Psychiatry exam questions
3 exam-length papers covering every published domain for Psychiatry.
DHA PSY59613 papers · 470 Qs
What is riding on this exam
~AED 1,030
Exam fee, per attempt
Published by DHA. Paid again on every re-sit.
3
Attempts - in total
The cap is three across all UAE authorities, not three each.
60%
Pass mark
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Try two questions from this bank
Real questions from the bank - pick an answer to see the rationale and reference.
Q1Psychotherapy & Psychosocial Interventions
A 23-year-old woman with contamination-type OCD washes her hands for 45 minutes after touching door handles. She is starting psychological treatment. Which intervention constitutes correctly delivered exposure and response prevention?
Choose an answer to see the rationale.
Q2Geriatric, Public/Community & Cross-Cultural Psychiatry
In global burden of disease methodology, the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is best defined as which of the following?
Choose an answer to see the rationale.
Not sure where you stand? Sit 25 of these questions free, timed at real exam pace, and see which domains you are weakest in.
Take the free mock exam →Liked those? The full bank has 470 questions at this standard - every one with a rationale and a reference.
Get the full bank - AED 289What's inside
- ✓3 full-length papers (~150 Q each)
- ✓470 questions, no overlap between papers
- ✓Four options, one unambiguous best answer
- ✓A full rationale on every question
- ✓A real guideline or textbook reference
- ✓Every sub-topic in the published blueprint
Exam route by authority
| Authority | Delivered by | Specialist title |
|---|---|---|
| DHA - Dubai | Prometric | Computer-based MCQ |
| DOH - Abu Dhabi | Pearson VUE | Computer-based MCQ |
| MOHAP - Northern Emirates | Prometric | Computer-based MCQ |
| SCFHS - Saudi Arabia | Prometric / Pearson | Computer-based MCQ |
| QCHP - Qatar | Prometric | Computer-based MCQ |
| NHRA - Bahrain | Prometric | Computer-based MCQ |
| OMSB - Oman | Prometric | MCQ then oral viva |
Assessment mode depends on your licence title as well as your profession. Confirm your own route on your Sheryan / TAMM eligibility notice.
What the Psychiatry exam covers
The published blueprint for this exam breaks into 13 domains and 235 testable sub-topics. Our bank covers every one of them - here is the full map, so you can see exactly what you are expected to know.
Foundations: Neuroscience, Basic Psychology, Psychiatric Assessment & Classification~13% (est.; SCFHS Final blueprint gives 11% for Basic Sciences/Essential Topics plus 5% for Patient Evaluation/Descriptive Psychopathology)18 topics
- Functional neuroanatomy relevant to psychiatry: prefrontal cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
- Neurotransmitter systems and receptor pharmacology: dopamine pathways (mesolimbic, mesocortical, nigrostriatal, tuberoinfundibular), serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate/NMDA, acetylcholine, histamine
- Neuroendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology; cortisol, thyroid axis and prolactin in psychiatric illness
- Psychiatric genetics: heritability estimates for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism; copy number variants; gene-environment interaction; genetic counselling of families
- Descriptive psychopathology and phenomenology: delusion subtypes, hallucination vs illusion vs pseudohallucination, formal thought disorder, passivity phenomena, first-rank symptoms, catatonic signs
- Disorders of mood, affect, perception, memory, consciousness, volition and motor behaviour - precise terminology
- +12 more in the bank
Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders~7% (est.; SCFHS Final blueprint 5%, DHA Exam Coverage names this domain explicitly)18 topics
- DSM-5-TR criteria for schizophrenia; positive, negative, cognitive and affective symptom domains
- Schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, and the role of duration criteria
- Schizoaffective disorder: diagnostic criteria, differentiation from mood disorder with psychotic features
- Delusional disorder subtypes; erotomanic, persecutory, somatic, grandiose, jealous; folie a deux (shared psychotic disorder)
- Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder and psychosis due to another medical condition
- Catatonia: recognition, Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, lorazepam challenge, ECT indication, malignant catatonia
- +12 more in the bank
Personality, Impulse-Control, Feeding & Eating, Sleep-Wake, Sexual & Reproductive Psychiatry~6% (est.; SCFHS Final blueprint gives 5% to personality/trauma/dissociative, 5% to sleep-wake, 5% to sexuality/gender/reproductive; DHA names Personality Disorders explicitly)18 topics
- DSM-5-TR Cluster A, B and C personality disorders: defining features and differentiation
- Borderline personality disorder: diagnosis, self-harm and suicidality, splitting, and evidence-based treatment (DBT, mentalisation-based therapy, schema therapy, STEPPS)
- Antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy; PCL-R; forensic relevance and treatment limits
- Narcissistic, histrionic, avoidant, dependent and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
- The DSM-5-TR alternative model for personality disorders and ICD-11 dimensional severity model
- Pharmacological adjuncts in personality disorder and why they are adjunctive, not primary
- +12 more in the bank
Psychopharmacology & Somatic Therapies (ECT and Neuromodulation)~11% (est.; SCFHS Final blueprint 17% for Therapeutic Interventions shared with psychotherapy; DHA lists 'Basic Psychopharmacology / Physical Therapy (ECT and others)' explicitly)18 topics
- Pharmacokinetic principles in psychiatry: absorption, protein binding, volume of distribution, half-life, steady state, first-pass metabolism
- Cytochrome P450 interactions: CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2C19 inducers and inhibitors; clinically critical psychotropic interactions; pharmacogenomic testing
