Hello psychiatrists! Dr. Brian Hanrahan here, pausing my clinical duties to bring you this comprehensive guide to the PRITE® exam. As someone who’s spent countless hours creating NowyouknowPsych, I thought I’d share everything you need to know about this annual ritual of academic torment—I mean, educational assessment.
What is the PRITE® Exam?
The PRITE® is an annual examination designed to assess the knowledge of psychiatric residents. Nearly all psychiatry residents in the United States, many in Canada, and several outside North America take this exam three to four times throughout their residency training.
The exam serves multiple purposes:
- Providing you with detailed feedback on how you compare to your peers (because residency wasn’t competitive enough already)
- Helping training directors assess your competency (no pressure!)
- Identifying program weaknesses (which will be promptly filed away until the next site visit)
Exam Structure
The PRITE® consists of 300 questions administered in two parts. Each section focuses on a particular component of psychiatry, offering references to support and explain correct answers.
For child psychiatry fellows, a related specialty exam called the CHILD PRITE® is available. This exam contains 200 questions that survey child and adolescent psychiatry issues in depth. Consider it the “fun-size” version, though “fun” may be a subjective term here.
Content Breakdown
Resident Perspectives on the PRITE
The 2024-2025 PRITE® content outline divides the examination into three major domains, with multiple subdomains within each. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what you can expect:
A. Clinical Neurosciences (69 items)
- Neurodevelopment (10 items)
- Neuroanatomy (12 items)
- Neurophysiology (12 items)
- Genetics (35 items)
- Types of genetic abnormalities (13 items)
- Methods to identify genes and genetic disorders (10 items)
- Epigenetics (12 items)
B. Clinical Neurology (30 items)
- Diagnostic procedures (13 items)
- Neurological interview and examination (5 items)
- Neuroimaging (5 items)
- Neurophysiological testing for neurological evaluation (3 items)
- Diagnostic and clinical evaluation of neurologic disorders/syndromes (12 items)
- Common neurological disorders/syndromes (6 items)
- Comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with neurological disorders/syndromes (6 items)
- Management and treatment of neurological disorders/syndromes (5 items)
C. Clinical Psychiatry
- Development and Maturation across the Lifespan (30 items)
- Physical (3 items)
- Cognitive/Language (4 items)
- Psychological/Emotional/Personality (5 items)
- Social (5 items)
- Sexual (4 items)
- Environmental influences (4 items)
- Life transitions (5 items)
- Behavioral and Social Sciences (15 items)
- Psychology (15 items)
- Behavioral/Cognitive psychology (4 items)
- Neuropsychology/Learning theory (4 items)
- Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic theory (4 items)
- Social psychology/Sociology/Anthropology/Ethnology (3 items)
- Psychology (15 items)
- Epidemiology (9 items)
- Diagnostic Procedures (15 items)
- Psychopathology and Associated Conditions Across the Lifespan (39 items)
- Treatment across the Lifespan (45 items)
- Consultation and Collaborative-Integrated Care (10 items)
- Issues in Practice (20 items)
- Research and Scholarship Literacy (9 items)
- Administration and Systems (9 items)
D. Basic Question Structure
The questions on the PRITE® follow standard multiple-choice question formats with a stem (the question or clinical scenario) followed by five answer options. Unlike some standardized tests, the PRITE® doesn’t use complex question structures such as “all of the following except” or “A and B” combination answers. Instead, they keep it straightforward, saving their creativity for making you doubt everything you’ve ever learned.
How do psychiatry residents actually experience and view the PRITE exam? Based on online forums and resources for psychiatry residents, opinions about the exam’s value and difficulty vary widely.
Some residents view the PRITE as a valuable educational tool, while others see it primarily as a stress-inducing evaluation with limited utility. On the Student Doctor Network forums, some residents describe it as a “meaningless exam with poor psychometric properties,” while others note that scoring well can positively impact how faculty perceive a resident’s knowledge base and competence.
