The University of Allahabad was started in the year 1887. This university offers both graduate and post graduate courses. They have established departments for teaching as well as research centres for conducting enhanced doctoral level programmes. The candidates those who would like to join for a course in this University has to appear for the entrance examinations that is conducted annually for admitting the qualified candidates for the post graduate course in Philosophy.

Structure of the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Exam

The M.A Philosophy entrance examination consists of short answer as well as long answer questions. The candidates have to answer the short answer questions in not less than 50 words whereas the long answer questions have to be answered in 150 words. Candidates will get a total time of 90 minutes to complete the examination.

Syllabus for the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Exam

Ethics

• Perfectionism and Ethics of Bhagwad Geeta
• Utilitarianism
• Psychological and ethical hedonism
• Moral judgment
• Kantian ethics

Western Philosophy

• Empiricism
• Barkeley
• Criticism (Kant)
• Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz)

Indian Philosophy

• Samkhya
• Jainism
• Nyaya (Pratyaksha and Anuman)
• Budhism
• Vedanta (Shankar and Ramanuj)

Logic

• Fallacies
• Truth and validity
• Categorical syllogism
• Venn diagram
• Deductive and Inductive argument
• Symbolic Logic
• Statement & statement form
• Argument & argument form
• Nineteen rules
• Truth Table Technique of testing the validity of arguments
• Mill’s methods

Theory of Knowledge

• Personal identity & Knowledge of other minds
• Epistemology & its relation to Psychology and Metaphysics
• Theories of truth
• Mind and its relation to object
• Sources and types of knowledge
• Problem of induction
• Nature of universals
• Knowledge and belief

Philosophy of Religion

• Theology & Philosophy of Religion
• Foundations of Religious belief
• Secularism
• Deism
• Theism & Pantheism
• Religious tolerance & Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava
• Proofs for the existence of God
• Immorality of soul & Paths of Moksha
• Problem of Evil
• Religious conversion
• Socio-Political Philosophy
• Ethics & Social Psychology
• Social Philosophy & its relation to Sociology

Social Institutions (Family, Society & State)

• Theories of Origin of State & Society
• Theories of Punishment
• Methods of Social Change, Tradition Change & Modernity

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who have passed B.A Philosophy course from the University of Allahabad or any other Universities in India which has been approved by the UGC are eligible to apply for this examination. Candidates who have completed a 2 year degree course before 1987 can also apply as they are also considered eligible.

How to Apply?

The candidates are advised to visit the website of the Allahabad University for downloading the application forms for M.A philosophy entrance examination. The applicants have to enter the relevant details in the provided space. The applicants have to download the challan of State Bank of India from the University website. After filling it completely, deposit the challan along with a registration fee of Rs 600/-. The applicants those who fall under the general category has to pay Rs 600/- as the registration fees.  But the SC/ST candidates need to pay only Rs 300/-for the same. The candidates those who have registered successfully will be provided with a nine digit code.  This code number has to be entered by the candidate while filling up the online application form. Two copies of the challan are given to the candidate. The applications will be rejected if the code in the application form doesn’t match.

How to fill the Form?

• The candidate must read the instructions in detail before filling up the application form.
• The application form must be filled correctly in order to avoid rejection of the same.
• All the relevant documents must be attached along with the application.
• A recent photograph of the specific size must be enclosed along with the application.

Important Dates (Tentative)

[Please note that we only provide tentative dates based on previous years dates. For exact dates related information it is always best to check official websites only.]

Online Submission of Forms Start Date: Third week of April, 2012

Sale of OMR forms: First week of May, 2012

Last date of submission of Forms: Third week of May, 2012

Date of Online Download of Admit Cards from the website: Last week of May, 2012

Date of Admission Test: First week of June, 2012

List of the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Exam Centers

The University of Allahabad post graduate Admission test in M.A Philosophy exam is conducted in the following places:

• Allahabad
• Bareilly
• Bhopal
• Bangalore
• Patna
• Delhi

Contact Address for M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Exam

• Address: Prof. C. K. Dwivedi, Director - Post Graduate Admission Test - PGAT 2011, Department of Philosophy, University of Allahabad, Allahabad - 211002
• Email your queries to: [email protected]
• Help Desk telephone numbers: 7388404617 & 9453357711 - 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Colleges Accepting the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Test Exam

University of Allahabad

Reference Books for the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Test Exam

• The Nature of Universals and Propositions By Stout George Frederick
• The Scope and Nature of University Education By John Henry Newman
• Discourses on the Scope and Nature of University Education By John Henry Newman
• On the Nature of the Universe By Lucretius , Ronald Melville, Don Fowler
• Secularism By John Milton Bonham
• A Secular Agenda By Arun Shourie
• Varieties of Secularism in a Secular Age By Michael Warner, Jonathan Vanantwerpen , Craig Calhoun
• Comtism and Secularism Comtism and Secularism By Count Goblet D Alviella
• Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist By Mani Shankar Aiyar
• The Culmination of the Science of Logic, with Synopses of All Possible Valid Forms of Categorical By John Cauchois Smith
• Categorical Variables in Developmental Research By Alexander Von Eye , Clifford C Clogg

Coaching Centers for the M.A. in Philosophy Entrance Exam

• Aakash
• Sreekrishna Entrance Coaching Center
• Brilliants Tutorial Pvt.Ltd
• T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd
• Oasis education services
• Career point
• Narayana IIT Academy
• Tandem
• Sahil study circle
• J .R. S Tutorials
• Pathfinder Academy
• Sri Krishna Academy
• Hierank School of Competitions
• Life Line Competitive and Entrance Coaching Centre
• VPM classes

Study Plan

Deal with the anxiety: First of all the candidate has to determine the source of anxiety. The anxiety is considered as a rational response if it stems due to the lack of preparation. It can be measured as an irrational response, if you have already prepared for the examination and still can’t get rid of panicking and overreacting.

Preparing for the exam: As cramming causes huge level of anxiety, avoid studying a large amount of portions in a short span of time.

Combine the entire notes and readings and try to learn the main concepts first. Try this way instead of focusing on the intricate details. Create important questions while studying and also integrate ideas from the books and the lecture notes. If you are finding it difficult to cover the entire syllabus, choose the portions that you will be able to attempt well for the examination.

Change your attitude: Change the way you think about taking the entrance examinations. By changing the attitude towards the examination, helps the students to enjoy the studies.

The candidate has to reward themselves once test gets over. Start thinking in a positive way.

How and Where To Get the Results?

The candidates can download the results of the post graduate M.A Philosophy entrance examination from the website of the Allahabad University once the results have announced officially. The website address of the University is as given below.

Website: www.allduniv.ac.in

Score Validity

The score that has been obtained by the applicants for post graduate entrance examination in Philosophy are valid for a period of twelve months.