What are the 2026 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Board Exam Topics?
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology® has reviewed and updated the content for the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Boards*.
The expected 2026 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Certification and Continuing Certification exams topics are:
| Percent of Exam | Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Certification Board Exam Topics |
|---|---|
| – | Dimension 1: Psychiatric Disorders and Topics |
| 10-14% | Developmental processes and development through the life cycle |
| 6-8% | Neurodevelopmental disorders |
| 5-7% | Substance-related and addictive disorders |
| 3-5% | Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders |
| 7-9% | Depressive disorders |
| 3-5% | Bipolar and related disorders |
| 7-9% | Anxiety disorders |
| 1-2% | Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders |
| 5-7% | Trauma- and stressor-related disorders |
| 1-2% | Dissociative disorders |
| 2-4% | Somatic symptom and related disorders |
| 2-4% | Eating disorders |
| 8-12% | Development |
| 1-3% | Elimination disorders |
| 1-3% | Sleep-wake disorders |
| 1-2% | Sexual dysfunctions |
| 1-3% | Gender dysphoria |
| 5-7% | Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders |
| 4-6% | Personality disorders |
| 1-2% | Paraphilic disorders |
| 6-8% | Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention |
| 1-3% | Neurocognitive disorders |
| 3-5% | Neurologic disorders |
| 4-6% | Dimension 2 topics without a corresponding Dimension 1 topic |
| – | Dimension 2: Physician Competencies and Mechanisms |
| 8-10% | Neuroscience and mechanisms of disease |
| 8-12% | Behavioral/social sciences and psychosocial mechanisms of diseases |
| 17-23% | Clinical aspects of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders |
| 8-12% | Diagnostic procedures |
| 25-35% | Treatment |
| 3-5% | Interpersonal and communication skills |
| 3-5% | Professionalism, ethics, and the law |
| 2-4% | Practice-based learning and improvement |
| 8-12% | Systems-based practice |
| Percent of Exam | Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Continuing Certification Board Exam Topics |
|---|---|
| 4-6% | Applications of basic science to clinical practice |
| 13-17% | Issues in practice |
| 4-6% | Prevention |
| 8-12% | Diagnostic methods |
| 23-27% | Psychopathology (differential diagnosis, classification, clinical course |
| 18-22% | Treatment |
| 8-12% | Consultation |
| 3-5% | Professionalism, ethics, and the law |
| 2-4% | Practice-based learning and improvement |
| 8-12% | Systems-based practice |
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