Category: Student & Physician Success|Study Skills & Memory

Medical Board Review and Q-banks: Best of the Best See our 2021 Qbank update at FindARotation!The age-old question: “Which medical boards Q-bank is the BEST?”Though a simple question, the answer is not so cut and dry. Much of the differences depend on what exactly you are looking for, and how much you want to spend. This, in part, greatly depends on the amount of time you will require access to the Q-bank and when you wish to set a test date.There are numerous valuable resources out there. Some have been around for many years, and some are up-and-comers trying to make a name for themselves in this competitive medical education material market. No matter which you choose, cost and platform are likely to be two very important benchmarks.For simplicity, let us review the Big 3 q-banks: Kaplan, UWorld, and Amboss. Below is a summarized chart of their offerings and prices as of May, 2018:[table id=1 /][table id=1 /]Kaplan Board ReviewPros: The Kaplan Q-bank has a robust variety of study material and payment options to suit almost any need at any stage of education. They have been around for many years and are generally trusted for reliability and knowledge about exam needs. They offer many extras not offered by other organizations. Their biggest difference is the online and in-person review courses they offer…for a hefty price.Cons: Despite their stamina, they have never quite gathered the reputation of UWorld Q-bank. Their reputation for question type and answer choices has made them less favorable to some. They are also great at nickel and diming students at every turn, and their lecture series have been known to miss much high-yield material. The Diagnostic Test and Simulated Exam scores have questionable relevance to actual board exams.UWorld Board ReviewPros: The UWorld Q-bank is the largest, most renown, and is the closest similarity to the actual USMLE according to most students. You can pick and choose many payment durations for different material so you are not paying for more than you need.Cons: On the flip side, the lack of comprehensive packages makes it a little more difficult to get an all-in-one set of everything you need for the duration you need. All of the comprehensive payment choices are a bit pricey unless getting the longest subscription option. The Simulated Exams have a history of giving a false-sense of confidence as well, often predicting 10-30 points higher than students actually receive on their boards (according to many forums).Amboss Board ReviewPros: Though newer to the playing field, the Amboss Q-bank is quite extensive for Step 2 CK material and has great reviews for their Step 2 CS cases. Personally, I love the membership payment plan; especially lifetime membership. Not having to worry about guessing how long you will need a product or if you will have to buy new material as it comes out is a giant weight off a medical student’s shoulders and lessens Decision Fatigue! Their set-up is great and offers many unique study training methods within the Q-bank.Cons: Since they began with Step 2 CK material, so the Step 1 & 3 Q-banks are not yet robust. It may be another year or two before they can adequately compete with the “complete package” of Step 1-3 material that their competitors have.The Winner is…It’s never a bad idea to see what other students are using and recommending on medical student forums, but always make your own choice. The key here is to find what works best FOR YOU! And as there is no proper randomized-control trial that can be set up for this type of task, all you can base if on is anecdote and your personal preferences. There are many variations in each q-bank, but if I had to declare one a “winner” it would be Amboss for Step 2 material. However, for Step 1 the UWorld Q-bank is still top dog for now.Quite simply, medical students get the shaft too often with exorbitant expenses on top of a ridiculous tuition rate and ever-increasing interest rates. This is why Amboss stands out to me as a great marketing model. Their content and Q-bank is comparable in many aspects to the UWorld Q-bank, but I do like their layout a bit more too. The Q-bank aesthetic is clean and the Attending Hints, Highlighting, and Library features are really useful for someone struggling to decipher which key words in the vignette are most important to concentrate on.The Student Lifetime membership makes this one the most affordable by a long shot at only $765, which includes all current and future material. Though more limited on content right now for Step 1, they are constantly adding to the q-bank and editing the medical content. I’m not sure how long the lifetime membership may be available for this price, so it is definitely worth checking out. Otherwise you would have to pay several hundred to several thousand more for Kaplan or UWorld Q-banks if you factor in 4 years of medical school, plus whatever time you will need for Step 3 and specialty board exams.More OptionsSome other big names in medical board review material include: BoardVitals, URx, Firecracker , and USMLE Easy. Many of these have a strong following as well, but without personal experience with them I don't want to fain experience where there is none. Hopefully, your school has subscribed to at least one of the above board review services already for you to test out. Luckily, they all offer trials so you can test them out and see which q-bank works best for you. You may prefer a style that others, including myself, don't put as our top choices. Whatever keeps you studying is the best choice! Final NoteHopefully this gives you a starting point. And hopefully you have enough time to try a few free trials out first and see what works best for you. Start EARLY in your medical academic career and be diligent. Doing a little bit everyday is INFINITELY better than attempting to cram a few times throughout the year. Preparation is your best weapon for the boards.If you have experience with these or any other Q-bank, please feel free to comment below. Good or bad experiences, your thoughts may help to guide other students. Also, join our social media pages to keep up to date with new material releases or just to say "Hi!"As of the time of this publishing, I report no conflicts of interest and have received no payment or compensation from any companies listed above for this review.