Psychiatry Shelf Exam Questions and Review
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1 Month750+ Questions
Detailed Explanations and Rationales
Targeted to NBME Exam Blueprint
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Detailed Explanations and Rationales
Targeted to NBME Exam Blueprint
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- Customize practice tests by subject
- Track your progress with advanced analytics and reports
- Timed option to simulate real test conditions
- Compare your progress against the national average
Key Psychiatry Shelf Exam Board Review Features
Psychiatry Shelf Exam Board Review Topics Covered:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Developmental Processes and Development Through the Life Cycle
- Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Elimination Disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
- Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
- Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention
- Dissociative Disorders
- Non-Pharmacological Treatments
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychotherapy
- Disorders Due to General Medical Condition
- Epidemiology and Statistics
- Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Ethics
- Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
- Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Sleep-wake disorders
- Bipolar and related disorders
- Sexual dysfunction
- Gender dysphoria
- Paraphilic disorders
- Neurologic disorders
- Dimension 2 topics without a corresponding Dimension 1 topic
- Systems-based Practice
- Professionalism, ethics, and the law
- Neuroscience and mechanisms of disease
- Behavioral/social sciences and psychosocial mechanisms of disease
- Clinical aspects of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders
- Diagnostic procedures
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Practice-based learning and improvement
About the NBME Psychiatry Shelf Exam (Subject Exam)
As outlined by the NBME, the Subject Exams are designed to provide institutions with effective evaluation tools and useful examinee performance data that can be compared with a large representative group of examinees at the same stage of training.
What content is covered on the Psychiatry Shelf Exam?
According to the NBME Clinical Science: Psychiatry content outline, the following topics are covered on the exam:
System
- General Principles, Including Normal Age-Related Findings and Care of the Well Patient 5%–10%
- Behavioral Health 65%–70%
- Normal processes, including adaptive behavioral responses to stress and illness
- Psychotic disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Somatic symptoms and related disorders
- Factitious disorders
- Eating disorders and impulse control disorders
- Disorders originating in infancy/childhood
- Personality disorders
- Psychosocial disorders/behaviors
- Substance abuse disorders
- Adverse effects of drugs
- Nervous System & Special Senses 10%–15%
- Other Systems, including Multisystem Processes & Disorders 5%–10%
- Social Sciences 1%–5%
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Medical ethics and jurisprudence
Physician Task
- Diagnosis: Knowledge Pertaining to History, Exam, Diagnostic Studies, & Patient Outcomes 65%–70%
- Pharmacotherapy, Intervention & Management 30%–35%
Site of Care
- Ambulatory 60%–65%
- Emergency Department 20%–30%
- Inpatient 5%–10%
Patient Age
- Birth to 12 10%–15%
- 13 and older 85%–90%
What question formats are on the Psychiatry Shelf Exam?
As outlined in the NBME Guide to the Subject Examination Program, the following question formats will be on the exam:
Application of Knowledge
This exam will have an increased emphasis on the application of knowledge instead of the recall of isolated facts.
Vignettes
Questions are framed in the context of clinical vignettes.
Single-best-answer (A-type)
This is the most widely used MCQ format. Each question is comprised of a focused item stem (e.g., a clinical vignette) and a lead-in question, followed by a series of options with one correct answer for each item.
Extended Matching (R-type)
These questions are organized into sets that use one list of options for all items in the set. Examinees must select one best answer.
NBME Psychiatry Exam Prep and Readiness
During the last years of Medical School, the Psychiatry clinical clerkship exams (or shelf exams) are given by the NBME to ascertain readiness.
A couple of documents helpful as references while studying:
Use our timed exams to make sure that you’re keeping pace – this is one thing that we hear over and over again. The exam is fast-paced and difficult, so make sure you have plenty of experience in those conditions. From students we’ve interviewed, there can be extra details in the question, and the distractors will be close. Try answering the question before looking at the answer choices. Try this when practicing with our questions, as well as when you’re in the actual exam. The exam is scored in percentiles to determine pass/fail, so make sure that you’re scoring well in the average or above.
View all of our NBME Shelf Exam Prep Offerings here.
Learn more about the Psychiatry Shelf Exam Board Exam on the blog
Looking for additional information as you prepare for the Psychiatry Shelf Exam? Explore the content in the Psychiatry section of our blog. You will have access to tips and tricks to help you study for the Psychiatry NBME Shelf Exam.
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Study Tips for the Psychiatry NBME Shelf Exam
Don't just pass the Psychiatry NBME Shelf Exam, ace it, with a few expert tips from BoardVitals.
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