CAQ-Psychiatry study plan

Map the full CAQ-Psychiatry blueprint into a one-page topic inventory covering all major content areas: psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma-related and dissociative disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, neurocognitive disorders, somatic symptom and factitious disorders, psychiatric emergencies, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy modalities, and consultation-liaison psychiatry

Rate your baseline confidence (1-5) for each topic area and rank them from weakest to strongest to drive later scheduling

Assemble a primary reference set: one general psychiatry textbook, one psychopharmacology reference, and the current DSM-5-TR criteria list, and confirm which edition you will use throughout

Build a spaced-repetition deck skeleton with one card template per topic area so cards can be added from week 1 onward

Schedule fixed weekly study blocks in a calendar and reserve two protected mock-exam slots for weeks 4 and 8

Differentiate DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, including duration thresholds, functional decline criteria, and exclusion rules

Compare first-generation and second-generation antipsychotics on receptor profiles, efficacy, and adverse-effect signatures, including extrapyramidal symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, metabolic syndrome, hyperprolactinemia, and QT prolongation

Apply monitoring protocols for antipsychotic therapy, including metabolic screening intervals, prolactin and ECG checks, and management of clozapine-related risks such as agranulocytosis and myocarditis

Distinguish catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and serotonin syndrome by onset, examination findings, and first-line management

Write 40 spaced-repetition cards covering psychotic disorder criteria and antipsychotic adverse effects

Contrast DSM-5-TR criteria for major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder, focusing on duration and episode-count distinctions

Select and sequence mood stabilizers and antidepressants by clinical scenario, including bipolar depression, mixed features, rapid cycling, and treatment-resistant depression

Explain the pharmacology and risk profile of lithium, including therapeutic range, toxicity signs, drug interactions, and pregnancy considerations

Outline the workup and management of psychiatric emergencies: suicidal ideation risk stratification, agitated delirium, and acute mania

Complete 30 case-style practice questions on mood disorders and log every missed item with the underlying knowledge gap

Review all weeks 1-3 material using spaced-repetition statistics to identify the 20 weakest concepts

Take a timed 100-question mixed mock examination under exam-like conditions without reference access

Analyze mock results by topic area and compute percentage correct per area to compare against your week 1 confidence ratings

Rewrite or retire every flashcard that produced a wrong answer during the mock, and add new cards for each missed concept

Re-rank topic areas and adjust the remaining four weeks of the schedule based on measured performance

Differentiate anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, and trauma-related disorders by core criteria and differential features

Match first-line pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatments to each anxiety and OCD-related disorder, including SSRI dosing nuances and clomipramine use

Describe the core techniques and indications of cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and dialectical behavior therapy

Apply diagnostic criteria for personality disorders organized by cluster, and distinguish them from enduring mood or psychotic presentations

Add 50 flashcards covering anxiety, OCD, trauma, and personality disorder criteria and treatments

Evaluate substance use disorders using DSM-5-TR severity criteria, intoxication and withdrawal syndromes, and standard screening instruments

Plan medically supervised withdrawal management and maintenance therapy for alcohol, opioid, and benzodiazepine use disorders, including agent selection and safety monitoring

Distinguish major and mild neurocognitive disorders by etiology, including Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, and frontotemporal dementia, and identify delirium features that separate it from dementia

Select pharmacologic and behavioral management for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia while weighing mortality and cerebrovascular risks of antipsychotics

Complete 30 practice items on substance use and neurocognitive disorders and add missed concepts to the error log

Apply consultation-liaison principles to psychiatric symptoms in medically ill patients, including delirium, capacity assessment, and psychotropic use in hepatic or renal impairment

Identify psychiatric adverse effects and interactions of common nonpsychiatric medications, including corticosteroids, interferon, and anticholinergic agents

Evaluate child and adolescent, geriatric, and perinatal considerations for major diagnoses, including medication safety in pregnancy and lactation

Review somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder, and factitious disorder criteria and contrast them with malingering

Complete 40 mixed practice items drawn from the topics not yet re-tested since week 4

Run a final review of all flashcards flagged as weak, clearing the entire backlog before exam day

Take a second timed 150-question mock examination under exam conditions and score it by topic area

Compare the week 8 mock against the week 4 mock to confirm improvement in previously weak topic areas

Rehearse exam-day logistics: timing per question, break strategy, permitted materials, and identification requirements

Compress the error log into a final one-page review sheet for the last 48 hours before the exam