The best MRCGP AKT question bank is the one that addresses your remaining preparation problem within the current RCGP examination framework. PassMedicine offers inexpensive conventional practice, Pastest combines questions with explanatory tools, BMJ OnExamination provides structured revision features, and iatroX connects questions with guided reasoning. A larger purchase is not automatically a better plan.
This comparison is published by iatroX and includes our own platform. It updates the existing GP-focused comparison for the 26 October 2026 sitting in the RCGP timetable. Product descriptions and prices below were checked against published information on 3 October 2026, not established through a controlled head-to-head performance study.
What the MRCGP AKT really tests
Begin with the assessment, not the dashboard. The RCGP's October 2025 format change established a standard examination of 160 questions in 160 minutes, replacing 200 questions in 190 minutes. Older questions can remain educationally useful, but an older mock's timing should not be treated as the current specification.
The published domains remain approximately 80% clinical medicine, 10% evidence-based practice and 10% primary care organisation and management. That requires breadth across clinical presentations, interpretation of research and the professional context of UK general practice. It does not mean that one reference website is an unofficial answer key.
Use the RCGP preparation materials to check scope, sample item formats and examiner feedback. Relevant learning questions can concern referral pathways, screening, fit notes, driving, safeguarding or professional responsibilities. For changeable rules, consult the responsible authority rather than memorising an undated commercial summary.
Why AKT revision is different from hospital exam revision
A useful primary-care question may ask what to do with undifferentiated symptoms, incomplete information or competing concerns. A familiar diagnosis does not settle the next step. The setting, urgency, patient preference and information already available can matter as much as recognising the condition.
This is why a resource should help you distinguish plausible options, not merely attach a list of facts to the correct answer. Prevention, chronic disease, prescribing safety, evidence interpretation and organisation deserve deliberate attention alongside acute presentations. None should be called easy marks for every candidate.
For example, a fictional registrar, Imran, repeatedly recognises the condition but selects an action belonging to a later stage of assessment. Buying more questions may reveal the same error again. His first need is an explanation that makes the decision stage explicit, followed by an unfamiliar question that tests it differently.
PassMedicine for AKT
PassMedicine's AKT page, checked on 3 October 2026, advertises more than 4,900 SBA and extended-matching questions, a syllabus-focused textbook, an extended textbook, revision and test modes, and performance comparison. Its published access prices are £35 for four months and £45 for six months. These replace the older comparison's May 2026 reference to more than 4,500 questions.
That is a lower upfront price than iatroX's paid annual subscription. Candidates seeking affordable question volume and integrated reading should recognise that advantage plainly. A familiar interface can also reduce the disruption of changing resources close to an examination.
The important evaluation is whether the explanations resolve your errors and whether your review process works. Do not infer from a traditional question-bank format that every explanation is static, poorly sourced or incapable of supporting understanding. Equally, peer comparison is not an independently validated personal pass prediction.
Pastest for AKT
Pastest's AKT offering, checked on 3 October 2026, describes exam-specific questions, a textbook, bespoke practice papers based on reported examination themes, analytics, Tutor mode and an Ask Pastest feature referencing its content and NICE guidance. The published prices are £67.99 for three months, £97.99 for six months and £117.99 for twelve months.
Its practice papers should not be confused with released official RCGP examination papers. The product page uses both more than 3,000 and more than 3,300 question descriptions; the distinction is not a sound basis for a precise league table. Review the current purchase specification rather than treating a rounded marketing total as a fixed inventory.
Pastest may suit someone who values explanatory support within their main bank and already works comfortably with its learning environment. The presence of AI support is not unique to iatroX. Compare the actual help offered after a mistake rather than assigning a winner simply because one product uses the word tutor.
BMJ OnExamination for AKT
BMJ OnExamination describes question selection, difficulty choices, mock tests, revision planning, feedback, peer comparison, group learning and offline app access. Its public catalogue listed one month of AKT access at £44.99 on 3 October 2026; confirm the selected duration and any offer before purchasing.
