What Paper B tests in Substance Misuse
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:
- Alcohol, Detoxification
- Stimulants & Club Drugs
- Alcohol, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
- Alcohol, Withdrawal
- Alcohol, Dependence Syndrome
- Alcohol, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
- Opioids, Overdose
- Opioids, Withdrawal
- Opioids, Opioid Substitution Therapy
- Cannabis
- Stimulants, Cocaine
- Stimulants, Amphetamines
Worked example
This is a real question from the Substance Misuse & Addictions section, the kind you will see in Paper B:
Acute cocaine intoxication characteristically produces:
- Hypothermia
- Sympathomimetic effects: dilated pupils, tachycardia, hypertension and euphoria
- Cerebellar ataxia
- Pinpoint pupils and respiratory depression
- Profound sedation
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.