What Paper A tests in Behavioural Science
Paper A is a written paper of about 150 questions (single-best-answer MCQs and extended matching items) sat over three hours, blueprinted against the RCPsych syllabus. Questions from this domain typically cover:
- Learning Theory
- Perception
- Information Processing & Attention
- Memory
- Thought & Language
- Personality
- Motivation
- Emotion
- Stress & Coping
- States of Awareness & Sleep
- Attitudes & Attitude Change
- Self Psychology
Worked example
This is a real question from the Behavioural Science & Sociocultural Psychiatry section, the kind you will see in Paper A:
Gibson’s theory of perception is best described as:
- Based on unconscious inference
- Dependent on size constancy failure
- A purely innate maturational account
- A direct (bottom-up) account in which information in the optic array is sufficient
- A constructivist, top-down account
How to revise this section for Paper A
Work in short, active blocks: attempt questions first, read the explanation whether right or wrong, and log the subtopics you miss. Our weakness tracker flags any subtopic where you score below 60% so you can target revision rather than re-reading everything. Anchor your reading to the recommended text (Gross, Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour) so your facts match the exam blueprint.
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See the full MRCPsych Paper A guide or browse all 14 revision sections.