- SSRIs: comparative profiles, hyponatraemia/SIADH, bleeding risk, QTc effect of citalopram, discontinuation syndrome
- SNRIs, mirtazapine, bupropion (seizure threshold), vortioxetine, agomelatine, trazodone
- Tricyclic antidepressants: mechanism, anticholinergic and cardiac toxicity, overdose management, therapeutic monitoring
- MAOIs: tyramine (cheese) reaction, washout periods, serotonin syndrome risk, dietary counselling
- +12 more in the bank
Consultation-Liaison (Psychosomatic) Psychiatry, Somatic Symptom & Neurocognitive Disorders~9% (est.; SCFHS Final blueprint 12% combined with geriatric; DHA lists 'Psychosomatic Medicine (Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry) / Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders' explicitly)18 topics
- Delirium: DSM-5-TR criteria, hyperactive vs hypoactive vs mixed, 4AT and CAM-ICU screening, precipitating and predisposing factors
- Delirium management: identify and treat the cause, non-pharmacological measures first, judicious antipsychotics, avoidance of benzodiazepines except in alcohol/benzodiazepine withdrawal
- Distinguishing delirium, dementia and depressive pseudodementia
- Major and mild neurocognitive disorders: Alzheimer disease, vascular, Lewy body (neuroleptic sensitivity), frontotemporal, Parkinson disease dementia, normal pressure hydrocephalus, HIV-associated
- Reversible causes of cognitive impairment: B12/folate deficiency, hypothyroidism, neurosyphilis, subdural haematoma, medication effects
- Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: non-pharmacological first, antipsychotic mortality warning, ABC analysis
- +12 more in the bank
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Neurodevelopmental Disorders~9% (est.; SCFHS blueprint 10%, DHA Exam Coverage lists 'Child and Adolescent Psychiatry' explicitly)18 topics
- Normal child development milestones and their psychiatric relevance; attachment classification and disorders (reactive attachment, disinhibited social engagement)
- Autism spectrum disorder: DSM-5-TR criteria, severity levels, screening (M-CHAT), diagnostic tools (ADOS, ADI-R), early intensive behavioural intervention, absence of a core pharmacotherapy
- ADHD across the lifespan: presentations, diagnostic requirements across settings, Conners/Vanderbilt scales, stimulant and non-stimulant treatment, comorbidity and adult diagnosis
- Intellectual developmental disorder: severity by adaptive functioning, aetiological work-up (fragile X, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder), and dual diagnosis
- Specific learning disorders, communication disorders, developmental coordination disorder
- Tic disorders and Tourette syndrome: comorbid OCD/ADHD, habit reversal training, alpha-2 agonists and antipsychotics
- +12 more in the bank
Geriatric, Public/Community & Cross-Cultural Psychiatry~5% (est.; SCFHS pairs geriatric with C-L psychiatry; DHA Exam Coverage lists 'Public Psychiatry / Geriatric Psychiatry' explicitly)18 topics
- Physiological ageing and altered pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics; 'start low, go slow' and anticholinergic burden
- Late-life depression: presentation, pseudodementia, vascular depression, higher suicide risk in older men, ECT efficacy
- Late-onset psychosis and very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis; paraphrenia; sensory deprivation
- Anxiety, sleep disturbance and benzodiazepine risk (falls, fractures, cognitive impairment) in the elderly
- Beers criteria and STOPP/START; deprescribing in the older adult
- Elder abuse and neglect: recognition, financial exploitation, mandatory reporting
- +12 more in the bank
Emergency Psychiatry, Risk Assessment & Crisis Management~5% (est.; SCFHS blueprint 5% in both Part One and Final; DHA Exam Coverage lists 'Emergency Psychiatry' explicitly)18 topics
- Structured suicide risk assessment: static and dynamic risk factors, protective factors, intent vs lethality, the limits of risk-stratification tools
- Post-attempt assessment in the emergency department; medical clearance; disposition decisions and safety planning
- Means restriction counselling and involvement of family
- Violence risk assessment: HCR-20, static and dynamic factors, warning signs of imminent aggression
- De-escalation technique: environment, positioning, verbal strategy, offering choice
- Rapid tranquillisation: choice of agent (intramuscular lorazepam, haloperidol with promethazine, olanzapine - avoid concurrent IM olanzapine and parenteral benzodiazepine), dosing, physical monitoring after administration
- +12 more in the bank
Forensic Psychiatry, Mental Health Law, Ethics, Professionalism & Patient Safety~4% (est.; SCFHS notes ethics, professionalism and patient safety are embedded across domains; DHA Exam Coverage lists 'Forensic Psychiatry' and 'Patient Safety & Professionalism and Ethics' as separate explicit bullets, and this is the ORAL exam's graded third pillar)19 topics
- UAE Federal Law No. 10 of 2019 on Mental Health: patient rights, voluntary and involuntary admission, review timelines, and the role of the treating psychiatrist
- Comparable GCC mental health legislation (Saudi Mental Health Law, Qatar Law No. 16 of 2016, Bahrain and Oman frameworks) and their common principles
- Capacity and competence: the four functional abilities (understand, retain, weigh, communicate), decision-specific and time-specific capacity, fluctuating capacity
- Consent: informed, voluntary, capacitous; consent for ECT and for treatment under compulsion; substitute decision-making and family consent norms in the Gulf
- Confidentiality and its limits: mandatory disclosure, notifiable circumstances, duty to protect identifiable third parties, disclosure to employers and to family
- Criminal responsibility: insanity defence, fitness to plead/stand trial, diminished responsibility, automatism
- +13 more in the bank
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