OCR GCSE Psychology guide FAQ (J203)
Guide overview All 7 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
OCR GCSE Psychology: questions and answers
Specification J203. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
Which topics are on which paper?
Component 01 is Criminal Psychology, Development and Psychological Problems. Component 02 is Social Influence, Memory, and Sleep and Dreaming. Research Methods is examined on both. The breakdown is here.
Do I have to name the studies?
Yes. The specification names the core studies and you are examined on them directly: who carried it out, what they did, what they found and what is wrong with it. A study described vaguely scores almost nothing.
How much research methods is there?
More than most students expect. It has its own section on both papers and it is applied inside every other topic. It is 127 questions in the guide, covering experimental design, sampling, variables, ethics, reliability and validity, data types, and the calculations.
Is there maths in it?
Yes. Means, medians, modes and ranges, percentages and fractions, ratios, graph selection and interpretation, and reading data from tables. All of it sits inside the research methods topic.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 66 to 127 questions.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Psychology marks turn on naming the study and the finding precisely. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. This guide handles recall. Past papers train applying psychology to a novel scenario and the extended answers. OCR publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 577 exam-style questions covering the whole of OCR GCSE Psychology, with the answers printed after each topic.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. OCR GCSE Psychology is J203.
My child says they understand it but cannot remember the studies.
That is the standard gap in Psychology. The marks are in the name, the method, the sample and the finding, and those are exactly what the questions here ask for.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for the whole specification. A GCSE Psychology revision guide is usually £6 to £10.
How much time does it take?
33 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 11 hours for a full first pass of the course.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, free from OCR, and their own notes for anything not yet taught.
OCR GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
577 questions with their answers, 33 subtopics, one file.