How to Become a Psychologist after 12th: Career Guide, Courses, Eligibility, Entrance Exams, Top Colleges, Skills, Salary

Psychologists are qualified and skilled professionals who help people cope with difficult situations, overcome addictions and other abuse, manage an individual’s chronic illness and finally conducts tests to daignose a persisting condition and help in the entire recovery process. Candidates aspiring to become a psychologist after 12th, must first clear class 12^th board or equivalent exams followed by clearing various examinations such as CUET and DUET for pursuing undergraduate Physchology courses. It usually takes about 5 years for a person to complete both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses and a variable time of 4 – 6 years for the doctoral degree to become an established psychologist. Becoming a Psychologist may be challenging, but it is a truly rewarding job, in terms of new challenges one can face along the path, or the lucrative salary. The average Salary of a Psychologist is INR 7 LPA which with gradual experience can go up to as much as INR 11 LPA and in certain cases even above. Also Check: Job of a Psychologist

How to Become a Psychologist After 12^th: Quick Facts

Eligibility to Become a Psychologist after 12^th

• One should have passed Class 12th or equivalent examination from a recognised state or national board and be eligible for UG Psychology courses.
• A minimum of 50% in the Class 12th examination
• Students from arts, science and commerce can apply for psychology courses
• Students may register for BA and BSc. courses at the undergraduate level. Also, they may pursue diploma courses in the field of psychology.
• One should focus on different parts of the psychology syllabus for the undergraduate course and have a basic understanding of the topics before enrollment.
• For Postgraduate courses, candidates have to affix the specialisation field they want to take in. The various fields of specialisation are industrial psychology, clinical psychology, counselling psychology, etc.

• They can take internships between classes to gather real-world industrial experiences
• To work as a clinical psychologist, candidates can move further towards doctoral studies.

Steps to Become a Psychologist after 12^th

To become a psychologist, candidates should follow a basic academic roadmap. The roadmap includes three steps - UG, PG and PhD. The respective courses in the three levels that can assist candidates to become a psychologist are:

Undergraduate Courses

• The first step to becoming a psychologist is entering any undergraduate course aligned with the pathway of psychology. These include BA, BSc, and Honours specialisations
• Along the path, candidates must understand every topic in-depth
• Maintain a minimum of 50% aggregate to appear for postgraduate courses

Postgraduate Courses

• To make the curricular profile sounder as a psychologist, one can go for the postgraduate courses - ranging from MA to PG Diploma
• It spans four semesters and has involvement in real-life projects and case studies.
• Candidates can choose specialisation as per their choice - from industrial psychology to clinical psychology to child psychology - there are lots of options one can choose from.

Courses to Become a Psychologist After 12^th

There are various undergraduate and postgraduate courses that one can pursue to become a psychologist after the 12th. Candidates will be judged either by their 10+2 grades or the scores of respective entrances if they want to become a psychologist.

Entrance Exams

Candidates should sit in the entrance exams that help them get admitted. The exams such as CUET, and DUET are to be given to enter the top colleges of India which provide the best courses to pursue psychology as a profession.

Top Psychologist Colleges

Here’s a list of top colleges that provide undergraduate psychology courses. In the Western parts of India, several top colleges in Mumbai and Pune provide the best courses in undergraduate-level of psychology. In eastern India, Kolkata is a great centre to study psychology. In the southern parts, there is Bengaluru and in Northern India, there are several respectable colleges under the umbrella of DU where one can study psychology.

Skills Required to Become a Psychologist After 12^th

These are some skills candidates need to grasp to channelise their interests and start the journey to become a psychologist after the 12th. These are not hard skills, but a mixture of several soft skills. The capability of a person as a psychologist does not depend on the subjects he or she is taught, rather it depends on these skills.

Benefits of Becoming a Psychologist After 12^th

Being a psychologist is a challenging job, yet it has some perks and benefits. From having social respect to having a flexible work schedule, it has many offers and many perks. Those are enlisted as follows:

• Respect associated with the job- Mental health is an important issue in society. A person catering to the minds of people indeed earns respect in society.
• Flexibility in Work Schedule - Candidates can work anytime, and schedule appointments at their convenience
• Good Salary- Psychologists in India make a good amount of money, ranging from INR 0.3 LPA at minimum to INR 7 LPA
• New Challenges to Solve- Human brain has a unique pattern in each individual, To pinpoint a specific modus operandi is impossible for anyone. A psychologist has such a challenging job where one has to solve new problems and prescribe new, correct and creative solutions to them every time.

Salary of a Psychologist

A psychologist is a profession that one can opt for is not only a challenging thing to do, but it pays well enough, and the pay is incremental along with years of experience. This is simply because psychology has no specific rulebook to solve a problem, rather solely depends on the mettle of the psychologist.