How it works
This free NBME psychiatry shelf practice exam has 50 patient vignettes of our own for the Psychiatry Subject Exam. It is unofficial practice, not affiliated with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and not endorsed by it.
Read the full guide
What the psychiatry shelf covers
NBME's Psychiatry Subject Exam content outline, read October 12, 2026, gives behavioral health 65 to 70%, the nervous system 10 to 15%, general principles and other systems 5 to 10% each, and social sciences 1 to 5%. The bank holds 33, 6, 4, 4 and 3 questions for those.
Using it as a psychiatry shelf exam study guide
The questions are filed under the outline's own headings for behavioral health: psychotic, anxiety and mood disorders, somatic and factitious disorders, eating disorders, childhood disorders, personality disorders, substance use and adverse effects of drugs. Each of those explanations rests on a named MedlinePlus section.
Timing
The timed test here asks 40 questions in 60 minutes: the minute and a half each that NBME's timing chart allows.
- Durations decide many diagnoses in this bank: less than a month, at least 30 days, at least 6 months, at least 2 years.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the NBME psychiatry shelf exam?
110 items in 2 hours 45 minutes, by the Subject Examination Timing Chart dated July 2021 on nbme.org. The chart notes that every web exam starts with a tutorial, which adds 15 minutes.
Are these real NBME psychiatry shelf questions?
No. All 50 vignettes are our own, written from the public content outline and public health pages. NBME's sample items and self-assessments were not opened or used, and none is reworded here.
Is there a passing score for the psychiatry shelf exam?
The outline and the timing chart print none. NBME says educators typically use these subject exams to assess students at the end of clerkships, so your clerkship decides how the score counts.