Clinical Skills Exam (CSE)
This program is designed for clinicians who have completed substantial training and have meaningful clinical experience across the reproductive
lifespan.
The NCRP Clinical Skills Examination (CSE) is a rigorous assessment of advanced clinical competence in reproductive psychiatry. It is designed for clinicians who have completed substantial training and have meaningful clinical experience across the reproductive lifespan.
The exam evaluates both clinical reasoning and clinical skills, including diagnostic assessment, risk assessment, and collaborative, evidence-based treatment planning. It is intended to reflect real-world subspecialty practice rather than rote knowledge or perfection.
ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAM
Examinees must meet eligibility requirements through one of the following preparation pathways.
Pathway 1: NCRP Intensive Pathway
All of the following are required:
- Completion of NCRP Intensive (or NCRP Advanced prior to 2025)
- At least 80% attendance in NCRP Long-Term Supervision
- Significant clinical experience in reproductive psychiatry across the reproductive lifespan.*
*We recommend the equivalent of one year of full-time supervised clinical practice in reproductive psychiatry (e.g., two years at half-time), similar in scope to a clinical fellowship
Pathway 2: Psychiatry Fellowship Pathway
- At least 75% attendance in the NCRP Fellows Course and
- Good standing in, or completion of, a formal reproductive psychiatry or consult-liaison psychiatry fellowship.**
**Other fellowship training pathways may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Exam Content
The exam consists of a series of simulated clinical encounters. Some cases will involve standardized patients; others will simulate answering questions for patients or colleagues. Each case will include information regarding the clinical context, any necessary background information, specific instructions for focusing the conversation, and guidelines for timing. Topics covered in the cases include:
- Premenstrual disorders
- Perimenopause
- Management of psychiatric symptoms or disorders during the perinatal period
The exam requires substantial clinical preparation. You should register only if you have had meaningful exposure to a diverse reproductive psychiatry patient population across the lifespan.
Exam Dates, Registration, and Cost
Exam Dates (Eastern Time)
Saturday, August 29, 2026
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (limited availability)
Monday, September 14, 2026
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Registration Timeline (anticipated)
Registration opens: February 9, 2026
Registration closes:
- March 31, 2026 (for May exams)
- July 31, 2026 (for August and September exams)
Cost: $800
Platform
The exam is conducted via Zoom, using one main
meeting room and multiple breakout rooms.
What to Expect
At the start of each session, examiners briefly introduce themselves. During standardized patient encounters, examiners then turn off their cameras and do not provide feedback or prompts. At the end of the session, examiners turn their cameras back on and may ask additional questions as needed. A lack of examiner response during the encounter is intentional and should not be interpreted as evaluative.
Case instructions may include language such as:
- Use the information provided, along with data gathered during the interview, to determine the most likely diagnosis and recommend immediate next steps.
- Determine the most likely diagnosis and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan.
Not all content areas apply to every case. Examiners score performance based on the specific case focus and instructions provided.
Interested?
If you would like to enroll your program for the next series, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@ncrptraining.org.
