Everything you need to know about the MRCPsych exams
What is MRCPsych?
The MRCPsych is a postgraduate qualification in psychiatry from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK. It consists of Paper A, Paper B, and CASC, and you need to pass all three to be able to start your specialty training in Psychiatry.
Which Specialties Use It?
The MRCPsych qualification is specifically for doctors training in psychiatry. Within psychiatry, it covers various specialties and subspecialties, including:
- General Psychiatry
- Old Age Psychiatry
- Forensic Psychiatry
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Psychiatry of Learning Disability
- Medical Psychotherapy
- Substance Misuse Psychiatry
- Liaison Psychiatry
- Rehabilitation Psychiatry
When to Take the MRCPsych Exam:
The MRCPsych is typically taken by doctors who are in the early stages of their Core psychiatric training, usually during or after the first few years of their core training (CT1-CT3) in psychiatry.
You’ll find it best to take one exam per year, with Paper A in CT1, Paper B in CT2, and CASC in CT3. Taking them in FY2 can be tough since they require detailed study. Instead, focusing on the MSRA exam might be a smarter move.
However, these are just suggestions. You can take Paper A of this exam anytime as long as you are a registered medical practitioner
It can also be taken by international medical graduates who wish to work as psychiatrists in the UK or who want to obtain this qualification for recognition in other countries.
Exam Details:
The MRCPsych exam has three parts:
Paper A:
It covers basic sciences relevant to behavioural sciences and social psychiatry, human development, basic neurosciences, clinical psychopharmacology, classification and evaluation in psychiatry. It is a 3 hour theoretical exam with 150 questions for 150 points.
Paper B:
It covers advanced psychiatric topics like General Adult Psychiatry, Old Age Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Learning Disability, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It also includes critical appraisal and evidence-based practice. This is also a 3 hour theoretical exam with 150 questions for 150 points.
Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC):
It is a practical exam that tests your clinical skills through observed scenarios. It's usually taken after passing Papers A and B and gaining sufficient clinical experience.
All the exams used to be conducted completely in person but since COVID-19, Paper A and Paper B have also started being conducted online, so if you are an IMG and currently not in the UK, you can easily take the exam online!
Eligibility:
You can take Paper A if:
You are a registered medical practitioner recognised by any medical council. You won’t need to be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) for this one.
You can take Paper B if:
- You’re in an approved training program, with at least 12 months of psychiatry experience.
OR
- You have a job that includes time and support for educational training, such as attending courses, journal clubs, and receiving supervision.
You can take CASC if:
- You have 24 months of psychiatry experience after your foundation/internship.
- You’ve passed Papers A and B (or meet transitional arrangements).
- You have sponsorship and can show one of the following:
- If you’re in an approved training program, you need to show that you successfully completed the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) by the time you apply for CASC.
- If you’re not in an approved program, you need to show that you’ve completed an Assessment Portfolio proving you’ve met the competencies of ARCP, including Psychotherapy and either Child and Adolescent Psychiatry or Learning Disability.
Exam Timings
Paper A and Paper B each had 3 examination dates in 2024, while CASC had 2, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This says that as a candidate, you should always keep an eye on the dates as they often change.
Additionally, if you don’t complete all parts within 1,643 days, you’ll need to retake everything. The validity period starts from the date you pass your first exam and doesn’t reset with each subsequent pass. Which means you have 1,643 days to take all the exams after you get the passing results of Paper A.
After passing all three College exams, including the CASC, you'll receive details on how to register as a Member of the College. Once registered, you can use the MRCPsych post-nominals, receive your certificate, and attend a graduation ceremony. As a Member, you're also eligible to apply for ST4 posts in the UK through National Recruitment.
Exam Costs:
The exam costs differ for PMPT trainees & affiliates and non-trainees in the UK and Ireland.
For Paper A, PMPT trainees pay £496, while others pay £550.
For Paper B, trainees pay £446, and others pay £495.
For CASC, PMPT trainees spend £1024 while non-trainees spend £1137.
Prep resources:
The best place to start your preparation is by going through the exam syllabus thoroughly
Then, when you know what you need to study, you should start revising as per your personal study routine. Additionally, there are sample papers, question banks, etc that you can go through for a more thorough understanding of your syllabus and the exam formats.
For Paper A and B, you can use the Sample Questions on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website
For CASC, you can use these:
In addition, the websites PsychScene and CambridgePsychiatry offer great resources like articles, blogs, as well as revision courses for candidates preparing for the MRCPsych exams!
If you’ve read this far, do try Medlogbook to log your medical experiences. I’ve created this to organise your competencies which could help with moving abroad. You can be better prepared for submitting work evidence, a requirement in most countries for practising.
