Next exam

• 26 November 2008

Duration

• 3 hours

Number of questions

• 200 questions

Types of questions

• 'Best answer 1 of 5' style multiple choice (2/3)
• Extended matching items (1/3)

Marking scheme

• Positive marking (no deductions for incorrect answers)
• The marking scheme is detailed on the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The eligibility criteria are complex. Only the basic criteria are listed here. Candidates are advised to read the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the latest information.

The requirements of entry to Paper 2 are:

• Between 18 and 48 months whole time equivalent in psychiatry by the date of sitting Paper 2.
  • A minimum of 12m in general adult psychiatry, or 6m old age and 6m general adult psychiatry, or a combination of 4 or 6 month posts in either general or both specialties, which must include a minimum of 6 months general adult psychiatry
• Workplace based assessments spread over a minimum of 7-8 months at ST2/3 competency level
  • 4 Mini Assessed Clinical Encounters (Mini-ACE)
  • 2 Case Based Discussions (CBD)

It is expected that Paper 2 will be taken after 18 months mandatory training and to have been attained within 36 months.

Source: General Information & Regulations for the MRCPsych Examinations & Assessment
Programme 2008, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2 April 2008

This is a breakdown of the content of the MRCPsych Paper 2 examination, including the number of questions expected on each topic. The Royal College of Psychiatrists warns that this breakdown is intended as a general guide only and is subject to change. You are advised to view the latest information on the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Neurosciences	35		Epidemiology	33
Neuroanatomy			Surveys across the lifespan
Neuropathology			Measures
Neurophysiology
Neuroendocrinology			Statistics/research	31
Neurochemistry			Study design (basic)
Neuroimaging			Study interpretation (basic)
Developmental neuroscience			Statistics
Psychopharmacology	33		Pycholology	35
Pharmacokinetics			Neuropsychology
Pharmacodynamics			Personality and disorder
Adverse reactions			Developmental psychopathology
Theories of action			Therapy models
Drug dependence			Treatment adherence
New drugs			Psychological influences
Pharmacogenetics
Genetics	33
Cellular genetics
Molecular genetics
Behavioural genetics
Endophenotypes
Genetic epidemiolog
Gene-environment interaction

 

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists website, 28 March 2008

Discussions take place in the Superego Cafe MRCPsych Forum after each MRCPsych exam. Users post recalled questions. The collected questions are presented here as Adobe PDF files for your convenience. For discussions about answers, please go to the MRCPsych Forum.

Sample questions are also available on the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

	2008 - February, June (available soon)

February 2008 - 320 candidates

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists website, 28 March 2008

Exam day blues

The experiences of candidates who sat the first MRCPsych Paper 2 examination in spring 2008 make for disturbing reading. The syllabus and topic breakdown for this new paper lacked the detail required for candidates to formulate an effective revision strategy. As a result the majority of candidates could not prepare well and struggled with this paper, even finding it difficult to recall questions afterwards. The low pass rate of 37.5% (compared with the Paper 1 pass rate of 60.1%) shows that the expectations of the College were inappropriately high.

It is hoped that the College will be more specific in the run-up to future exams.

Books

Similar to the experience of past candidates with the old Part 2 Basic Sciences paper, there does not appear to be any textbook that is specific to the needs of candidates sitting this new paper. It will take some time before any such book appears on the market. Question practice books are starting to become available and it will be interesting to see if any authors can predict the exam questions.

Revision courses

Organisers of revision courses are still getting to grips with this poorly-defined exam. Only courses which are not relying on old material are worth considering.