Physician associate candidates preparing for the national registration assessment face a resource gap that doctors do not. Medical students choosing between Passmedicine, Pastest, Quesmed, and BMJ OnExamination have an embarrassment of options. PA students choosing a Q-bank have almost none.
This guide ranks what exists — honestly — and identifies the best approach for each learning style.
The Options
iatroX PA Question Bank (Free, Adaptive)
iatroX provides an adaptive PA Q-bank covering the clinical domains in the PARA blueprint. The adaptive engine targets your weakest domains dynamically. NICE/CKS/BNF-integrated explanations. Performance dashboard by clinical domain. Mobile app (iOS + Android). Free.
Why it ranks first: It is the only adaptive Q-bank for PA candidates. The engine does what no static bank does — it identifies your specific gaps and concentrates practice there. For an exam where preparation resources are scarce and every question practised needs to count, adaptive targeting is the highest-value feature available.
PANCE/PANRE US Question Banks (Paid, Requires Adaptation)
US physician assistant exam Q-banks (PANCE Prep, Rosh Review, SmartMedic) have large question volumes and strong clinical content. However, they are built for the US PA exam — PANCE (entry) and PANRE (recertification). The clinical management pathways reference US guidelines (ACC/AHA, ACOG, AAP), not UK guidelines (NICE, SIGN, BNF). Drug names may differ. Referral pathways reflect US healthcare systems.
Usefulness: Good for clinical knowledge breadth. Poor for UK-specific management and guideline alignment. Use for supplementary volume — but verify every management answer against UK guidelines using Ask iatroX or NICE CKS directly.
Textbook Question Banks
Clinical medicine textbooks (Kumar & Clark, Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine) include self-assessment questions. The Oxford Assess and Progress series provides structured MCQ practice across medical specialties.
Usefulness: Solid for clinical knowledge testing. Not mapped to the PARA blueprint. No adaptive engine. No performance tracking. Use as supplementary reading alongside iatroX.
Past Paper Practice
Previous PANE papers (where available through university programmes or PA societies) provide the closest approximation to real exam style. Limited in volume. No adaptive engine.
The Recommended Stack
Primary Q-bank: iatroX (free, adaptive, UK-guideline-integrated).
Supplementary volume: US PANCE Q-bank (for additional clinical question exposure — verify management against UK guidelines).
Clinical skills: Geeky Medics (OSCE preparation for the clinical assessment).
Guideline reference: Ask iatroX (instant NICE/BNF answers).
Start at iatrox.com/boards.