Exam guide
The MRCPsych Paper A and Paper B, explained
Paper A leans basic science and psychopharmacology; Paper B leans clinical psychiatry and critical review. Set by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Last checked 15 August 2026. Confirm current fees, dates and the live syllabus on the RCPsych's own site before booking.
How the exam is structured
MRCPsych is sat as 2 separate stages, each its own sitting — not one combined exam.
Paper A
| Papers | Paper A |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 across 1 paper |
| Time | 180 minutes total (180 min for Paper A) |
| Question types | ~100 MCQ + ~50 EMI |
Paper B
| Papers | Paper B |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 across 1 paper |
| Time | 180 minutes total (180 min for Paper B) |
| Question types | ~100 MCQ + ~50 EMI |
| Options per SBA/MCQ | 5 (A–E) |
|---|---|
| Sittings per year | 2 |
| Set by | Royal College of Psychiatrists |
Where the marks are
Most candidates revise every domain evenly by accident, which spends most of their time on a fraction of the paper. A SpecialityMCQ session is built to the weights below, then tilted toward whichever domain is currently costing you marks.
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Basic Neurosciences
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Clinical Psychopharmacology
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Classification & Assessment
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Critical Review & Research Methods
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General Adult Psychiatry
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Human Development
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Behavioural Science & Socio-cultural Psychiatry
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Forensic, Old Age & Child Psychiatry
RCPsych confirms Paper A's five domains and Paper B's format but does not publish exact percentages for most of them. Paper B's Critical Review (~33%) and General Adult Psychiatry (~20%) figures come from RCPsych-hosted trainee guidance, not the official syllabus; every other weight shown, on both papers, is SpecialityMCQ's estimate from the syllabus's relative depth — treat all of it as indicative, not exact.
A sample question
Written in-house to the MRCPsych style and answered against a named, current source — not claimed to be from a past paper. It plays exactly as it would in the app.
A 45-year-old man is an informal inpatient on an acute psychiatric ward, already receiving treatment for a mental disorder. He tells nursing staff he intends to leave immediately. The nurse in charge is concerned this would place him at risk, but no doctor with the power to detain him under Section 5(2) is immediately available. Which power allows a nurse to detain him for a limited period pending medical review?
- Source
- Mental Health Act 1983 (UK Public General Acts (legislation.gov.uk), 1983) — Section 5 — application in respect of patient already in hospital
- Checked
- Read against this source on 12 Aug 2026. If the guidance changes, the question comes back for another read before it is shown again.
Where this answer comes from
TAKEAWAY
Section 5(4), the nurse's holding power, lets a registered mental health or learning disability nurse detain an informal inpatient already receiving treatment for mental disorder for up to 6 hours, or until a doctor with 5(2) powers arrives, whichever is sooner.
Why D is right
Section 5(4) exists precisely for this situation: an informal inpatient trying to leave, with no doctor immediately available to invoke Section 5(2). It lasts up to 6 hours.
Section 2 is an application for assessment, lasting up to 28 days, made by an Approved Mental Health Professional on medical recommendation — not an immediate power a nurse can exercise alone.
Section 3 is an application for treatment, lasting up to 6 months initially, again requiring an AMHP application and medical recommendations, not something invoked at the bedside in minutes.
Section 136 is a police power to remove a person from a public place to a place of safety. This patient is already an inpatient, so it does not apply.
Section 17 governs leave of absence for a patient already detained under the Act. This patient is informal, not detained, so Section 17 has no application here.
You just answered one. Five a day are free.
Start freeA real question, written in-house to this exam's style, shown exactly as it would play in the app.
Where SpecialityMCQ fits
SpecialityMCQ's MRCPsych bank grows toward the weights above, written as single best answer and extended matching items set in UK NHS practice. Sessions balance every domain, then tilt toward whichever is currently costing you marks. Anything you miss returns on a spacing curve until it sticks, and every answer names the source it rests on and the date that source was last read.
New questions a day are free, with no card required, and the review deck is free for good.
Questions about the MRCPsych exam
What is the MRCPsych Paper A and Paper B?
MRCPsych Paper A and Paper B is set by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Paper A leans basic science and psychopharmacology; Paper B leans clinical psychiatry and critical review.
How is the MRCPsych exam structured across its stages?
MRCPsych is sat as 2 separate stages, not one combined exam: Paper A: 150 questions across 1 paper (180 minutes); Paper B: 150 questions across 1 paper (180 minutes). Each with 5 options per single-best-answer item.
What does the MRCPsych blueprint cover?
The chart on this page shows the highest-weighted domains. RCPsych confirms Paper A's five domains and Paper B's format but does not publish exact percentages for most of them. Paper B's Critical Review (~33%) and General Adult Psychiatry (~20%) figures come from RCPsych-hosted trainee guidance, not the official syllabus; every other weight shown, on both papers, is SpecialityMCQ's estimate from the syllabus's relative depth — treat all of it as indicative, not exact.
Does the MRCPsych exam include extended matching questions (EMQ)?
Yes. Alongside single best answer items, part of the MRCPsych exam uses extended matching questions: a themed option list shared by several stems. SpecialityMCQ practises these in the same layout, with the option list beside the stem rather than folded into a single-best-answer format.
How many times a year can I sit MRCPsych?
2 sittings a year, per the RCPsych's own published exam calendar. Confirm current dates and fees on the college's own site before booking.
Is SpecialityMCQ affiliated with the RCPsych?
No. SpecialityMCQ is an independent revision tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Sitting a different exam? SpecialityMCQ also covers MRCS Part A , MRCOG Part 1 and Part 2 , MRCPCH Foundation of Practice and Theory and Science and MRCEM Primary and MRCEM SBA , each with its own guide.
SpecialityMCQ is an independent revision tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, or any other exam authority. This page summarises the college's own published exam information for candidates and is not a substitute for it. Always confirm current syllabus, fees and dates on the college's own site before applying.