Passmedicine and Pastest are the two names most often weighed up for MRCP, and for finals too. They sit at different ends of the market: Passmedicine is the high-volume, low-cost default with an integrated textbook, while Pastest is the depth-first, premium option known for its explanations and PACES resources. The right choice depends on whether you want maximum question volume at low cost, or the deepest explanations and clinical resources. This guide compares them fairly on volume, price, depth and coverage, and notes where iatroX fits as an adaptive third option.
The short version
Choose Passmedicine for the largest MRCP and finals question volume at the lowest cost, with an integrated textbook. Choose Pastest for the deepest explanations, mature MRCP banks and the strongest PACES resources, if budget allows. If you learn best by drilling large numbers of questions and reading around them, that first model fits; if you learn best from detailed explanations and worked clinical examples, the second does, and that distinction matters more than any single feature on a comparison table.
What each one is
Passmedicine is the long-established default UK Q-bank, with very large banks — over 5,100 for MRCP Part 1 and more than 11,000 for the UKMLA and finals — plus a "Knowledge Tutor" for spaced repetition and an integrated textbook, typically around £35 for four months of a single exam. It is the bank most UK doctors have used at some point, and its familiarity, low price and percentile feedback against a huge cohort are a large part of its appeal for MRCP Part 1 and finals alike. Pastest is a long-established, depth-first platform strongest in postgraduate exams — MRCP (Parts 1, 2 and PACES), MRCS, MRCPCH, MRCGP, FRCA, the MSRA, PLAB and UKMLA — with deep explanations, teaching videos and substantial PACES resources. MRCP Part 1 has ranged from around £95 for three months to about £180 for twelve. The contrast between the two is almost a philosophy of revision: Passmedicine bets that volume plus a concise reference is what carries you through, while Pastest bets that fewer questions with richer explanations and clinical video teach more per hour. Both approaches pass exams; the question is which suits how you learn and what you can spend.
Head-to-head
| Passmedicine | Pastest | iatroX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Volume and value | Depth and PACES | Adaptive practice |
| Questions | Very large banks | Large, deeply explained | Adaptive, blueprint-mapped |
| Price | ~£35 per exam per ~4 months | ~£95–£180 per exam | Core free; rest £29/mo–£99/yr |
| Explanations | Concise, with a textbook | Deep and detailed | Socratic tutor |
| PACES / OSCE | An OSCE resource | Videos and real-patient cases | Not covered |
(Competitor details as of mid-2026 — confirm current pricing and content on each provider's site.)
Where Passmedicine wins
Passmedicine offers some of the largest banks available at a low per-exam cost. Its integrated textbook is a high-yield reference alongside the questions, included in the price, and it carries a long track record and peer comparison across a very large user base. For a high-volume written paper like MRCP Part 1, simply seeing a very large number of questions and knowing how your percentage compares with thousands of peers is a legitimate and effective way to prepare.
Where Pastest wins
Pastest's explanation depth is its hallmark: detailed, well-written explanations that teach the reasoning, especially for MRCP. Its PACES and clinical resources — a video library and real-patient cases — are something a question bank alone cannot match, and it reaches into MRCS and MRCPCH clinical exams, which Passmedicine does not cover. If your exam has a clinical or practical component, or you simply retain more from a thorough explanation than a brief one, that depth is worth paying for, and it is the clearest reason to choose Pastest over a cheaper, higher-volume bank.
How to choose between them
If you want the most questions at the lowest cost, and are comfortable with concise explanations plus a textbook, Passmedicine is the pick. If you want the deepest explanations and PACES support, and have the budget, choose Pastest. And if you are sitting MRCS or the MRCPCH clinical exams, Pastest covers them and Passmedicine does not. A common compromise is to use Passmedicine for the bulk of question volume and add a shorter Pastest subscription for its explanations and PACES resources closer to the exam, which keeps the total cost down while still buying the depth where it matters most.
A third option: iatroX
For MRCP specifically, iatroX's bank is free, where both Passmedicine and Pastest charge. It is built around a Socratic tutor that works back through the reasoning behind a wrong answer, blueprint-mapped questions, spaced repetition, a genuinely adaptive engine and native apps, with clinical AI and calculators alongside. Its banks are smaller than Passmedicine's volume and it does not offer Pastest's PACES resources, but as an adaptive layer it pairs well with either — many use it for daily drilling and add a paid bank for volume or PACES near the exam. For MRCEM, the MSRA, the PSA or a diploma, where iatroX covers them and the others may not reach, it can be your main bank rather than a supplement. That makes iatroX less of a tie-breaker between the two and more of a default starting point you keep regardless: free for the exams it covers, and a low-cost adaptive layer underneath whichever premium bank you add for volume or PACES.
A few common questions
Which has more questions? Passmedicine, with very large banks.
Which has better explanations? Pastest, for depth; Passmedicine pairs concise explanations with a textbook.
Which is cheaper? Passmedicine, typically; Pastest is premium.
Where does iatroX fit? iatroX is an adaptive MRCP option; the UKMLA and the AKT are paid.