RANZCP MCQ Exam study guide
RANZCP MCQ Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The RANZCP MCQ Examination is a multiple-choice assessment associated with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the body that sets training and assessment standards for psychiatry in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It is aimed at candidates progressing through College psychiatry training who need to demonstrate broad, applied psychiatric knowledge under timed conditions. The RANZCP MCQ Exam study guide has 10 sections and about 2,163 words.
01General Adult Psychiatry: Classification, Course and Risk
Candidates must be fluent in the descriptive, symptom-based approach of ICD and DSM: syndromes are defined by symptom clusters, duration, and functional impact rather than presumed aetiology. Know the boundary criteria that separate schizophrenia from schizophreniform and brief psychotic disorder (duration), bipolar I from bipolar II (manic vs hypomanic episodes), and major depression from persistent depressive disorder (severity and chronicity).
259 words, about 1 min02Psychopathology and Assessment: Describing the Mental State
Master the vocabulary of the mental state examination: appearance and behaviour, speech, mood and affect (with reactivity, range, congruence), thought form and content, perception, cognition, insight, and risk. Distinguish true hallucinations (perception without object, in external space) from pseudohallucinations (inner space, often recognised as unreal) and from illusions (distorted real percepts).
258 words, about 1 min03Biological Treatments and Psychopharmacology: Mechanisms and Monitoring
Know the receptor pharmacology and adverse-effect profiles of major drug classes: SSRIs (serotonergic; GI upset, hyponatraemia, sexual dysfunction, serotonin syndrome), SNRIs (noradrenergic; hypertension), TCAs (anticholinergic and cardiotoxic in overdose), MAOIs (tyramine reaction, hypertensive crisis), antipsychotics (D2 blockade; extrapyramidal effects, hyperprolactinaemia, metabolic syndrome, QT prolongation, and the specific risk of agranulocytosis with clozapine), mood stabilisers (lithium: narrow therapeutic index, renal and thyroid effects, toxicity; valproate: teratogenicity; lamotrigine: rash), and benzodiazepines (tolerance, dependence, respiratory depression). Questions test monitoring requirements and contraindications rather than dosing minutiae.
238 words, about 1 min04Psychotherapies: Models, Indications, and Mechanisms
Understand the theoretical basis and typical indications of the main modalities: cognitive behavioural therapy (identifying and testing maladaptive thoughts and behaviours), psychodynamic psychotherapy (unconscious conflict, transference, defence mechanisms), interpersonal therapy (role transitions, grief, disputes, deficits), dialectical behaviour therapy (emotion regulation and distress tolerance for borderline presentations), and systemic/family therapy (interactional patterns). Know concepts such as transference, countertransference, resistance, and the therapeutic alliance.
228 words, about 1 min05Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Development and Context
Developmental stage is central: symptoms must be interpreted against expected milestones and age-appropriate behaviour. Know the features of autism spectrum disorder (social communication deficits, restricted and repetitive behaviours, early onset), ADHD (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity across settings), and the anxiety and mood disorders of childhood.
208 words, about 1 min06Psychiatry of Old Age: Distinguishing Delirium, Dementia, and Depression
Older adults present atypically: depression may manifest as somatic complaints or pseudodementia; delirium is acute, fluctuating, with impaired attention and altered consciousness; dementia is chronic, progressive cognitive decline with preserved consciousness until late. Know the common dementias: Alzheimer's (insidious memory decline), vascular (stepwise, focal deficits), Lewy body (fluctuations, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism), and frontotemporal (behavioural or language variants).
212 words, about 1 min07Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: Mind, Body, and the Ward
Consultation-liaison psychiatry addresses psychiatric symptoms in medically ill patients: delirium, adjustment reactions, somatoform presentations, and the psychiatric effects of medical treatments. Know the principles of assessing capacity, managing agitation in the medically ill, and recognising drug interactions.
194 words, under 1 min08Forensic Psychiatry: Risk, Law, and Ethics
Understand risk assessment (static and dynamic factors), the legal frameworks for involuntary detention and treatment, fitness to stand trial, and criminal responsibility. Know the difference between risk of violence to others and risk of self-harm, and the role of structured professional judgement tools.
196 words, under 1 min09Addiction Psychiatry: Dependence, Withdrawal, and Harm Reduction
Know the dependence syndrome (compulsion, tolerance, withdrawal, salience, loss of control, persistence despite harm). Understand withdrawal syndromes: alcohol (tremor, seizures, delirium tremens), opioids (autonomic symptoms, cravings), benzodiazepines (rebound anxiety, seizures), and stimulants (dysphoria, fatigue).
173 words, under 1 min10Neurosciences and Relevant Medical Knowledge: Structure, Function, and Mimics
Know the functional anatomy relevant to psychiatry: frontal lobe (executive function, personality), temporal lobe (memory, language, emotion), limbic system (fear, reward), basal ganglia (movement, reward circuitry), and the neurotransmitter systems (dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate). Understand the neurological mimics of psychiatric presentations: thyroid disease, B12 deficiency, syphilis, HIV, autoimmune encephalitis, and structural lesions.
197 words, under 1 min