Executive summary
For UK clinicians preparing for postgraduate exams, the question bank (Q-bank) is the single most important revision tool. The market is filled with excellent paid options from established providers like Pastest, Passmedicine, and Quesmed, with trainees often spending £95–£180 per sitting for access to large, high-quality question pools. These platforms offer polished explanations and a reliable experience, but they are often static by design.
In 2025, a new generation of free, AI-powered alternatives is emerging. Quiz iatroX, for example, provides a completely free alternative with an adaptive learning engine and built-in spaced repetition, all explicitly mapped to UK exam curricula like the MRCGP AKT and MRCP. This raises a new strategic question for trainees: should you pay, or can a free tool deliver the results you need? The answer for most will be a hybrid approach: using a free adaptive core for daily practice and targeting weaknesses, supplemented by targeted paid add-ons for full-length mocks and specific content depth.
What “value” means in a Q-bank
Before comparing platforms, it’s important to define what "value" looks like. Evaluate any Q-bank against these four criteria:
- Coverage vs blueprint: How well does the question bank's content align with the official syllabus for your exam, whether it's the MRCGP AKT domains or the MRCP Part 1/2 topic spread?
- Question quality: Are the vignettes realistic? Are the explanations concise and well-referenced? Is the content regularly updated?
- Adaptivity & learning science: Does the tool actively support proven learning methods like spaced repetition and adaptive learning to target your specific weaknesses?
- Price and value: What is the cost per month and per question? What are the refund or extension policies?
Paid mainstays: costs, volumes, and unique strengths
Pastest (MRCP focus)
- Positioning: Pastest is known for its very large MRCP question banks, offering "tailored past papers" and questions across more than 600 clinical topics. Typical pricing for MRCP Part 1 ranges from £94.99 for 3 months to £179.99 for 12 months.
- Why it’s good: Its key strengths are the sheer scale of the question bank, the ability to create sets based on recent exam themes, and its mature mobile apps with video content.
- Limitations: The question sequences are often fixed unless you manually curate your own tests, and the cost can escalate if you need to resit.
Passmedicine (AKT & MRCP; SRS “Knowledge Tutor”)
- Positioning: Passmedicine is renowned for its outstanding value. It offers over 4,500 AKT items and more than 5,100 MRCP Part 1 questions, with 4-month subscriptions commonly priced around £35 for each. Its "Knowledge Tutor" feature uses a spaced-repetition algorithm.
- Why it’s good: It has an unbeatable price-to-content ratio and the integrated spaced repetition system is excellent for retaining key facts.
- Limitations: It offers less granular adaptivity around your personal weaknesses compared to a true AI-driven adaptive engine.
Quesmed (AKT/UKMLA; SRS & app)
- Positioning: Quesmed is a modern, app-first platform with question banks for AKT and UKMLA, often available on plans from around £14.99 per month. Its key features are spaced-repetition daily feeds and integrated flashcards.
- Why it’s good: It has a clean user interface and strong mobile and offline support, making it great for app-centric learners.
- Limitations: Ensure the depth of content aligns with your specific postgraduate exam needs, as features can vary by subscription plan.
Free, adaptive alternative: Quiz iatroX
- What it is: Quiz iatroX is a completely free question-bank mode within the iatroX app. It features a true adaptive learning engine and a dedicated spaced repetition mode, both of which are mapped to the official UK exam curricula for the MRCGP AKT, MRCP, and UKMLA.
- How it works: The adaptive drills automatically adjust question difficulty based on your performance, targeting your weak areas. The built-in UK guideline look-ups via Ask iatroX also allow you to quickly verify concepts from primary sources during your revision.
- Why it matters: It removes the significant subscription cost of revision while providing access to sophisticated, AI-driven learning science. It is an ideal tool for maintaining daily revision momentum without breaking the bank.
Cost–benefit at a glance
| Provider | Exam(s) | Approx. Q Volume | Notable Features | Typical Subscription Fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastest | MRCP 1/2/PACES | "Largest bank" | Tailored past papers, videos | £95–£180 (3–12 m) | Depth & breadth for MRCP |
| Passmedicine | AKT, MRCP 1/2 | 4,500+ (AKT), 5,100+ (MRCP 1) | SRS "Knowledge Tutor" | ~£35 (4 months) | Outstanding value + SRS |
| Quesmed | AKT/UKMLA | Large | SRS daily feeds, flashcards | From ~£15/month | App-first learners |
| iatroX (Quiz) | AKT/MRCP/UKMLA | Large & growing | Adaptive engine, Spaced Repetition | Free | Targeted daily practice |
One-size-fits-all vs personalised practice
Static question banks present information in a fixed ladder, meaning you can be over-exposed to topics you've already mastered and under-exposed to your weaknesses. This requires you to manually self-triage your weak areas. In contrast, adaptive engines automatically shift your time-on-task towards your specific knowledge gaps, interleave topics to improve problem-solving, and schedule spaced reviews for you. This automated, personalised approach is key for building durable, long-term recall.
Suggested study architectures
1. Free-first stack (cost-minimising)
Use daily iatroX adaptive sessions and spaced reviews as your core engine. Supplement your learning with targeted reading of official guidelines and use free resources for mock exams.
2. Hybrid stack (value-maximising)
This is the optimal approach for most. Use iatroX for your daily adaptive drills to efficiently target weaknesses. Use Passmedicine's spaced-repetition "Knowledge Tutor" to lock in key facts. In the final 2–4 weeks before a major exam like the MRCP, add a short Pastest subscription for access to their full-length mock exams and past paper themes.
3. Paid-heavy stack (time-rich, exam proximate)
If you are very close to an exam and have the budget, you might use Pastest for its huge question volume and Passmedicine for its data-heavy sets, while keeping a free tool like iatroX running in the background to chase down your identified weak domains with its adaptive engine.
Implementation checklist
- Map your exam's official blueprint (e.g., the AKT domain split).
- Pick one primary Q-bank (Pastest or Passmedicine) and one adaptive/SRS layer (iatroX or Quesmed).
- Lock in a weekly mock exam cadence for the final month of your revision.
- Maintain a simple error log and use it to rebuild adaptive question sets around your weak tags.
- For every tricky item, especially for the AKT, verify the answer in the definitive primary source (NICE CKS or the BNF).
FAQs
- Is there a free MRCP question bank?
- Yes, Quiz iatroX offers a completely free, adaptive MRCP practice question bank within the iatroX app.
- Are there cheap AKT practice questions?
- Passmedicine AKT offers a very low-cost 4-month plan (typically around £35). iatroX provides a free adaptive alternative to complement it.
- Which paid bank is “best”?
- This depends on your needs. Pastest is excellent for the sheer scale of its MRCP bank and its mock exams. Passmedicine offers unbeatable value and a great spaced repetition system. Quesmed is ideal for app-centric learners who like flashcards and daily feeds.
- Can a free adaptive tool replace paid banks?
- For many candidates, especially in the early and middle stages of revision, a free adaptive tool like iatroX can form the core of your study plan. Many then choose to add a paid bank closer to the exam for access to a wider range of full-length mock exams.