Book excerpt: Psychiatrists and residents are faced with the important -- but what may feel overwhelming -- task of refreshing their knowledge of the whole of psychiatric practice, typically while remaining engaged in full-time clinical activity. Psychiatrists will find the logical structure, substantive questions, and thorough explanations provided by the Study Guide for the Psychiatry Board Examination to be as reassuring as they are educational. Although readers are advised to consult a range of resources in preparation for the examination, this guide is indispensable. It is the first and only guide to reflect the revisions contained in DSM-5®, and it will ably assume a primary role in the study and review process. The guide is designed for maximum usefulness, with specific features and attributes to support knowledge recall and successful examination performance. * The authors are from a cross-section of accomplished students, fellows, and junior and senior faculty, all of whom have faced or will face the board examination and who understand its importance to the profession.* Topics were determined by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Certification Examination in Psychiatry 2015 Content Blueprint.* The approximately 400 questions were formulated from information extracted from widely available American Psychiatric Publishing textbooks and accurately reflect the accepted psychiatric knowledge base.* Each multiple choice question is followed by an explanation of why the correct answer is correct and the others are incorrect, and every question and explanation is referenced, directing the reader to the primary material for more in-depth learning and study.* The volume was designed as a study guide for both the initial psychiatry board examination and the recertification examination. The process of working through the study guide will allow the reader to identify areas of strength and weakness, initiate further study, and test and retest knowledge, ultimately preparing for the examination's rigors. Only the Study Guide for the Psychiatry Board Examination offers support for the new, DSM-5® -- compatible examination, and that alone renders it essential.