Question Banks are one of the  the most effective ways to study the large amounts of information that you will be faced with as medical student. It is important to understand what to look for when choosing which question bank you will use for your medical studies. This article provides 7 things you should look for when shopping for a quality question bank as a medical student.

1. How well can I filter topics

Sometimes when you’re studying there might be one topic in particular that you are having trouble with and so you decide to do practice questions on just that one topic. Not all question banks allow you to filter through and find questions however. Some question Banks for instance only allow you to select questions based on subjects and systems. An example of a question bank which does this is Lecturio. As you can see in the image below your an only select questions based on Subjects and Systems. Question Banks such as these I believe are only beneficial after you have gone through and learned all the material so you want to review the system as a whole.

2.   How much does it cost

Most question banks range anywhere from $100.00-$300.00 and normally grant user access from either 1 month, 3 month, 6 month  or 12 month access. Normally the 12 month access is the most expensive while the month or 3 month options will be the cheapest. 

3. Does it include Step 1 and Step 2 questions?

 Some question banks will have one set of questions that are solely dedicated to step 1 prep, and then have another sold separately question bank dedicated only to step 2 prep. Question banks in which both step 1 and step 2 questions are included are great from a financial standpoint because you end up spending less money for a product that you otherwise would have had to spend money on. Some examples of question Banks which have both step 2 and Step 1 questions included as part of one package include

• Amboss
• Lecturio
• Osmosis
• Picmonic

Question Banks in which you have to purchase Step 1 and Step 2 questions separately include

• Statpearls
• USMLE Rx
• Online Med Ed
• Kaplan
• Boards and Beyond
• Truelearn

Even though you may be getting a cheaper option by selecting a question bank which includes both Step 1 and Step 2 questions, It is actually better to purchase Step 1 and Step 2 material questions separately because the question quality will be higher, and often times there are a larger number of questions in general

4.  Does the question bank track performance and save where you last left off: 

One feature that students should look for is whether or not a question bank tracks your performance over time compared to others. This is  an important way to make sure you are able to evaluate how you are doing and whether not you need to change your approach. For example after each session, Amboss tells you how you are doing in comparison to other individuals for whatever study goal that you set for yourself.

5. How are the questions formatted

In general most question banks are written in multiple choice format. However not all question banks will necessarily mirror the questioning format of USMLE style board exams. For example, question Banks such as Anatomy Bootcamp feature basic Identification questions and application questions. While both of these types of questions are written in a multiple choice format, the questions from Anatomy Bootcamp are not actually clinical vignettes. They are mostly one or two sentences asking you to identify a tagged structure or memorize some kind of innervation, venous drainage, or blood supply.  The following image is an example which is from the free trial of Anatomy Bootcamp.

6. Which Subjects are contained in the question banks?

Some question banks such as Anatomy Bootcamp, and Kenhub contain questions which are specific tot the subject of Anatomy. Other question banks such Teach Me Anatomy contai questions which are only specific to Physiology. It is important to identify which subject you specifically need practice with and pick a question bank accordingly. Additionally if your goal is board prep, or perhaps just a question bank to assist with all your classes, then you will want to go with a question bank such as Amboss or statpearls which contains questions for each organ system covering all topics such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, histology, pathology, and the clinical sciences. 

7. Level of Difficulty

In terms of difficulty not all question banks are created equal. For example questions from USMLE Rx though written in USMLE style format are not necessarily the most challenging. Often times it tests you ability to basically just identify. Other questions banks such as Amboss and Boards and beyond require more thinking and a more of an ability to apply knowledge rather than rote memorization which makes these question banks much harder. Another slightly nuanced aspect of question bank difficulty is how many multiple choice options are there per question. It is no secret that the more options a multiple choice question will have the more difficult it becomes to correctly answer the question. Two question banks that come to mind as the leaders in this category are Amboss and Boards and Beyond as these banks routinely throw in 8 or 9 option question stems.

Which Question Bank Should you use?

There are many features that will come into play when deciding on which question bank to choose. Ultimately the correct decision will come down to personal factors, such as which subjects you struggle with the most, as well as your budget. To see which question banks I believe are the best you can read this post here.