10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,033-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The Psychiatry exam has 200 questions and runs 4 hours.
These 10 free Psychiatry questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Psychiatry blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A 24-year-old man is brought in by family for 3 months of persistent delusions, auditory hallucinations, and disorganized speech. He has never had a mood episode, and there is no substance use or medical cause. His self-care and work performance remain largely intact. Which diagnosis BEST fits the duration criteria?
Correct answer: C - Schizophreniform disorder
Two weeks after starting a high-potency antipsychotic, a patient develops a temperature of 40°C, generalized 'lead-pipe' rigidity, diaphoresis, fluctuating blood pressure, confusion, and a markedly elevated creatine kinase. Reflexes are diminished. Which is the MOST likely diagnosis?
Correct answer: D - Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
A 32-year-old woman describes 3 weeks of depressed mood, anhedonia, insomnia, and poor concentration. Near the end of the visit she mentions that lately she sometimes feels life 'may not be worth living.' What is the MOST appropriate FIRST next step?
Correct answer: B - Ask directly about the nature and extent of any suicidal thoughts
A patient stabilized on an SSRI is given tramadol for back pain. Within hours he develops agitation, diaphoresis, tremor, hyperreflexia, and inducible lower-extremity clonus, with a temperature of 38.9°C. Which is the MOST likely diagnosis?
Correct answer: A - Serotonin syndrome
The FDA boxed warning on antidepressants regarding increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors applies to children, adolescents, and which additional group?
Correct answer: B - Young adults through age 24
Roughly 3 days after his last drink, a hospitalized patient becomes disoriented and agitated with tachycardia, fever, tremor, and visual hallucinations. Which is the MOST appropriate pharmacologic management?
Correct answer: D - A long-acting benzodiazepine
A patient with opioid use disorder is started on a medication for maintenance treatment that acts as a partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor, lowering overdose risk through a ceiling effect. Which medication is being described?
Correct answer: C - Buprenorphine
A man with a long history of heavy alcohol use presents with confusion, gait ataxia, and impaired eye movements. Before giving anything else, which intervention is the immediate priority?
Correct answer: A - Administer parenteral thiamine
A 45-year-old reports 6 months of excessive, hard-to-control worry about work, finances, and family, accompanied by restlessness, muscle tension, irritability, and disrupted sleep. There are no discrete panic attacks. Which diagnosis is MOST likely?
Correct answer: D - Generalized anxiety disorder
A patient is diagnosed with panic disorder and wants long-term pharmacologic treatment. Which is the MOST appropriate first-line choice?
Correct answer: C - An SSRI
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