european psychiatric association

European Board Examination in Psychiatry

 

Registrations are open for the European Board Examination in Psychiatry taking place on 28 February 2025!

General information

The EPA, the European Union of Medical Specialists – Psychiatry Section (UEMS-PS), and the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) have joined forces to develop the European Board Examination in Psychiatry (EBEP), a crucial benchmarking step to harmonise psychiatric training and professional standards in Europe.

The purpose of the EBEP is to influence the learning outcomes of future psychiatric specialists, and to harmonize professional standards across Europe. The EBEP is a supplemental examination designed as a mark of excellence for psychiatrists, with a threefold goal to:

  • Promote the establishment of a strong base of essential knowledge in psychiatry
  • Support the mobility of healthcare professionals throughout Europe
  • Ensure high-quality mental healthcare

The EBEP is not designed to replace national qualifications and should not be regarded as a licence to practice in Europe.

Find more information on the development of the exam in the paper “Benchmarking Psychiatry in Europe and beyond: The European Board Exam of Psychiatry” published in European Psychiatry in April 2024.

Examination structure

The European Board Examination in Psychiatry is a knowledge-based exam, in written format.

  • The EBEP is held fully online on Friday 28 February 2025, through a dedicated, secure platform.
  • The examination is conducted in the English language.
  • The examination consists of 100 multiple choice items; each item has 4 to 6 alternative answers.
  • Candidates will be asked questions in the form of clinical vignettes with multiple choice; memory based questions with multiple choice; and short answer questions.
  • Time allocated for the examination is three hours. Candidates will be asked to connect in advance.

Candidates with special needs who require adjustments to the exam processes should get in contact with epa.ebep@europsy.net at least 2 weeks in advance of the exam, allowing the Programme Board to explore possibilities to accommodate these requests.

Eligibility criteria

  • The EBEP is a voluntary, supplemental examination that can be taken by candidates who hold a Primary Medical Qualification and have experience of Postgraduate Training in Psychiatry. Candidates will be required to have completed a minimum of four years of psychiatry training. In cases where the training duration is shorter than four years, the candidate must demonstrate continuous professional practice as a psychiatrist for four years, including the training period, at the time of application
  • Full payment of the fees must be received by the deadline communicated to candidates.
  • Eligibility to the EBEP is strictly personal and non-transferrable.
  • Successful candidates are awarded the title of Fellow of the European Board of Psychiatry.

Registration fees

To sit the examination, a registration fee is required for participation:

*EPA member refers to an individual/international individual/associate/fellow EPA member, who has paid their annual membership fees for the year 2025. Find more information about membership here: https://www.europsy.net/memberships/

Take note: Rates provided above exclude VAT.

Registration to the EBEP is strictly personal and non-transferrable.

How to register to the EBEP ?

Registrations for the 2025 EBEP are open until the deadline of 7 January 2025:

 

 

Registration Process:

  1. Click on “Register Here” and sign up to the registration platform.
  2. Fill in the online application form with your personal and professional information. You will not be required to provide any documents during the application process (please note however that the EBEP organisers reserve the right to require proof of professional medical training and psychiatry training if deemed necessary at a later stage)
  3. Your application will be reviewed and verified against eligibility criteria
  4. Upon confirmation, you will be asked to proceed to online payment of registration fees in January 2025

How to prepare for the EBEP ?

→ To prepare for the EBEP, please review carefully the list of psychiatry topics, which includes both clinical and non-clinical areas:

The list is divided into five overarching themes:

  • Basic sciences as applied to psychiatry
  • Clinical topics
  • Non-clinical topics
  • Special topics
  • Organisational models of care

All of these areas will be covered in the examination and candidates will be expected to have extensive knowledge of these topics, consistent with the needs of independent practice as a psychiatrist in Europe. The scope of the examination will not expand beyond these topics.

→ The EBEP is a knowledge-based exam only. With regards to reading references, please note that we recommend using standard international post-graduate textbooks in psychiatry (no specific reading list is published for this exam).

→ The topic list maps onto the knowledge elements described in the UEMS European Training Requirements for Psychiatry (ETR). The ETR consists of the learning outcomes that a specialist psychiatrist should demonstrate organised around the CanMEDS framework:

→ Please see below two sample questions reflecting the level of knowledge expected from candidates:

Organising Committees

The Examination Programme Board is the body mandated by the EPA, the UEMS-PS and the EFPT to be responsible for overseeing the examination development, along with the following committees responsible for all operational aspects : the Examination Committee, the Quality Assurance Committee, the Business Working Group.

Contact

For any questions, please contact epa.ebep@europsy.net .