In one sentence
When UK final-year medical students prepared for the new national licensing exam, they leaned heavily on third-party tools such as PassMedicine and Anki — spending roughly 80% of study time outside school materials — while ChatGPT appeared as an emerging helper for explanations.
What the researchers did
The UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) became mandatory for graduating students in 2024/25. Sadiq and colleagues at Kent and Medway Medical School surveyed Year 5 students after the knowledge test (AKT) and before the clinical skills component (CPSA).
Of 64 students in the cohort, 31 responded (about 48%). The online survey mixed Likert scales, multiple-choice items, and open text. Researchers ranked resources by weighted scores based on how often students reported using them.
What they found
- PassMedicine had the highest weighted use score (121) for AKT preparation.
- Other common AKT tools included Anki, Geeky Medics, and Zero to Finals.
- On average, students spent about 80% of preparation time on external resources rather than in-house materials.
- School-provided materials were used more often for CPSA (clinical skills) than for AKT.
- ChatGPT was reported for explanations and personalised support.
- Age and gender linked to some choices: older students more often used Essential Primary Care and Pastest; female students reported more internet-based resources; younger students favoured Geeky Medics flashcards.
What this means for learners and educators
- Licensing prep is increasingly a stack of commercial and peer-built tools, not only the official curriculum — students who cannot afford subscriptions may face an equity gap.
- Anki sits alongside question banks as a default recall strategy for high-volume factual exams; deck quality and sustainability still matter.
- Schools may need to curate or subsidise a short list of vetted third-party resources rather than assuming students will rely on lecture notes alone.
- AI chat tools are entering the mix for on-demand explanations — worth discussing responsible use, not pretending they are absent.
Limitations and what we don't know yet
This is a single school, small sample, and self-reported resource use — not objective time tracking or exam scores tied to each tool.
Response rate was under half the class, so heavy users or struggling students may be over- or under-represented.
The study describes what students used, not which combinations predict UKMLA pass rates — that remains an open question for follow-up research.