This can be a useful option for candidates who want structured review and mobile study, particularly when an institutional subscription is already available. Check your own library or training organisation rather than assuming all NHS staff receive access. Existing access changes your personal cost comparison even when the public price is higher.
Trial a difficult topic on the device you actually use. Check reading comfort, explanation navigation and how easily you return to a flagged question. Published features describe capability, not a measured usability result for every learner.
iatroX for AKT
According to iatroX product information for October 2026, AKT preparation combines adaptive sequencing, spaced repetition, a Socratic Tutor linked to an attempted question and an exam-date-aware study planner. The Tutor asks targeted follow-ups to explore the misconception rather than simply supplying an answer. The planner uses available study time and quiz performance across foundation, application and performance phases.
The free and paid distinction needs to be precise. Ask-iatroX and free question access do not expire as a trial and have no verification gate. Full question banks, ongoing Socratic Tutor, study planner, iatroX Simulations and CPD tools are bundled for £99 paid upfront annually or £29 monthly. The annual price is equivalent to £8.25 per month billed annually, not a monthly instalment option. Three monthly payments total £87; four total £116, so annual becomes cheaper from the fourth month at these published prices.
Earlier wording describing the complete AKT bank as permanently free is superseded by this distinction. The useful value case is several methods for one relevant learning goal, not paying for a catalogue of examinations you will never sit.
Ask-iatroX is grounded in NICE, CKS, SIGN and SmPC information from emc, with linked sources and a published methodology. Open the source when the recommendation matters. The earlier May 2026 page also described more than 80 clinical calculators; that historical directory count is not a measure of AKT preparation quality. Use an appropriate calculator only with checked inputs and an understanding of its purpose.
The qualified-GP founder angle
iatroX was founded by Dr Kola Tytler, an NHS GP. That provides context for its focus on UK clinical questions, straightforward access and professional learning. It is not evidence that the platform is universally more accurate than products built by different teams, or that passing the AKT is equivalent to demonstrating every competency of independent practice.
The same distinction applies to CPD. The October 2026 workflow supports personalised records, PDF export and direct FourteenFish export for linked accounts. The learner reviews the draft and confirms what genuinely occurred; a generated record is not automatic accreditation or an assertion that every revision session fulfils a particular training requirement.
Recommended AKT revision workflow
Begin with a mixed block and identify whether the problem is missing knowledge, interpretation, source currency or pacing. Give the next activity a specific purpose. Imran, for example, compares the two decision stages he confused, explains the distinction without reading, then attempts a different scenario.
Use targeted practice without abandoning neglected domains. Schedule returns to important misconceptions, retain mixed timed work and reserve time to review uncertain correct answers. Add statistics or professional-practice reading when the error requires it, rather than opening another bank automatically.
A second resource earns its place when it supplies something missing: a clearer explanation, unfamiliar assessment material, better accessibility or suitable observed teaching. It does not earn its place by increasing the number of subscriptions in an anxious final week.
Verdict by candidate scenario
For inexpensive conventional question practice, PassMedicine has the clearest lower-cost proposition among the paid plans compared here. For candidates who want Pastest's textbook, question-linked support and practice-paper approach in their main environment, its higher price may be worthwhile. For those with BMJ institutional access or a preference for its revision and mobile features, OnExamination deserves a direct trial.
For a learner who needs a connected question, misconception discussion and structured return to practice, iatroX is a relevant option. Someone already progressing well with another bank may need only free source exploration or no additional product. The decision should follow the unresolved task, not a single overall winner.
Frequently asked questions
Is the full iatroX AKT question bank free?
Free question access and Ask-iatroX remain free without trial expiry or a verification gate. Full bank access and ongoing Tutor, planner, simulations and CPD tools are included in the paid bundle described above.
Which option costs less than iatroX?
PassMedicine's published AKT plans on 3 October 2026 were £35 for four months and £45 for six months, below iatroX's £99 upfront annual price. They are different product bundles, so compare the functions you actually need as well as cost.
Can I use a question-bank percentage to predict my AKT result?
Not as a universal conversion: question selection, familiarity and testing conditions differ. Use the error pattern and unfamiliar timed performance to guide preparation, alongside official RCGP material.