If you are sitting a Specialty Certificate Examination in 2026, you need a question bank. The SCE tests applied clinical knowledge across 200 best-of-five questions in a single day — there is no substitute for practising under these conditions before the real thing. The question is which platform to use.
This comparison covers every major SCE question bank available in 2026, assessed on question count, clinical accuracy, pricing, adaptive features, and overall value for money.
The options
Four platforms currently offer SCE-specific question banks across multiple specialties: StudyPRN (operated by LEARNA), Pastest, BMJ OnExamination, and iatroX. Several smaller providers cover individual specialties, but none offer the breadth needed for a fair comparison.
StudyPRN
StudyPRN has been the dominant SCE question bank for over a decade. It covers all thirteen SCE specialties with question counts ranging from approximately 450 (Geriatric Medicine) to 890 (Endocrinology). Questions are written by named UK consultants, and some specialty banks have been developed in collaboration with relevant societies.
Pricing is per-specialty and time-limited. A three-month subscription typically costs between £79 and £199 depending on the specialty, with no cross-specialty access. If you are preparing for Cardiology, you pay for Cardiology alone and cannot access any other specialty bank.
The platform works but is functionally dated. There is no adaptive algorithm — questions are delivered in a fixed sequence or random order. There is no spaced repetition. The mobile experience is a responsive website rather than a native app. Performance tracking is basic, showing overall percentage correct but limited topic-level granularity.
StudyPRN's strength is its track record and the credibility of its named authors. Its weakness is pricing — a registrar preparing for a single SCE pays £79 to £199 for a few months of access to one specialty, with no option to explore related content.
Pastest
Pastest covers several SCE specialties but not all thirteen. Coverage is strongest in the specialties that overlap with MRCP Part 1 and Part 2 content (Cardiology, Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Neurology) and weaker in standalone specialties like Palliative Medicine, Dermatology, and Medical Oncology.
Pricing follows a subscription model with packages typically ranging from £50 to £150 depending on duration and specialty. The platform is well-established with a functional interface, though it shares the same limitation as StudyPRN — no adaptive learning, no spaced repetition, and limited analytics.
Pastest is a reasonable choice if your specialty is well-covered and you are already familiar with the platform from MRCP revision. It is not the best choice if you need comprehensive specialty coverage or want data-driven revision.
BMJ OnExamination
BMJ OnExamination offers SCE content for some specialties as part of its broader postgraduate exam platform. Question counts tend to be lower than StudyPRN or Pastest, and the SCE-specific content can feel like an extension of the MRCP bank rather than a dedicated specialist resource.
Pricing is competitive, especially for those with institutional access through their NHS trust or university. The platform is clean and modern but lacks adaptive features.
BMJ OnExamination works best as a supplementary resource rather than a primary SCE preparation tool.
iatroX
iatroX covers all thirteen SCE specialties with 1,500 or more questions per specialty, mapped to the current JRCPTB curriculum and aligned to UK and European guidelines. Every question includes a detailed explanation referencing the primary guideline source, plus disposal of each incorrect option.
The core differentiator is the adaptive learning engine. iatroX tracks your performance at the topic level and adjusts question selection to prioritise your weakest areas. This means your revision time is directed where it has the most impact rather than cycling through topics you have already mastered. The spaced repetition algorithm schedules review of previously answered questions at intervals calibrated to long-term retention.
Pricing is a single subscription covering every exam on the platform — all thirteen SCEs, plus MRCP, MRCGP, PLAB, MRCPCH, MRCPsych, FRCA, and every other bank. That subscription costs £29 per month or £99 per year. There is no per-specialty charge.
Full mock exams simulate the real SCE format — two papers of 100 questions, each timed at three hours, with performance breakdown by topic. The mobile app (iOS and Android) supports offline revision with progress syncing across devices. A performance dashboard shows topic-level heatmaps, difficulty progression, and revision velocity.
iatroX is the only SCE question bank that combines adaptive learning, cross-specialty access, and a price point that does not require a registrar to think twice about the investment.
Price comparison
For a single SCE specialty with three months of access, the approximate costs are: StudyPRN £79 to £199 depending on specialty, Pastest £50 to £150, BMJ OnExamination variable (often included in institutional subscriptions), and iatroX £87 for three months (£29 per month) or £99 for a full year covering all specialties.
The value gap widens significantly for candidates who want access to more than one specialty — dual-accredited trainees, candidates revising related content across specialties, or those who want to continue using the platform for CPD after their exam.
Which should you choose
If you value named consultant authors and have used StudyPRN successfully for previous exams, it remains a credible option despite the dated platform and premium pricing.
If you want adaptive learning, cross-specialty access, a modern mobile app, and a price that does not scale with the number of exams you are preparing for, iatroX is the strongest choice available in 2026.
If your NHS trust or university provides institutional access to BMJ OnExamination or Pastest, use it as a supplementary resource alongside your primary question bank.
The one approach that consistently leads to failure is not using a question bank at all.