MRCPsych Paper B: Forensic Psychiatry | Questions & Revision
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MRCPsych Paper B · Revision

Forensic Psychiatry

Forensic psychiatry is one of the 9 areas assessed in MRCPsych Paper B. Here is what the exam tests, the high-yield subtopics, and worked example questions referenced to New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry.

What Paper B tests in Forensic Psychiatry

Paper B 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:

  • Criminal Responsibility
  • Confidentiality and Risk
  • Mental Health Act
  • Fitness to Plead
  • Diminished Responsibility
  • Infanticide
  • Automatism
  • Schizophrenia and Violence
  • Morbid Jealousy
  • Erotomania
  • Factitious Disorder
  • Hospital Orders
In our question bank
72 questions in this section (EMIs counted per stem), each with a full explanation and a reference to the recommended text (New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry). Balanced answer keys, MCQs and EMIs.

Worked example

This is a real question from the Forensic Psychiatry section, the kind you will see in Paper B:

Which is an example of a DYNAMIC (modifiable) risk factor for violence?

  1. Past violent convictions
  2. Age at first offence
  3. History of childhood abuse
  4. Male sex
  5. Current substance misuse and active psychotic symptoms
Answer: E. Dynamic risk factors are potentially modifiable and include current substance misuse, active symptoms (e.g. command hallucinations, persecutory delusions), non-adherence and acute stressors. Static factors (age at first offence, sex, past offending) are historical and unchangeable.

How to revise this section for Paper B

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 (New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry) so your facts match the exam blueprint.

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See the full MRCPsych Paper A guide or browse all 14 revision sections.

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