it asks before it answers
Instead of handing you an explanation, the tutor opens with a targeted question about the exact item you just answered. You retrieve first — which is what actually builds memory.
the iatroX socratic tutor
tutoring that builds clinical
reasoning — not just explanations
An AI tutor built into your quiz sessions that asks before it answers. It works through the exact question you're sitting, names the specific misconception behind your mistake, and grounds the concept in the latest validated sources for that exact exam — so you build durable reasoning instead of fluent forgetting.
socratic-first validated per exam built on learning science
what it is
a clinical tutor that diagnoses how you think
The iatroX Socratic tutor is an AI tutor inside your quiz sessions. After you answer a question, it asks you targeted questions, isolates the precise misconception behind your mistake, and then teaches the concept grounded in the validated sources for that specific exam. It is calibrated to your exam, and it turns every session into spaced retrieval practice. The point is not a better explanation — it is durable clinical reasoning that survives to exam day and the ward.
the trap most AI tutors fall into
explanation on demand feels like learning. it isn't.
When an AI explains the moment you ask, you read a fluent answer, feel smarter, and forget it by next week. Fluency is mistaken for mastery. The cognitive science is blunt about this: passively re-reading or being handed the answer inflates confidence without building durable memory, while retrieving the answer yourself produces far stronger long-term retention — the testing effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2008). The effort that makes learning feel slower is the same effort that makes it stick (Bjork's desirable difficulty).
A tutor that simply explains can leave you worse prepared while feeling better prepared — the most dangerous combination before an exam. The iatroX tutor is built the other way round: it withholds the answer, makes you retrieve, diagnoses the gap, then teaches. Socratic-first is the default, deliberately — because that is the version the evidence says actually works.
the socratic loop
four moves, on every question you get wrong
The tutor runs the same evidence-based loop each time, anchored to the exact item you just answered. Retrieve first, diagnose the specific gap, ground it in the right sources, then lock it in with spaced practice.
it names your specific misconception
From your reasoning it isolates the precise gap — the rule you misapplied, the discriminator you missed — rather than re-teaching the whole topic. The feedback is about your error, not the textbook.
it grounds the answer in the right sources for your exam
Once the gap is clear, it grounds the teaching in the latest validated sources for that exact exam — UK guidance for UK exams, the relevant national and specialty sources for everything else — so what you learn matches what your exam expects.
it converts the session into retrieval practice
The conversation becomes Anki cards automatically, and surfaces related questions, so the gap you just closed gets revisited on a spaced schedule instead of fading by next week.
how it compares
iatroX tutor vs ChatGPT, Pastest tutor and Osmosis
Each tool does something useful. Only one is question-specific, Socratic-first and grounded in the validated sources for your exam.
| capability | iatroX tutor | ChatGPT | Pastest tutor | Osmosis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| asks you first, then teaches (Socratic) | yes | explains on demand | Q&A on request | content + video |
| bound to the exact question you're sitting | yes | you paste context | per-question notes | no |
| diagnoses your specific misconception | yes | no | no | no |
| grounded in validated, exam-specific sources | yes | ungrounded, US-leaning | UK content | US-oriented |
| calibrated to your specific exam | yes | no | by question bank | no |
| builds spaced retrieval practice in | yes | no | partial | no |
| auto-generates Anki cards from the session | yes | no | no | no |
Comparison reflects each platform's primary tutoring behaviour at the time of writing. ChatGPT, Pastest and Osmosis are trademarks of their respective owners.
questions
what people ask about the tutor
what is the iatroX Socratic tutor?
It's an AI tutor built into iatroX quiz sessions that uses the Socratic method: after you answer a question it asks you targeted questions, identifies the specific misconception behind your mistake, then teaches the concept grounded in the latest validated sources for that specific exam. It is designed to build durable clinical reasoning, not just hand you an explanation.
is this an AI tutor for medical exams?
Yes — it covers UK and international medical and dental exams, from UKMLA, PLAB and MRCGP AKT through MRCP, the SCEs, UK diplomas and international boards. But unlike a generic AI tutor, it is question-specific, Socratic-first, and grounded in the validated sources for each exam.
how is it different from using ChatGPT to revise?
ChatGPT explains anything you ask, beautifully — but explanation on demand makes you feel like you're learning while you actually forget faster. The iatroX tutor withholds the answer, makes you retrieve first, diagnoses your specific gap, and grounds the teaching in the validated sources for that exact exam rather than generic prose.
does Socratic tutoring actually improve exam performance?
The design is built on established cognitive science. Retrieving an answer from memory produces substantially stronger long-term retention than re-reading or being given the explanation — the testing effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2008). Effortful, spaced retrieval feels slower but is precisely what makes learning stick (Bjork's desirable difficulty). The tutor is engineered around these principles.
where does the tutor live?
Inside your quiz sessions. After you answer a question, you can open the tutor on that exact item and work through it — so the teaching is always anchored to what you're actually being tested on.
how much does it cost?
The Socratic tutor is part of iatroX Pro: £29/month or £99/year (around £8.25/month, saving 72%). Core UK exams and Ask iatroX are free; Pro unlocks the tutor and the full specialist and international question banks. Cancel any time.
get started
stop revising fluently and forgetting. start reasoning.
£99/yearor £29/month
core UK exams and Ask iatroX are free — Pro unlocks the Socratic tutor and the full specialist & international question banks.