Keep PassMedicine for Part 2 when its dedicated Part 2 product suits the learning task and your study habits. Switch to Pastest when its current explanations, practice material or supporting tools solve a specific problem. Add another resource only for a defined gap. Passing Part 1 does not, by itself, justify either renewing the same brand or replacing it.
This comparison is published by iatroX and includes iatroX as a possible supporting learning tool, not an established replacement for a dedicated Part 2 bank. Product descriptions were checked on 24 September 2026. No head-to-head educational trial or predictive score comparison was performed.
What carries over from Part 1?
The knowledge does not disappear when the examination stage changes. Mechanisms, disease patterns and familiar terminology remain foundations for interpreting clinical problems. Your error log may also remain useful, especially where it records why you misunderstood something rather than only the correct letter.
What should not carry over unexamined is the assumption that a high repeated-question score means you are ready for a different assessment. Your Part 1 preparation may have included considerable recognition of familiar stems. A new Part 2 question can require the same underlying knowledge while asking a different clinical question.
The Federation sets separate passing standards for the two written examinations. Its pass-mark explanation, reviewed for this September 2026 article, gives a Part 2 standard of 444 from the 2026/1 examination, distinct from Part 1's 450. These are examination scores, not percentages to target in a commercial question bank.
Audit the Part 2 product, not your memory of Part 1
PassMedicine explicitly describes its Part 2 questions as separate from its Part 1 questions. Its public page, checked on 24 September 2026, includes image-based questions using radiology, ECGs and dermatology, a syllabus-focused textbook, an extended textbook, a knowledge tutor and timed test creation. These are relevant reasons to inspect its Part 2 product even when you have already completed its Part 1 bank. PassMedicine's Part 2 page is the source.
Pastest's Part 2 page, reviewed on the same date, describes a dedicated bank, textbook, bespoke practice papers, analytics, tutor mode and Ask Pastest. Its separate Exam Essentials course appears as a related product; do not assume that a course is included merely because it appears beside the bank.
A feature name is the beginning of the inspection. For an explanation, look for the detail that distinguishes the selected answer from the closest alternative. For an image, check whether the supporting text teaches you how to identify the finding. For analytics, ask whether the display helps plan revision without treating a proprietary readiness label as an official forecast.
A keep, replace or supplement decision table
| Current problem | Keep the main bank when | Replace it when | Supplement selectively when |
|---|---|---|---|
| You need new Part 2 questions | The dedicated product supplies suitable unseen practice | Its samples repeatedly miss your needs | An additional assessment answers a specific unresolved question |
| Images are difficult | Explanations teach observation and interpretation | Image quality or feedback is consistently unusable for you | You need focused teaching in one image modality |
| Clinical choices remain confusing | Reviewing the explanation resolves the distinction | The explanation repeatedly leaves the same gap | A tutorial or discussion can address a bounded misconception |
| Revision is disorganised | Existing flags and review tools are sufficient | The workflow prevents consistent review | Planning support adds accountability without another large bank |
| You mainly want reassurance | There is no demonstrated content or workflow deficit | Replacement is not justified by anxiety alone | Avoid purchasing another percentage without a purpose |
The table is a purchasing framework, not an observed ranking of either provider. An existing bank can be appropriate even when another bank has attractive functions you do not need.
Image interpretation is not recognition of a familiar picture
Consider a fictional trainee, Sam, who recognises an ECG from a previous question but struggles when the same concept appears in a different tracing. The immediate goal is not to collect more screenshots. It is to separate description from interpretation and interpretation from the clinical decision requested.
During study, Sam first writes a short description of the visible features before looking at answer options. He then states the interpretation and identifies the accompanying clinical information that changes its significance. Finally, he checks the explanation and records the observation he missed.
This method is an original practice suggestion, not an official examination scoring scheme. It can be used with properly licensed educational images in whichever resource he owns. He should not export a provider's image collection into another platform or circulate it to a study group without permission.
The same principle applies to dermatology and radiology. Knowing a diagnosis name after the answer appears is different from noticing the feature that supports it. Where the finding remains unclear, use appropriate specialist teaching rather than asking a general explanation tool to manufacture certainty about an image it cannot adequately assess.
