Pharmacist trainees evaluating CRA revision resources are making the same comparison-shopping search that medical students make with Passmedicine vs Pastest — but the GPhC market has far less comparative content. Nobody has written the definitive comparison.
This review compares three platforms that take fundamentally different approaches: Coditioning (strategy-focused), Focus Pre-Reg Revision (taught sessions + Q-bank), and iatroX (adaptive engine + BNF integration).
Coditioning
Coditioning provides over 1,000 questions alongside strong exam strategy content — CRA framework analysis, study guides, calculation-specific drilling, and exam technique coaching.
Strengths: The exam strategy content is genuinely differentiated. Coditioning does not just give you questions — it explains how to approach the CRA strategically. The framework analysis helps trainees understand what the exam is actually testing. Calculation drills are well-structured with worked examples.
Limitations: Moderate question volume. Static bank — no adaptive engine. No BNF/NICE integration in explanations. Web-only — no mobile app. Self-directed beyond the strategy content.
Price: Subscription-based. Check current pricing on their website.
Best for: Trainees who need exam technique coaching and strategic framework understanding alongside question practice.
Focus Pre-Reg Revision
Focus Pre-Reg provides a question bank supplemented by live Zoom sessions, BNF chapter recordings, and structured revision plans. The live teaching element is the primary differentiator.
Strengths: Live teaching. The Zoom sessions provide interactive learning with an instructor — particularly valuable for community-based trainees who have less structured peer learning than hospital trainees. BNF chapter recordings provide a systematic walkthrough of each BNF section. The structured revision plans give week-by-week guidance.
Limitations: Less flexible for self-paced learners — live sessions are scheduled, not on-demand. Not mobile-optimised for on-the-go revision. No adaptive engine — questions are static. No performance dashboard showing topic-level proficiency.
Price: Subscription-based with course options. Check current pricing.
Best for: Trainees who learn well from taught sessions and want a structured programme with live instructor support.
iatroX
iatroX provides 1,000+ questions mapped to the CRA blueprint with a true adaptive engine — the next question is selected based on your cumulative performance profile, not a fixed rotation.
Strengths: Adaptive engine (the only one in the GPhC market). BNF/NICE-integrated explanations — cited, with guideline references. Part 1 calculations with adaptive difficulty scaling by calculation type. Performance dashboard showing proficiency across all CRA content areas. Mobile app (iOS + Android) — the only GPhC platform with native mobile access. MHRA-registered.
Limitations: No live teaching — iatroX is a self-directed adaptive platform, not a taught course. No BNF chapter recordings. Question volume (1,000+) is growing but may be lower than some competitors' total counts.
Price: £29/month or £99/year.
Best for: Self-directed trainees who want adaptive targeting, BNF-grounded explanations, and mobile access. Trainees who want a platform that knows what they specifically do not know and concentrates revision there.
Side-by-Side
| Feature | Coditioning | Focus Pre-Reg | iatroX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adaptive engine | No | No | Yes |
| BNF/NICE integration | No | No | Yes |
| Live teaching | No | Yes (Zoom) | No |
| Exam strategy content | Strong | Moderate | Via blog |
| Mobile app | No | No | Yes (iOS + Android) |
| Performance dashboard | Basic | Basic | Topic-level proficiency |
| Part 1 calculation drills | Yes | Yes | Yes (adaptive difficulty) |
| MHRA-registered | No | No | Yes |
The Combination Approach
Coditioning + iatroX: Use Coditioning for exam strategy and framework understanding. Use iatroX for adaptive question practice that targets your specific gaps.
Focus Pre-Reg + iatroX: Use Focus Pre-Reg for live taught sessions and BNF recordings. Use iatroX as the adaptive layer in the final 6-8 weeks to close remaining gaps identified by the performance dashboard.
Start at iatrox.com/quiz-landing?exam=uk-gphc.