MRCP Part 1 is a broad, unforgiving exam, and the question bank you choose shapes how efficiently you cover it. The established banks are excellent but charge roughly £95 to £180 per sitting, on top of a £489 exam fee for UK candidates, so it pays to choose deliberately. MRCP(UK) Part 1 is sat as two three-hour best-of-five papers covering more than a dozen specialties, with no negative marking, so both breadth and stamina matter. Because the pass mark is unforgiving and the syllabus wide, the candidates who do best are those who spend their limited hours on their weakest areas rather than re-covering strengths — which is exactly what an adaptive bank is built to do, and a useful lens for judging the options below. A few practical criteria separate them: raw question volume, the depth and clarity of explanations, whether the platform adapts to your weaknesses or simply presents a fixed order, and whether it includes the past-paper-themed mocks that matter most in the final weeks. Price is the tie-breaker, and it varies widely. This guide compares the main MRCP Part 1 banks in 2026 — strengths, limitations, price and best fit — and notes the one that is free. Pricing is as of mid-2026 — confirm current rates on each provider's site.
Pastest — best for depth, mocks and PACES
Pastest markets the largest MRCP Part 1 bank — around 5,400 best-of-five questions — with tailored past papers reflecting recent themes, video courses and the strongest PACES resources, priced from about £94.99 for three months to £179.99 for twelve, with a 48-hour free trial. The sheer volume can overwhelm a late start, and it is the most expensive option. Best for: candidates who want maximum depth, exam-themed mocks and PACES preparation, especially in the final weeks before the exam.
Passmedicine — best for value
Passmedicine offers a large Part 1 bank — over 5,100 questions — with its Knowledge Tutor spaced-repetition feature, commonly around £35 for four months. It is excellent value and reliable, though less granular at targeting your personal weak areas than a true adaptive engine. Best for: candidates who want strong volume at the lowest price.
Quesmed — best all-in-one
Quesmed covers MRCP alongside its other banks, with integrated notes and a polished app, from around £14.99 a month. It is built for the student-to-early-postgraduate journey rather than MRCP specifically, but the breadth is convenient. Best for: trainees who want one modern subscription spanning several exams. For MRCP specifically it is not as deep as the dedicated banks, so it suits breadth-seekers more than those who want the largest possible MRCP pool.
BMJ OnExamination — best for harder stems and institutional access
Expert-written, with more nuanced and often harder questions that mirror the real exam's tougher stems, BMJ OnExamination is frequently available free through a university, NHS Trust or BMA membership. Best for: resitters wanting a rigorous challenge, and anyone with institutional access who can use it at no cost. The volume is smaller than Pastest's and access is time-limited to roughly two months per exam, so it works best as a rigorous supplement.
iatroX — the free adaptive option
iatroX is the one bank here with no charge for MRCP Part 1: it is one of iatroX's free core banks, with no subscription. It adds an adaptive engine that targets your weak areas, a Socratic tutor that rebuilds the reasoning behind a wrong answer, spaced repetition, blueprint-mapped questions and native apps. It does not match Pastest's volume, PACES resources or explanation depth. Best for: daily adaptive drilling across the months of revision, at no cost.
Which is best for you?
For maximum depth and PACES, Pastest. For value, Passmedicine. For an all-in-one across exams, Quesmed. For harder stems or free institutional access, BMJ OnExamination. For free daily adaptive drilling, iatroX.
The recommended setup
A cost-effective approach is to use iatroX free as your daily adaptive engine for the months beforehand — targeting weak areas and debriefing every miss through the Socratic tutor — then add a short Pastest or Passmedicine subscription in the final two to four weeks for volume, past-paper themes and, for the clinical exam later, PACES. That keeps the premium spend to the run-in, where mocks and pattern recognition matter most, rather than paying for many months of access used lightly. Most candidates who overspend do so by buying a large bank early and treating it as undifferentiated volume; an adaptive engine avoids that by steering you back to where you are actually losing marks. A realistic budget for many candidates is nothing for the months of daily adaptive drilling and a single short paid subscription at the end — a fraction of what a twelve-month premium plan costs used lightly. If you are resitting, the calculus shifts slightly toward a fresh, harder pool such as BMJ OnExamination for a change of stimulus, while keeping the free adaptive layer running underneath to target the specific gaps that cost you marks before. Either way, the principle holds: spend on the things a question bank does least well — full mocks, past-paper themes and, later, PACES — and let a free or cheap adaptive engine carry the routine daily practice that makes up the bulk of revision.
A few common questions
What is the best MRCP Part 1 question bank? Pastest leads on depth and PACES, Passmedicine on value; iatroX is the best free adaptive option. Many candidates combine a free or cheap daily bank with a short premium subscription near the exam.
Is any MRCP Part 1 bank free? Yes — iatroX's MRCP Part 1 bank is free, with no subscription.
How much should I spend? Often little: free or cheap daily drilling, plus a short premium subscription for mocks near the exam.
Do I need Pastest? Worth it for depth, mocks and PACES in the run-up; for early daily drilling, a free adaptive bank can do the routine work.