahsildar) – for SC/ST candidates.
  • Non-Creamy Layer certificate in the prescribed format (issued by the Village Officer) – for SEBC/OEC candidates claiming community reservation.
  • Inter-caste marriage certificate (issued by the Tahsildar), if applicable.
  • Medical certificate for Persons with Disabilities (PD) – issued by the District Medical Board and dated within the last 12 months.

Important Dates for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI)

• Last date to submit the application form: September
• Date of Entrance Exam & Interview: October

NOTE: The dates mentioned above are tentative & subject to change.

Fee Structure of MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) at IMHANS

The following is the fee structure for the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) program at IMHANS Kerala.

• Tuition Fee (Non-refundable)
  • Rs 25000 per year
• Library Charges (Non-refundable)
  • Rs 1000 per year
• Caution Deposit
  • Rs 5000 (Payable at the time of joining and Refundable on completion of the course)
• Identification Card (Temporary) (Non-refundable)
  • Rs 200 (Payable at the time of joining)
• Internal Examination Fee (Non-refundable)
  • Part I: Rs 1500 – Payable at the time of joining
  • Part II: Rs 1500 – Payable at the beginning of the 2nd academic year
• KUHS Fee (Non-refundable)
  • Rs 1260 - Payable at the time of joining
• Guest Lecture Fee (Non-refundable)
  • Rs 3000 – Payable at the time of joining
  • Rs 3000 – Payable at the beginning of the 2nd academic year

Recommended Books to Prepare for MA Clinical Psychology

Students preparing for the MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) entrance exam of IMHANS, Kerala, may find the following books helpful in their preparation. These texts cover core areas such as psychopathology, assessment, research methodology, statistics, and clinical theories.

• Introduction to Psychology (8th-10th Edition): Rita Atkinson and Hilgard
• Social Psychology: Baron Robert
• Human Development: Papalia and Sally Olds
• Cognitive Psychology: Robinson-Riegler / Sternberg and Sternberg
• Statistics: Quinn McNemar / Minium
• Biopsychology: Arvind Otta
• Research Method: James Goodwin / Lewin & Fox / A. K. Singh
• Psychological Testing: Ronald Jay Cohen and Mark E. Swerdlik
• Abnormal Psychology: Sarason and Sarason / R. Comerc
• Clinical Psychology: Alan Carr / Hecker and Geoffrey
• Psychology Question Bank: Arvind Otta

Given the limited seats and competitive nature of the entrance, early and structured preparation is strongly recommended.

Sample Questions for MA Clinical Psychology (RCI) Entrance Exam

1. According to psychodynamic theory, individuals are sometimes motivated to respond to the world through the perspectives they have learnt from important other people in their developmental past. This is called:

A. Object Permanence Theory

B. Distorted Perspective Theory

C. Object Relations Theory

D. Ego Defence Theory

2. Vygotsky’s stage, which is similar to Piaget's concentration and conservation:

A. Mature concept stage

B. Vague syncretic stage

C. Potential concept stage

D. Complex stage

3. When the client is repeatedly tapping their foot on the ground, the therapist would get them to exaggerate the movement and talk about the feelings that come up. This therapeutic technique is most likely related to:

A. Gestalt therapy

B. Client-centred therapy

C. Mindfulness

D. DBT

4. Amiya is having stage fright in school; her therapist teaches her to minimize emotional disturbances and self-defeating behaviors by acquiring a more realistic, workable, and compassionate philosophy of life. Her therapist also asks her to ask silly questions in the classroom. What kind of therapy does the therapist have most likely used here?

A. Client-centred

B. Existential therapy

C. Rational Emotive therapy

D. DBT

5. _____________ is assessed by Cronbach’s Alpha.

A. Concurrent Validity

B. Inter-rater reliability

C. Test retest reliability

D. Internal Consistency

6. Anitha is a 23-year-old girl who is unstable in relationships, self- destructive, and has recurrent thoughts of suicide and being impulsive. Which is the most suitable therapeutic method for this condition?

A. Client-centred therapy

B. Dialectic behavioural therapy

C. Psychoanalysis

D. Expressive psychotherapy

7. What is one type of mixed method design?

A. Exploring

B. Explicit

C. Convergent

D. Connecting

8. A researcher measured the same group of people's physiological reactions while watching horror films and compared them to when watching erotic films and a documentary about wildlife. The resulting data were skewed. What test should be used to analyze the data?

A. Independent analysis of variance

B. Repeated-measures analysis of variance

C. Friedman's ANOVA

D. Kruskal-Wallis test

9. Which of the following refers to concurrent validity?

A. The items on the test consistently relate to each other

B. That two tests are done at the same time

C. Two or more Clinicians agree on the outcome

D. The notion that scores on a test correlate highly with scores from tests that measure the same attribute

10. When the person answers your question in a disorganized or rambling way and doesn't reach an answer, it is called:

A. Tangentiality

B. Word salad

C. Tangentiality

D. Flight of ideas

Need More Help?

For more details about the program or information about different psychology entrance examinations, you can contact us at UPS Education using the details below:

Contact no: +91-9990717772

Website: upseducation.in

UPS Education’s Students Who Got Admission into IMHANS Kerala

• Dhanya Charly, 2021
• Vismaya Sajeevan, 2025

References

1. Education, U. (2025, October 8). IMHANS MPHil Clinical Psychology Admissions 2025. UPS Education. https://www.upseducation.in/update/imhans-mphil-clinical-psychology-admissions-2025/