MRCPsych Paper B: Psychotherapy | Questions & Revision
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MRCPsych Paper B · Revision

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy 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 Psychotherapy

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:

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • CBT
  • Behavioural Therapies
  • Family Therapy
  • Couples Therapy
  • Group Therapy
  • IPT
  • CAT
  • DBT
  • MBT
  • Effectiveness of Psychotherapy
  • Indications for Psychotherapy
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 Psychotherapy section, the kind you will see in Paper B:

In Jungian analytical psychology, the "shadow" refers to:

  1. The archetype representing the self in its totality
  2. The persona presented to the outside world
  3. The repressed and denied aspects of the personality that the conscious ego does not identify with
  4. The collective unconscious shared by all humans
  5. The feminine aspect of a man's personality
Answer: C. Jung's concept of the shadow refers to the unconscious aspect of the personality that the conscious ego does not recognise in itself. It contains repressed weaknesses, desires, and instincts. In Jungian therapy, integration of the shadow is an important part of individuation. The anima/animus represents the contrasexual aspect; the persona is the social mask; and the Self is the archetype of wholeness.

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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