Every September, a new cohort of medical students asks the same question: what apps do I actually need? The honest answer is fewer than you think — but the right ones make a measurable difference.
This is a curated list: apps that working medical students and junior doctors consistently recommend, not a comprehensive directory of everything in the App Store.
Clinical reference
iatroX (iatrox.com) — AI-powered clinical search that answers clinical questions with guideline-referenced responses. Covers NICE, CKS, BNF, and SIGN. Useful for looking things up on placement when you need a quick, cited answer rather than trawling through a textbook. Also has an adaptive qbank for exam prep. Free for core features. iOS, Android, and web.
BNF (British National Formulary) — the drug reference you'll use daily from clinical years onward. The NICE BNF app is free and searchable. Essential, not optional.
NICE Guidelines — the official NICE app gives you access to the full guideline library. Not as quick for lookups as AI search tools, but authoritative.
BMJ Best Practice — clinical decision support with differential diagnosis algorithms. Many medical schools provide institutional access. Excellent for structured clinical reasoning on placements.
MDCalc — medical calculators (Wells score, CHA₂DS₂-VASc, CRB-65, CURB-65, etc.). You'll use these in clinical practice constantly. Free.
Exam preparation
Anki — the flashcard app with spaced repetition. Free on desktop, paid on iOS, free on Android. Steep learning curve but the most effective long-term knowledge retention tool if used correctly. See our Anki guide for medical-specific setup.
iatroX Quiz — adaptive MCQ qbank with AI-generated explanations. Covers UKMLA, AKT, and general clinical knowledge. The adaptive mode adjusts difficulty to your performance level. Free tier available.
PassMedicine — the dominant UK qbank for MRCGP AKT and finals. Paid subscription. Large question bank with detailed explanations.
Geeky Medics — OSCE revision, clinical examination guides, and revision notes. The OSCE station guides are particularly useful for clinical exam preparation. Free with paid premium tier.
Productivity
Notion — the all-in-one workspace that medical students have adopted massively. Use it for: lecture note organisation, portfolio tracking, study planning, and group project management. Free for personal use.
Google Calendar — the most effective scheduling tool is the simplest one. Block out study time, track placement timetables, set exam preparation milestones. The students who schedule their revision outperform those who "revise when they have time."
Forest — focus timer that gamifies distraction-free study. Grows a virtual tree while you study; the tree dies if you leave the app. Surprisingly effective for building focused study habits.
Wellbeing
Headspace / Calm — guided meditation and sleep content. Medical school is stressful and developing a mindfulness habit early is protective. Many universities offer free subscriptions for students.
Strava / any exercise tracker — the evidence that regular exercise improves cognitive performance, mood, and exam outcomes is strong. Track it to maintain the habit.
What you don't need
You don't need every app on this list. Start with: a clinical reference tool (iatroX or BNF), one qbank, Anki, and a calendar. Add others as specific needs arise. The student who uses three apps well outperforms the one who has fifteen installed and uses none consistently.
iatroX is a UKCA-marked clinical AI platform with clinical search and exam qbanks. Free for medical students.