Pastest's MRCP Membership is not always cheaper than buying separate subscriptions. At prices checked on 6 September 2026, three short subscriptions cost less, while longer access across all three examinations can make membership cheaper. The deciding variables are the resources you will actually use, their durations and whether your plans fit within the membership term.
Start with the published prices
Pastest's MRCP Membership, checked on 6 September 2026, costs £459.99 upfront for five years of access to its medical-school and MRCP Part 1, Part 2 and PACES resources. Do not assume that separately advertised in-person courses are included.
The same date's Part 1, Part 2 and PACES pages support this comparison:
| Access period | Part 1 | Part 2 | PACES | Combined separate cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three months each | £99.99 | £99.99 | £179.99 | £379.97 |
| Six months each | £149.99 | £149.99 | £249.99 | £549.97 |
| Twelve months each | £199.99 | £199.99 | £299.99 | £699.97 |
These are calculations from advertised prices, not a prediction of how long any candidate needs. This article is published by iatroX and includes its learning subscription when considering alternative preparation arrangements.
The useful calculator is a timeline
For separate purchases, add the actual subscriptions needed for Part 1, Part 2 and PACES, plus any additional access you expect to buy. Compare that total with £459.99. Then check that the membership covers the intended calendar, not just the total number of months.
A period away from revision has different implications for each option. With separate subscriptions, a candidate can wait before making the next purchase. Within a fixed membership term, a break still occupies calendar time. Confirm the membership's start and expiry arrangements before treating five years as five years of active study.
Also distinguish a planned resit allowance from a resit prediction. A candidate may sensibly consider the cost of needing more access without assuming failure or accepting a provider's guarantee as evidence of likely success.
Scenario one: three tightly focused purchases
Imagine a fictional candidate who can prepare each examination with three months of the relevant online resource and wants no access outside those periods. Separate purchases total £379.97, which is £80.02 less than membership, calculated from the prices checked on 6 September 2026.
Membership might still offer convenience or additional material the candidate values, but it is not the cheaper route on that narrow plan. It would be misleading to justify the higher payment by counting medical-school resources the candidate will never open.
This candidate should also consider cash flow. Paying smaller amounts near each stage differs from committing the entire membership fee early, even when a longer-term calculation favours a bundle.
Scenario two: a longer, continuous preparation pathway
A fictional candidate who wants six months of access for each component would pay £549.97 separately at the same published prices. Membership is £89.98 cheaper if all the required use falls within its term.
For twelve months of each resource, the separate total becomes £699.97 and the difference is £239.98. Again, the saving applies to the assumed purchases, not to every MRCP candidate. It disappears if the person would actually buy shorter subscriptions or use different providers for some stages.
Do not turn the five-year term into a claim that the candidate is receiving five equally valuable years. The relevant question is whether the resources remain useful during the periods when that person needs them.
Scenario three: a short plan with additional access
Start with the three-month total of £379.97. Add one further three-month Part 1 subscription at the checked price of £99.99 and the separate-purchase total becomes £479.96. Membership would be £19.97 cheaper under those assumptions.
This example uses another new subscription at the advertised price, not an unverified renewal discount or an assumed pass-guarantee extension. Any special offer should be included only after checking its actual terms.
A different candidate might need more PACES access rather than another written bank. Recalculate with that product's cost instead of relying on a universal break-even rule. The mix matters because the three resources have different prices.
Existing access changes the answer
Before calculating, check what you already own through a university, employer, previous purchase or membership. A bundle can look inexpensive when compared with buying everything again, but that is not the right counterfactual for someone with valid access already.
Also identify whether you prefer the same provider across the entire pathway. You might favour one written bank, another set of clinical demonstrations and local bedside teaching. A large discount on a package is not a saving when it causes you to purchase preferred alternatives as well.
Use a simple decision note: what would I buy without this membership, when would I buy it, and what would it cost? That written baseline makes marketing comparisons easier to assess.
How iatroX changes the comparison
Under iatroX's September 2026 product information, free question access remains available without trial expiry or professional verification. Its paid subscription is £99 annually upfront, equivalent to £8.25 monthly billed annually, or £29 monthly, combining question banks, Socratic Tutor, planning, simulations and CPD.
That is a different package and duration from Pastest's five-year membership. It should not be represented as an identical product at a lower price. A learner seeking Pastest's specific written resources and PACES videos may reasonably choose membership. A learner seeking guided reasoning and simulation for the examination currently being prepared may prefer an annual integrated learning plan.
The relevant value is several useful methods serving one professional goal. Access to unrelated examinations should not be added to the savings calculation merely to make a subscription appear larger.
The verdict depends on your actual purchases
Separate subscriptions are cheaper in the worked short-access scenario. Membership becomes cheaper in the longer-access scenarios or some additional-purchase scenarios, provided the timing and included resources fit. Choose flexibility when your pathway or preferred providers remain uncertain; choose the bundle when the purchases it replaces are real and sufficiently predictable.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pastest MRCP Membership always cheaper?
No, the three short subscriptions in the worked example total £379.97 against membership at £459.99, using prices checked on 6 September 2026. Longer access changes the comparison.
Does a five-year membership include the in-person PACES course?
The membership description reviewed here does not establish that inclusion. Confirm any separately advertised course entitlement directly rather than assuming it is bundled.
Should I include possible resits in my calculation?
It is reasonable to calculate an additional-access scenario, but label it as an assumption. Do not treat a resit as inevitable or invent a renewal price or extension entitlement.