MRCPsych Paper A is blueprinted across 14 areas spanning the scientific basis of psychiatry. Knowing the map helps you allocate revision time. Here is each area in plain English, follow the links for high-yield subtopics and worked questions.
The 14 areas
- Behavioural Science & Sociocultural Psychiatry, behavioural science.
- Human Development, human development.
- Neuroscience, neuroscience.
- Clinical Psychopharmacology, psychopharmacology.
- Classification & Assessment in Psychiatry, descriptive psychopathology.
- Organisation & Delivery of Psychiatric Services, organisation of psychiatric services.
- General Adult Psychiatry, general adult psychiatry.
- Old Age Psychiatry, old age psychiatry.
- Psychotherapy, psychotherapy.
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry.
- Substance Misuse & Addictions, substance misuse.
- Forensic Psychiatry, forensic psychiatry.
- Learning Disability, learning disability psychiatry.
- Research Methods, Statistics & EBM, research methods and statistics.
Where to focus
Psychopharmacology, neuroscience and descriptive psychopathology carry a lot of high-yield, factual marks and reward question practice. Behavioural science and human development are broad but learnable. Do not neglect the clinical domains (general adult, old age, forensic, child), they are very examinable and overlap with your day-to-day work.
Work through them systematically in the revision hub, and read the complete Paper A guide for format and pass-mark detail.