Quick answer: there are several question banks for the MRCEM SBA (also called the MRCEM Intermediate SBA), and they differ mainly in size, price and what comes with the questions. As of October 2026, the providers’ own websites list anything from about 1,000 to more than 10,000 questions, and prices range from free to around £35 a month, with multi-month plans usually working out cheaper. No single bank is best for everyone: the right choice depends on your budget, how long you have, and whether you want notes, mock papers or adaptive practice alongside the questions.
A note on fairness: this comparison is written by MRCEM Pass, and we are one of the providers listed. To keep it fair, every figure below is taken from each provider’s own website, checked on 6 October 2026. We have not tested the other question banks ourselves, so we do not comment on the quality of their questions. Prices and features change, so always confirm on the provider’s site before you subscribe.
MRCEM SBA question banks at a glance
| Provider | SBA questions | Mock exams | Price | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRCEM Pass | Over 2,200 across 29 topics | 6 full mock test papers (3 mock tests, each with Paper 1 and Paper 2) | Web app: £24.99 per month. Premium membership with courses and mind maps: £34.99 per month, or £69.99 for 3 months | Free app plan with 50 questions and one mock paper; 20 sample questions on the website |
| MRCEM Success | Over 1,800 | Unlimited, generated randomly from the bank | £30 for 1 month, rising to £80 for 6 months | Free trial |
| Pastest | 1,500 | Exam-style practice with past papers | £39.99 for 3 months, £59.99 for 6 months, £79.99 for 12 months | Free trial |
| FRCEMtutor | Over 1,400 | Unlimited timed tests with adjustable length | £20 for 2 months, £25 for 3 months, £30 for 4 months, £35 for 6 months | Demo |
| ReviseMRCEM | 8,500+ across Primary and Intermediate combined (SBA-only figure not listed) | Timed mock papers | £25 for 1 month, £45 for 3 months, £55 for 6 months | 15 free questions |
| EM Learning Centre | 10,675 MCQs listed for its MRCEM SBA course | Timed mocks; unlimited in Exam mode | Exam mode from £12.99 for 30 days; Learning mode from £19.99 for 30 days | 10 sample questions per course |
| MRCEM Expert | Not published | Mock tests | US$149–$249, valid to a set exam date | Demo |
| iatroX | 1,000+ | Mock exam mode | Free | The whole bank is free |
Question counts are not directly comparable. Providers count in different ways, and a larger bank is not automatically a better one. What matters more is how closely the questions match the exam and how well the explanations teach.
The providers in more detail
MRCEM Pass
MRCEM Pass focuses only on the MRCEM SBA, and offers two ways to subscribe.
The MRCEM Pass web app (app.mrcempass.com) is for candidates who want questions and mock tests only:
- Over 2,200 SBA questions across 29 emergency medicine topics, and 6 full mock test papers.
- Tutor, timed and untimed modes.
- Progress tracking, a topic weakness analyser and a leaderboard.
- Works offline and across devices.
The Pro plan costs £24.99 per month. A free plan includes 50 Resuscitation questions and Mock Test 1, Paper 1.
Premium membership on this website adds teaching material to the question banks and mock tests:
- Courses covering the RCEM curriculum, plus mind maps for quick revision.
- A community for doctors preparing for the exam.
Premium membership costs £34.99 per month, or £69.99 for 3 months as a one-off payment with no auto-renewal. The 3-month plan includes two bonus eBooks, Paediatric Emergencies and High-Yield Numbers and Facts (worth £34.98). A free Basic membership includes 20 sample SBA questions and the first lesson of every course. The web app and Premium membership are separate subscriptions.
Worth knowing: MRCEM Pass does not cover the MRCEM Primary or OSCE,.
MRCEM Success
MRCEM Success covers the MRCEM Primary and the Intermediate SBA. For the SBA, its website lists:
- Over 1,800 original single best answer questions.
- Unlimited mock exams generated randomly from the question bank.
- Revision notes, performance tracking and question flagging.
- Access on mobile and tablet devices.
Subscriptions run from £30 for one month to £80 for six months, and a free trial is available.
Pastest
Pastest is a long-established provider of revision resources for many UK medical exams. For the MRCEM Intermediate SBA, its website lists:
- 1,500 exam-style SBA questions with explanations mapped to the syllabus.
- Performance insights to track progress by topic.
- An AI tutor mode and a searchable textbook.
- Desktop and mobile access.
Pastest lists prices of £39.99 for 3 months, £59.99 for 6 months and £79.99 for 12 months, with a free trial.
FRCEMtutor
FRCEMtutor covers the MRCEM Primary and the MRCEM Intermediate SBA. For the SBA, its website lists:
- Over 1,400 SBA questions.
- Illustrated teaching notes and a customisable textbook with personal annotations.
- Unlimited timed tests with adjustable question numbers and time limits.
