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[ Home ](https://mdster.com) 2. [ Blog ](https://mdster.com/blog) 3. [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) 4. Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych Paper B): Study Plan [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych Paper B): Study Plan =============================================================== A practical, exam-specific strategy for mastering clinical psychiatry and critical review without wasting revision time. [ MDster Editorial Team ](https://mdster.com/about) · May 30, 2026 · 6 min read · 141 [ Reviewed by Dr. Ali Ragab, MBBCH, MSc, MCAI ](https://mdster.com/medical-reviewers/dr-ali-ragab) [Editorial Policy](https://mdster.com/editorial-policy) | [Corrections Policy](https://mdster.com/corrections) [ Exam Strategy ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=exam-strategy) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=study-tips) [ Psychiatry ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=psychiatry) [ Psychiatry Exams ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=psychiatry-exams) [ MRCPsych Paper B ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=mrcpsych-paper-b) [ Critical Review ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=critical-review) ![Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych Paper B): Study Plan](https://mdster.com/storage/blog/images/royal-college-of-psychiatrists-mrcpsych-paper-b-study-plan.jpg) Share this article Share this post On this page 1. [ Build Your Revision Around the Blueprint ](#build-your-revision-around-the-blueprint) 2. [ Treat Critical Review as a Scoring System, Not a Reading Task ](#treat-critical-review-as-a-scoring-system-not-a-reading-task) 3. [ How to Revise Statistics Efficiently ](#how-to-revise-statistics-efficiently) 4. [ Practise MCQs and EMIs Differently ](#practise-mcqs-and-emis-differently) 5. [ Use Resources in the Right Order ](#use-resources-in-the-right-order) 6. [ Study Schedule Template: 10 Weeks to Paper B ](#study-schedule-template-10-weeks-to-paper-b) 7. [ Exam-Day Timing Strategy ](#exam-day-timing-strategy) 8. [ Common Pitfalls to Avoid ](#common-pitfalls-to-avoid) 9. [ Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) 10. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 11. [ References ](#references-heading) On this page 1. [ Build Your Revision Around the Blueprint ](#build-your-revision-around-the-blueprint) 2. [ Treat Critical Review as a Scoring System, Not a Reading Task ](#treat-critical-review-as-a-scoring-system-not-a-reading-task) 3. [ How to Revise Statistics Efficiently ](#how-to-revise-statistics-efficiently) 4. [ Practise MCQs and EMIs Differently ](#practise-mcqs-and-emis-differently) 5. [ Use Resources in the Right Order ](#use-resources-in-the-right-order) 6. [ Study Schedule Template: 10 Weeks to Paper B ](#study-schedule-template-10-weeks-to-paper-b) 7. [ Exam-Day Timing Strategy ](#exam-day-timing-strategy) 8. [ Common Pitfalls to Avoid ](#common-pitfalls-to-avoid) 9. [ Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) 10. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 11. [ References ](#references-heading) Many candidates treat Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych Paper B) like “Paper A plus statistics.” That is the mistake. Paper B rewards applied clinical judgement, rapid pattern recognition, and calm handling of critical review questions under time pressure. As of May 2026, Paper B is a 3-hour written paper with 150 one-mark questions, using MCQs and EMIs. About one-third tests critical review and two-thirds tests clinical topics, including general adult, old age, CAMHS, addictions, forensic, psychotherapy, learning disability, and service delivery. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Build Your Revision Around the Blueprint ---------------------------------------- Do not divide your time equally across the syllabus. Critical review carries about 50 marks, and general adult psychiatry carries about 30 marks, so these deserve repeated, scheduled exposure. Use this hierarchy: - **Tier 1:** Critical review and general adult psychiatry - **Tier 2:** Old age, CAMHS, addictions - **Tier 3:** Forensic, psychotherapy, learning disability, service delivery For each topic, make a one-page “exam sheet” containing diagnostic differentials, management steps, legal/ethical issues, and common traps. Paper B questions often test what you would do next, not just whether you can recognise a diagnosis. > **Pro Tip:** When reviewing clinical topics, ask: “What would make this answer unsafe, outdated, or too narrow?” That question often separates the best option from a merely plausible one. Treat Critical Review as a Scoring System, Not a Reading Task ------------------------------------------------------------- Critical review is not about becoming a statistician. It is about recognising study design, bias, validity, and interpretation quickly enough to answer under timed conditions. Create a repeatable critical review checklist: 1. Identify the study design. 2. Define the exposure, intervention, comparator, and outcome. 3. Check whether the measure fits the question: odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio, sensitivity, specificity, NNT, or confidence interval. 4. Decide whether the conclusion is justified. 5. Look for bias, confounding, power, and applicability to psychiatric practice. Practise calculations until they are automatic. You should be able to handle NNT, absolute risk reduction, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and basic confidence interval interpretation without pausing to rebuild the formula. ### How to Revise Statistics Efficiently Use short drills rather than long reading sessions: - 10 minutes: formula recall from memory - 20 minutes: timed calculation questions - 10 minutes: explain each wrong answer in one sentence - 5 minutes: add one rule to your error log Your aim is not mathematical elegance. Your aim is fast recognition of what the question is really asking. Practise MCQs and EMIs Differently ---------------------------------- MCQs test discrimination between close options. EMIs test your ability to match multiple clinical stems to the best answer from a longer list. For MCQs, cover the options first and predict the answer. Then uncover the options and ask which one most closely matches your prediction. For EMIs, read