If you are after a Pastest alternative in 2026, the trade-off is depth versus price and adaptivity. Pastest is a mature, explanation-rich platform with deep MRCP, MRCS, MRCPCH and PACES resources — and a premium price to match. iatroX is the better fit if you want adaptive practice across most postgraduate exams, a Socratic tutor that rebuilds your reasoning, and coverage that extends to diplomas and international boards. This guide compares the two fairly, and shows when Pastest's depth is still worth paying for.
What Pastest is, and why people use it
Pastest is a long-established UK exam-prep platform, strongest in postgraduate exams. It covers MRCP (Parts 1, 2 and PACES), MRCS Parts A and B, MRCPCH (FOP, TAS, AKP and Clinical), MRCGP, FRCA, the MSRA, PLAB and UKMLA. Its core is a subscription question bank with deep, well-written explanations, real-exam formatting and analytics, supplemented by flashcards, textbook references, OSCE patient cases, teaching videos and substantial PACES resources, including more than 130 examination videos and 170 real-patient examples. It is known for explanation quality and a strong reputation among trainers. Pricing is premium — MRCP Part 1, for example, has ranged from around £95 for three months to about £180 for twelve, as of mid-2026. It has matured into a sprawling destination that covers almost every UK postgraduate acronym, and its depth is the draw: the explanations are written to teach the underlying reasoning, and the analytics and past-paper themes let you target what the recent sittings actually asked. That depth is also why it sits at the premium end on price.
How iatroX compares
iatroX leads with five things: a Socratic tutor that works back through the reasoning behind a wrong answer; questions mapped meticulously to each exam's blueprint; spaced repetition; a genuinely adaptive engine that targets your weak areas; and native iOS and Android apps. It keeps MRCP, MRCEM, the PSA and PARA free, with everything else on one subscription (£29/month or £99/year), and it covers exams Pastest does not — MRCEM, PANE/PARA, the PSA, specialist diplomas (FFICM, DipIMC, DTM&H, DFSRH, DRCOG, DGM, DCH), the GPhC assessment, and US, Canadian and Australian boards. The contrast is sharpest on cost and breadth: where Pastest is a premium, depth-first bank concentrated on the major postgraduate exams, iatroX is free for its core banks (MRCP, MRCEM, the PSA, PARA) and low-cost for the rest and reaches further across diplomas and international boards. The Socratic tutor is the part that most resembles Pastest's teaching-led explanations, but it works interactively from your own mistakes.
The honest comparison
| iatroX | Pastest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | MRCP/MRCEM/PSA/PARA free; rest £29/mo–£99/yr | Premium; around £95–£180 per exam by duration |
| Core strength | Adaptive engine plus a Socratic tutor | Explanation depth; mature MRCP and PACES resources |
| PACES / OSCE | Not covered | Strong — videos and real-patient cases |
| Coverage | UK core, diplomas, GPhC, and US/CA/AU boards | MRCP, MRCS, MRCPCH, MRCGP, FRCA, MSRA, PLAB, UKMLA |
| Extras | Clinical AI guideline lookup, calculators | Teaching videos, past-paper themes |
(Details as of mid-2026 — confirm current pricing and content on Pastest's site.)
Where iatroX wins
Price across most postgraduate exams is the main advantage — low-cost where Pastest is premium. iatroX adds a Socratic tutor and a fully adaptive engine that targets weak areas, rather than a primarily static bank, and it reaches breadth Pastest does not — MRCEM, PANE, the PSA, the diplomas, the GPhC assessment and international boards.
Where Pastest wins
Pastest's explanation depth and maturity are real strengths, especially for MRCP, where its banks are large, well-written and long-refined. Its PACES and clinical resources — the video library and real-patient cases — are something iatroX's question bank does not replicate. It also covers MRCS and a fuller MRCPCH clinical offering, which iatroX does not. For anyone whose exam has a heavy clinical or practical component — PACES above all — Pastest's video and real-patient material is a category of resource a written question bank simply cannot stand in for.
When Pastest is the smarter choice
If you are sitting MRCP and want the deepest explanations and the strongest PACES resources, and you have the budget, Pastest is a strong choice. If you need MRCS or the MRCPCH clinical resources, Pastest covers ground iatroX does not. A common approach is to use iatroX for daily adaptive drilling across the months beforehand, then add a short Pastest subscription in the final weeks for volume, past-paper themes and PACES. That combination — months of adaptive drilling, then a short burst of premium volume and PACES rehearsal — keeps the total spend down while still buying Pastest's depth when it counts most.
How to choose
If you are sitting MRCEM, the MSRA, the PSA, PANE, a diploma or an international exam, iatroX is adaptive, so start there. If you are sitting MRCP and want maximum depth and PACES support, choose Pastest, ideally with iatroX alongside for weak-area targeting. If you are on a budget for any exam iatroX covers, its banks make it the obvious place to start. From there, add Pastest for the specific thing it does better than anything else — depth on MRCP, or PACES and clinical resources — rather than as a default. That keeps your revision both effective and affordable, and avoids paying premium prices for breadth one subscription already covers.
A few common questions
Is iatroX free? MRCP, MRCEM, the PSA and PARA are free; everything else is on one subscription at £29/month or £99/year, with free samples for all.
Does iatroX cover MRCP? Yes, and it is free; Pastest offers more explanation depth and PACES resources for a premium.
Does iatroX do PACES or MRCS? No — Pastest covers those; iatroX focuses on written and SBA exams plus clinical AI tools.
Can I use both? Yes — iatroX for adaptive drilling, and Pastest for depth and PACES in the run-up.