Three reasons to stay, and three reasons to change
Staying makes sense when the Part 2 samples are useful, the interface supports your established review habit and the subscription covers the period you need. Familiar navigation can reduce friction, but familiarity should be a practical benefit rather than a loyalty obligation.
Changing makes sense when your current explanations repeatedly fail to resolve a specific problem, the relevant practice format is missing or the workflow genuinely obstructs your study. A different provider may also give you fresh material when repeated exposure has exhausted the assessment value of the current collection.
Neither outcome should be based on a friend's isolated score comparison. Different people answer different questions, use different modes and have different prior exposure. Their percentages do not form a controlled comparison of difficulty or readiness.
For a useful trial, select a representative mix rather than only your weakest specialty. Check an image question, a management decision, an unfamiliar topic and a question you initially answer correctly but cannot fully explain. That sample cannot validate the whole bank, but it can reveal whether the learning experience suits you.
A transition plan that does not restart medicine
Treat the first phase as diagnosis, not a complete rereading of every Part 1 note. Use dedicated Part 2 material, record the nature of the difficulty and identify whether the gap concerns underlying knowledge, interpretation or choosing the next action.
In the next phase, rebuild only the foundations that are actually limiting performance. If an unfamiliar clinical question exposes a mechanism gap, revisit that mechanism and then return to the clinical task. Do not allow a single missed item to trigger an unbounded textbook detour.
A later phase should combine mixed questions, image work and timed practice. Keep a separate record of uncertain correct answers so improvement does not depend only on reviewing obvious failures. Reserve genuinely unseen material for the questions about performance that familiar material cannot answer.
For Sam, the plan might prioritise independent image description and clinical integration. For another fictional candidate, Helen, it might prioritise disciplined reading of the exact management question. Their different problems could justify different resources despite identical Part 1 results.
Price and access should follow the plan
PassMedicine's Part 2 page advertised £35 for four months and £45 for six months when checked on 24 September 2026. That can be a lower-cost route than adding a broader learning subscription when a dedicated bank is all you need. The published options should be checked again at purchase.
Compare the current Pastest package and duration directly, including whether any course or extension is separate. Avoid comparing an annual bundle against a shorter subscription without considering when you will actually study.
Also inspect expiry, access to notes and whether previous work remains available. A lower headline price is less useful when the access ends before your planned preparation, while a longer subscription adds little when you have no relevant use after the examination.
Where iatroX belongs, and where it does not
The iatroX examination catalogue, checked on 24 September 2026, clearly establishes MRCP Part 1 coverage; that alone does not establish an equivalent dedicated Part 2 bank. This article therefore does not recommend replacing a verified Part 2 product with an assumed iatroX offering.
Per iatroX product information, September 2026, Ask-iatroX is a free source-linked clinical reference, while Socratic Tutor supports question-linked reasoning within the learning platform. Those functions can help address a relevant knowledge or explanation gap, subject to source checking, but they should not be described as verified Part 2 image assessment or official exam simulation.
The decision by reader scenario
A satisfied PassMedicine user who needs new Part 2 content should inspect its dedicated product before changing brands. A learner whose needs fit Pastest's current teaching and practice workflow has a reason to consider switching. Someone with one persistent image or reasoning weakness may need targeted support rather than a second complete bank.
The right purchase changes a specific part of your preparation. It does not simply make the list of subscriptions longer.
Frequently asked questions
Are PassMedicine Part 1 and Part 2 questions the same?
PassMedicine's Part 2 page stated on 24 September 2026 that the questions are written specifically for Part 2 and do not overlap with its Part 1 resource. Shared medical topics should not be confused with identical questions.
Should I automatically move to Pastest after passing Part 1?
No. Inspect the current Part 2 products and switch only when the new resource addresses a learning or workflow need.
Does a high Part 1 bank score predict Part 2 success?
It does not establish a validated prediction. Use dedicated Part 2 practice and the official examination guidance to assess what still needs work.