MRCPsych Paper 2

Written Paper Centres in the UK, Ireland and Hong Kong

The marking scheme for the MRCPsych Written Paper is available to download

 

The MRCPsych Paper 2 will be 3 hours long, containing 200 questions. The paper will include both ‘best answer 1 of 5’ style MCQs and EMIs.  Approximately one third of the paper will be the EMI component.

 

Sample questions are available here:

 

Paper 2 sample questions

 

The content of the MRCPsych Paper 2 Written paper will be the following:

 

Please see the breakdown below for further details.

 

General Adult

General principles of psychopharmacology (pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics)

Psychotropic drugs

Adverse reactions

Evaluation of treatments

Neuropsychiatry (physiology, endocrinology, chemistry, anatomy, pathology)

Genetics

Epidemiology

Advanced Psychological Processes and Treatments

 

Breakdown of Paper 2


Content

No. of questions

   

Neurosciences 

40

Neuroanatomy

 

Neuropathology

 

Neurophysiology

 

Neuroendocrinology

 

Neurochemistry

 

Neuroimaging  
Developmental neuroscience  
   
Psychopharmacology 40

Pharmacokinetics

 

Pharmacodynamics

 

Adverse reactions

 

Theories of action

 

Drug dependence

 

New drugs

 
Pharmacogenetics   
   
Genetics 40
Cellular genetics  
Molecular genetics  
Behavioural genetics  
Endophenotypes  
Genetic epidemiology  
Gene-environment interaction  
   
Epidemiology 40
Surveys across the lifespan  
Measures  
   
Advanced psychological processes and treatments 40
Neuropsychology  
Personality and personality disorder  
Developmental psychopathology (incl. temperament)  
Therapy models, methods, processes and outcomes  

 

(BT, CBT, Family/couples, Interpersonal, Psychoanalytic, Psychoeducation)

Treatment adherence

Psychosocial influences

 

This breakdown is intended as a general guide to the content of Paper 2 and is subject to change.

 

Candidates should note that for the June 2009 paper and onwards the Paper 2 ‘Statistics and research (basic)’ section will move from the Paper 2 to the Paper 3.

 

© 2011 Royal College of Psychiatrists