- Performance tracking with comparison against other users.
MRCEM Intermediate subscriptions are listed at £20 for 2 months, £25 for 3 months, £30 for 4 months and £35 for 6 months. A demo is available.
ReviseMRCEM
ReviseMRCEM covers the MRCEM Primary, Intermediate and OSCE, and also offers an FRCEM SBA bank. For the MRCEM question bank, its website lists:
- 8,500+ SBA questions across the MRCEM Primary and Intermediate combined. We could not find a separate figure for the Intermediate SBA alone.
- Timed mock papers, detailed explanations and performance analytics.
- Spaced repetition and weak-area detection.
- A clinical image bank of X-rays, CT scans, ECGs and clinical photographs.
MRCEM Intermediate access is listed at £25 for 1 month, £45 for 3 months and £55 for 6 months. You can try 15 questions free, and the site states a 7-day money-back guarantee.
EM Learning Centre
EM Learning Centre offers courses for the MRCEM Primary, MRCEM SBA and MRCEM OSCE, as well as the FRCEM SBA and OSCE. For the MRCEM SBA, its website lists:
- 10,675 MCQs for the MRCEM SBA course, the largest stated figure of the providers here.
- Two plan types: Exam mode (the exam question bank and timed mocks) and Learning mode (all lessons as well as the questions and assessments).
- Performance analytics, and 10 free sample questions per course without signing up.
Exam mode is listed at £12.99 for 30 days, £29.99 for 90 days and £49.99 for 180 days. Learning mode is listed at £19.99 for 30 days, £49.99 for 90 days and £79.99 for 180 days. These are one-off payments, and each plan covers one course.
MRCEM Expert
MRCEM Expert covers the MRCEM Primary and the Intermediate SBA. For the SBA, its website lists rapid revision notes, video tutorials, quizzes, mock tests and updated guidelines and algorithms. It does not publish the size of its question bank.
Its SBA plans are priced in US dollars and run until a set exam date: US$149 or US$199 for access until 13 January 2027, and US$249 for access until 2 June 2027. A demo is available.
iatroX
iatroX offers question banks for a range of medical exams. For the MRCEM SBA, its website lists:
- A bank of 1,000+ questions mapped to the RCEM 2021 curriculum.
- Adaptive sequencing that brings up weaker topics first, with spaced repetition.
- A mock exam mode and a performance dashboard.
iatroX states that its MRCEM SBA bank is free, with no subscription required. Some AI tutoring features need a paid subscription.
How to choose
Rather than looking for the “best” question bank, ask which one fits your situation:
- How long do you have? If you are revising over several months, compare the total cost over that period, not the headline monthly price. Longer subscriptions often work out cheaper per month.
- Do you want more than questions? Some providers bundle notes, courses, mind maps or a textbook. If you already have a preferred textbook, a questions-only bank may be enough.
- How do you want to sit mock exams? Fixed mock papers let you rehearse a full exam under timed conditions. Randomly generated mocks give you unlimited practice but repeat questions you may have already seen.
- Which exams do you need? If you still have the Primary to sit, a provider that covers both may suit you. If you only need the SBA, a focused resource may be simpler.
- Try before you pay. Every provider listed here offers free questions, a demo or a trial. Do 20 or so questions on each and judge the explanations for yourself.
Is one question bank enough?
For most candidates, one bank done thoroughly is better than two done superficially. The MRCEM SBA has 180 questions across two papers, and the candidates who do well tend to be those who review every explanation, including for the questions they got right. If you finish your main bank with time to spare, a second source, such as a free bank, can show you the same topics asked in a different style.
Whichever bank you use, check your coverage against the RCEM curriculum, and use current UK guidance (NICE, RCEM, Resuscitation Council UK and TOXBASE) as your reference when an explanation is unclear.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should I do before the MRCEM SBA?
There is no official number. Completing one full question bank and reviewing the explanations carefully, followed by timed mock papers, is a reasonable minimum for most candidates.
Is there a free MRCEM SBA question bank?
Yes. iatroX states that its MRCEM SBA bank is free, and other providers, including MRCEM Pass, offer free sample questions or trials.
Is a bigger question bank better?
Not necessarily. Providers count questions differently, and the quality of the explanations and how closely the questions match the exam matter more than the total.
Are these question banks official RCEM resources?
No. They are independent revision resources. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine publishes the curriculum, exam regulations and sample questions on its own website.
Next steps
If you would like to see how our questions and explanations compare, try our 20 free MRCEM SBA sample questions, start the free plan on the MRCEM Pass web app, or read about the MRCEM Pass question bank. For planning your revision, see our 12-week revision plan and the MRCEM SBA exam format guide.
Figures are taken from each provider’s own website and were checked on 6 October 2026. MRCEM Pass is not affiliated with any other provider listed. If you represent a provider and a detail here is out of date, please contact us and we will correct it.