the option list before the stems. Group options mentally into categories such as diagnosis, investigation, management, legislation, or adverse effect. Question typeBest practice methodReview focusMCQPredict before reading optionsWhy the best answer is safestEMICategorise the option list firstWhy similar options differCritical reviewIdentify design and statistic firstValidity, bias, interpretation Never just record your percentage score. Record the reason for each error: knowledge gap, misread stem, statistic confusion, or overthinking. Use Resources in the Right Order -------------------------------- Start with the official syllabus and blueprint, then use resources to fill gaps. Randomly reading textbooks from cover to cover is inefficient for Paper B. Use resources this way: - **Question banks:** Do timed blocks, then review explanations deeply. - **Textbooks:** Use selectively after repeated errors in one topic. - **Guidelines:** Focus on management pathways, risk, safeguarding, capacity, and service-level decisions. - **Critical review texts or courses:** Use for structured statistics practice, not passive reading. - **Study groups:** Use for explaining reasoning aloud, especially EMIs and critical appraisal. A good study group session has a strict format: 20 timed questions, 30 minutes review, 10 minutes teaching one difficult concept each. Avoid groups that become long discussions without answer discipline. Study Schedule Template: 10 Weeks to Paper B -------------------------------------------- This schedule assumes you are working clinically. If you have less time, compress the first six weeks but protect the timed mocks. WeeksFocusWeekly output1–2Blueprint mapping and baseline testOne diagnostic mock, error log started3–4Critical review plus general adult3 timed question blocks, 2 stats drills weekly5–6Old age, CAMHS, addictionsTopic sheets and EMI practice7Forensic, psychotherapy, learning disability, servicesTarget weak areas only8Mixed timed blocksTwo half-mocks, review all red-flag topics9Full mock practiceTwo full 3-hour simulations10ConsolidationFormula sheet, weak-topic flashcards, exam-day plan During each week, use a 60:30:10 split: 60% questions, 30% targeted reading, 10% recall review. Paper B performance improves when revision resembles the exam. Exam-Day Timing Strategy ------------------------ You have 180 minutes for 150 questions, so your average pace is just over one minute per mark. Do not spend three minutes rescuing one difficult question early in the paper. Use this timing plan: - First pass: answer straightforward questions quickly. - Flag: mark questions requiring calculation or close comparison. - Second pass: return to flagged questions with remaining time. - Final pass: check unanswered items and obvious misreads. If a critical review calculation is consuming time, write the formula, insert numbers, and move on if stuck. One mark is still one mark. Common Pitfalls to Avoid ------------------------ The most common Paper B failures are strategic, not intellectual. Avoid these patterns: - Spending weeks reading critical appraisal but doing few calculations. - Ignoring service delivery because it feels less “clinical.” - Treating EMIs like single-best-answer MCQs. - Revising favourite subspecialties while neglecting high-mark areas. - Reviewing only correct explanations and skipping wrong options. > **Pro Tip:** Your error log is more valuable than your notes. If the same error appears three times, schedule that topic within 48 hours. Key Takeaways ------------- - Map your revision to the Paper B mark distribution. - Practise critical review calculations twice weekly. - Separate MCQ and EMI techniques. - Use question banks as your main active-learning tool. - Complete at least two full timed mocks before the exam. - Maintain an error log organised by reason, not just topic. Paper B is demanding, but it is highly trainable. If you revise from the blueprint, practise under timed conditions, and treat every wrong answer as data, you give yourself a realistic route to passing on schedule. Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- ### How much time should I spend on critical review for MRCPsych Paper B? Plan for repeated weekly practice because critical review represents about one-third of Paper B. Prioritise study design, bias, diagnostic test interpretation, confidence intervals, and common calculations. ### Should I revise Paper B differently from Paper A? Yes. Paper A is more foundational, while Paper B needs applied clinical reasoning and critical appraisal. Use more timed questions, EMIs, clinical management scenarios, and statistics drills. ### How many full mocks should I complete before Paper B? Aim for at least two full 3-hour mocks in the final fortnight. Review them by error type: knowledge gap, misread stem, statistics error, timing problem, or poor option discrimination. ### What is the best way to use question banks for Paper B? Use timed mixed blocks after initial topic review. Spend at least as long reviewing explanations as answering questions, and record recurring errors in a structured log. ### Are EMIs harder than MCQs in Paper B? They can feel harder because the option list is longer. Read and categorise the options first, then match each stem to the safest and most specific answer. References (2) ------------------ 1. 1. [ Royal College of Psychiatrists: Preparing for exams — Paper B format and syllabus ](https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/exams/preparing-for-exams) [↩](#cite-ref-1-1 "Back to text") 2. 2. [ Royal College of Psychiatrists: Papers A and B marking scheme ](https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/exams/preparing-for-exams/papers-a-and-b-marking-scheme) Keep going Build momentum in Psychiatry with a focused study pathway ----------------------------------------------------------- - Exam‑style questions for Psychiatry - Smart review to target weak topics - Progress tracking that keeps you accountable [ Start your free trial ](https://mdster.com/user/dashboard) [ Explore Psychiatry ](https://mdster.com/speciality/psychiatry) [ View pricing ](https://mdster.com/pricing) [ Explore features ](https://mdster.com/features) No credit card required. Full access to all features\*. No commitment. Cancel anytime. \*AI SOE Examiner is limited to 10 cases monthly for Advanced & Bundle subscribers. 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