Paper A & Paper B
Paper A and Paper B are the two written examinations of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' MRCPsych — the membership qualification that UK core psychiatry trainees must pass to progress to higher specialty training, and the route many international medical graduates take toward GMC registration and a psychiatry post in the NHS. Each paper is a 150-mark, three-hour test, and with only three sittings a year a failed attempt can stall a training rotation or a visa timeline by months. This page breaks down exactly what each paper tests, how they are delivered through OnVUE, and how to get them done right.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the MRCPsych written papers are built — at a glance
150
150 questions in 3 hours covering behavioural science, human development, neuroscience, clinical psychopharmacology, and classification & assessment. Each question carries one mark.
150
150 questions in 3 hours: roughly two-thirds clinical topics in psychiatry and one-third critical review — statistics, research methodology, and critical appraisal.
⅔ : ⅓
Both papers use approximately two-thirds best-of-five multiple-choice questions and one-third extended matching items (EMIs), where you choose the best option from a long list.
Candidates usually sit Paper A first, then Paper B, before progressing to the CASC clinical exam. Each written paper runs three times a year, so a missed window pushes your next attempt back several months — a real factor for trainees on a fixed CT1–CT3 rotation and for IMGs working to a visa or GMC timeline.
There is no fixed 50% or 60% threshold. The Royal College of Psychiatrists sets the cut score for each sitting using a modified Angoff criterion-referenced method, so the pass mark reflects the difficulty of that specific paper. Negative marking is not used — every one of the 150 marks is worth answering for.
Five subject areas across 150 marks — bars show each area's approximate share
~37–38 marks. Neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, neuropathology, and the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders.
~37–38 marks. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug mechanisms, adverse effects, and the evidence base for psychotropic prescribing.
~25 marks. Learning theory, perception, motivation, social psychology, and the cultural and sociological context of mental illness.
~25 marks. Cognitive, emotional, and psychosexual development across the lifespan, attachment theory, ageing, and bereavement.
~25 marks. Psychopathology, mental state examination, ICD/DSM classification, and the principles of psychiatric assessment.
Roughly ⅔ clinical topics (general adult, old age, child, learning disability, forensic, addictions, psychotherapy) and ⅓ critical review — statistics and appraisal.
In Paper A, Basic Neurosciences and Clinical Psychopharmacology together account for roughly half the marks, so candidates who lean clinical often underestimate how much hard basic-science recall the paper demands. In Paper B, the critical-review third — research methodology, study design, and statistics applied to published papers — is the single most commonly cited stumbling block, because it is tested formally rather than picked up incidentally on the ward.
The full membership pathway — two written papers plus the CASC clinical exam
| Component | What it assesses | Format | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper A | Scientific & theoretical basis of psychiatry | 150 marks · 3 hrs · MCQ + EMI | OnVUE online or Pearson VUE centre |
| Paper B | Clinical topics & critical review | 150 marks · 3 hrs · MCQ + EMI | OnVUE online or Pearson VUE centre |
| CASC | Clinical skills — OSCE-style stations | Sequential OSCE stations | In person (separate assessment) |
This page focuses on the two written papers, Paper A and Paper B. Passing both — together with the in-person CASC clinical assessment — completes the examination requirements for Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych).
Two ways to sit the written papers — and what OnVUE expects on test day
You sit the paper in a quiet, monitored room at an authorised Pearson VUE centre. Staff verify your government-issued photo ID against your RCPsych booking, store your belongings, and observe the room. Centres are available worldwide, which suits international candidates who prefer not to manage a home-proctoring setup.
You take the paper from a private room at home or office, monitored remotely by an OnVUE proctor. You'll run the OnVUE system check beforehand, then complete a webcam room scan and ID capture at check-in. The software needs a supported Windows or macOS machine, a single screen, webcam, microphone, and at least 6 Mbps download / 2 Mbps upload.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID with a name matching your RCPsych profile. You photograph your ID and your workspace, then wait for a proctor to release the exam. Arrive early — check-in can take time if connection or lighting is poor.
A clear desk, a single display only, no phone, books, notes, or smartwatch within reach, and a 360° room scan. No one else may enter the room, and you cannot leave your seat — there is no scheduled break in the three-hour written papers.
Stay in frame and on-camera throughout. Talking aloud, looking off-screen repeatedly, or losing your connection can flag the session for review. A dropped link mid-paper is one of the most stressful OnVUE failure modes candidates report.
The MRCPsych is the gateway into UK higher psychiatry training
Eligibility runs through the College — and the bar is genuinely high
Difficulty: The MRCPsych written papers are demanding because they pair heavy basic-science recall (neuroscience, psychopharmacology) with the dense statistics and critical-appraisal content of Paper B — all under three hours of continuous question pressure with no break. Most candidates report months of structured revision per paper, on top of clinical shifts. That sustained pressure is exactly the kind of bottleneck our help is built to remove.
Paper A and Paper B sit between you and the next stage of your psychiatry career — higher training, GMC registration, or a substantive NHS post. Exam Assist pairs you with someone who knows the MRCPsych syllabus and the OnVUE environment, and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us which paper you're sitting (A, B, or both), your delivery method (OnVUE or centre), your sitting date, and your timeline. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your paper, timeline, and setup and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched discreetly with a specialist who maps the work around Paper A's neuroscience and psychopharmacology load, or Paper B's critical-review and clinical mix, and the OnVUE rules.
You only pay once your passing result is confirmed by the College. No verified result, nothing owed.
Discreet, pay-after-you-pass support for high-stakes physician exams — the same results-first model applied to MRCPsych.
ServiceHow our help works for multi-paper medical membership and licensing exams delivered through OnVUE proctoring.
BookSend your paper, date, and delivery method and get an honest feasibility answer — pay only after a verified pass.
Send your sitting details and get a straight feasibility answer — no upfront fee, no guarantees, just a results-first arrangement.
Straight answers about MRCPsych Paper A and Paper B
Sibling clinical and healthcare exams
Board certification for pharmacists — like MRCPsych Paper A, heavy on pharmacology and evidence-based therapeutics.
View exam CCRNA high-stakes clinical certification for critical-care nurses, also delivered through Pearson VUE.
View exam CENA clinical board exam for emergency nurses — a sibling high-stakes healthcare credential.
View exam CCMCertification for case managers across the care continuum — another healthcare credential on our roster.
View examGet expert help with Paper A or Paper B and no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.