Despite differing opinions on its importance, many residents report that preparation for the PRITE is beneficial for their overall psychiatric education. According to resident testimonials, preparation for the PRITE exam becomes “much easier having access to question banks and explanations,” giving them “a starting point in PRITE studying and preparation for the board exam at the end of training.”
Importance of the PRITE® for Residency Programs
Training directors receive detailed performance reports for their residents, along with statistical data comparing their program with other participants. This information helps programs:
- Identify curricular strengths and weaknesses
- Make evidence-based adjustments to educational approaches (theoretically)
- Track resident progress longitudinally
- Compare program performance nationally
Multiple studies have examined the utility of the PRITE® for program improvement. Programs have successfully implemented PRITE®-based accountability systems and curricular changes to improve resident performance over time.
Conclusion: You'll Survive This, We Promise
The PRITE® examination serves as a valuable educational and assessment tool in psychiatric training. Understanding its content structure and preparing systematically can help residents maximize their learning and performance. Remember that the exam is designed not just for assessment but as a learning opportunity that provides valuable feedback to guide your professional development.
By focusing your study efforts on the key content areas outlined here—and by remembering that this exam does not define your worth as a human being or future psychiatrist—you’ll be well-positioned to succeed on the PRITE® and, ultimately, on your board certification examination.
Ready to excel on your PRITE® exam without sacrificing what remains of your sanity? Subscribe to NowyouknowPsych for comprehensive study materials specifically designed for the PRITE® and ABPN board exams by people who have actually taken them (and lived to tell the tale). Our platform offers multiple learning modalities including question banks, flashcards, image banks, and concise, high-yield text chapters—all created by board-certified psychiatrists and neurologists who remember the trauma of exam preparation vividly.
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References
- Albucher RC, Maixner SM, Riba MB, Liberzon I. Neurology training in psychiatry residency: self-assessment and standardized scores. Acad Psychiatry. 1999;23(2):77-81.
- Arnold LE. A Fuller History of the PRITE. Acad Psychiatry. 1990;14:54-55.
- Cooke BK, Garvan C, Hobbs JA. Trends in performance on the psychiatry resident-in-training examination (PRITE®): 10 years of data from a single institution. Acad Psychiatry. 2013;37:261-264.
- Dingle AD, Boland R, Travis M. The PRITE examinations: Background and future directions. Academic Psychiatry. 2017;42(4):498-502.
- Ferrell BT, Tankersley WE, Morris CD. Using an Accountability Program to Improve Psychiatry Resident Scores on In-Service Examinations. Journal of graduate medical education. 2015;7(4):555-559.
- Hettinger A, Spurgeon J, El-Mallakh R, et al. Using Audience Response System Technology and PRITE Questions to Improve Psychiatric Residents’ Medical Knowledge. Acad Psychiatry. 2014;38:205-208.
- Juul D, Schneidman BS, Sexson SB, et al. Relationship between Resident-In-Training Examination in psychiatry and subsequent certification examination performances. Acad Psychiatry. 2009;33:404-406.
- Juul D, Sexson SB, Brooks BA, et al. Relationship between Performance on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry In-Training and Certification Examinations. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. 2013;5(2):262-266.
- Lynn DJ, Holzer C, O’Neill P. Relationships between self-assessment skills, test performance, and demographic variables in psychiatry residents. Advances in Health Sciences Education. 2006;11(1):51-60.
- Mariano MT, Mathew N, Del Regno P, et al. Improving Residents’ Performance on the PRITE: Is There a Role for Peer-Assisted Learning? Acad Psychiatry. 2013;37:342-344.
- Student Doctor Network. PRITE Exam. Forum discussion. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/prite-exam.1259416/
- The American College of Psychiatrists. PRITE. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.acpsych.org/prite
- Webb LC, Juul D, Reynolds CF, et al. How well does the psychiatry residency in-training examination predict performance on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Part I. Examination? Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153:831-832.
