Top USMLE Step 2 CK Question Banks: A Full Comparison

This guide is the Step 2 CK-only, deep-dive version of our general USMLE question bank comparison. Same verified prices and question counts, but with a full breakdown of each bank specifically for Step 2 CK: strengths, drawbacks, exactly which plan to buy, and how each one fits around clerkship year.

Step 2 CK question banks compared

Step 2 CK still returns a three-digit score, unlike Step 1, so self-assessments and score prediction carry more weight in choosing a bank here than they do for Step 1. MedPrep also offers a dedicated Step 2 CK question bank.

UWorld: the default choice for a reason

UWorld’s 4,250+ question Step 2 CK bank is the default choice for most students moving through clerkship year, for the same reason it leads Step 1: large volume, official self-assessments, and explanations written in the same clinical-vignette voice as the real exam.

Strengths for Step 2 CK

• 4,250+ questions, the largest confirmed pre-written Step 2 CK bank in this comparison.
• Official self-assessments on longer plans, the closest thing to a real predictor of your Step 2 CK score, which matters more here since Step 2 CK is still numerically scored.
• Clinical management vignettes that mirror the real exam’s format and reasoning style.
• An optional QBank Plus tier that adds medical videos for an extra $99.

Drawbacks for Step 2 CK

• The highest prices among banks with published pricing: $459 for 90 days, against AMBOSS’s $378 for six months.
• The 30-day plan includes zero self-assessments.
• No confirmed free trial on the official page we checked.

Which plan to buy for Step 2 CK

The same logic as Step 1 applies: UWorld sells extra self-assessment forms separately for $50 each with two weeks of access. A 30-day plan ($349) plus one form ($50) comes to $399, close to the 90-day plan’s $459 but with 60 fewer days of access. Since Step 2 CK self-assessments matter more for gauging your actual score, most students on a standard dedicated period find the 90-day plan the better value for the built-in form alone.

AMBOSS: a library and score predictor built in

AMBOSS bundles its Step 2 CK questions with the same clinical library, study plans and score predictor it offers for Step 1, which is useful since clerkship year is when you are learning clinical medicine and answering questions about it at the same time.

Strengths for Step 2 CK

• 5,800+ Step questions across the whole Qbank, the largest published count here.
• A library you can jump into from a missed question without leaving the app, useful mid-clerkship.
• A score predictor included on every plan.
• A confirmed 5-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee on direct purchases.

Drawbacks for Step 2 CK

• The published question count covers the whole Qbank, not a Step 2 CK-specific figure.
• No official self-assessment forms confirmed on the page we checked, unlike UWorld.

Which plan to buy for Step 2 CK

The 6-month plan ($378) fits a typical run from mid-clerkships through a Step 2 CK dedicated period. If you are also carrying Step 1 progress in AMBOSS, the Student Life plan ($1,199, through the end of PGY-1) can be cheaper per month than renewing annually, but only if you will keep using it that long.

TrueLearn: shelf exam practice in the same bank

TrueLearn covers Step 2 CK and shelf exams in the same 4,100+ question bank, which is its main advantage during clerkship year, when shelf exams and Step 2 CK prep overlap heavily.

Strengths for Step 2 CK

• 4,100+ combined Step 2 CK and shelf exam questions in one subscription.
• A first-time pass guarantee listed on its page.
• Performance analytics with national benchmarking.
• A Step 1 + Step 2 CK Mastery Bundle (365 days each) at $999, useful if you want both exams covered in one purchase.

Drawbacks for Step 2 CK

Which plan to buy for Step 2 CK

If you are doing Step 1 and Step 2 CK back to back, the $999 Mastery Bundle is worth pricing against buying two separate single-exam plans at whatever Step 2 CK is currently charging. If you only need Step 2 CK, confirm the standalone price on TrueLearn’s site first.

BoardVitals: details we could not confirm

We could not load a Step 2 CK product page on BoardVitals’ site to confirm details, so unlike our Step 1 and Step 3 deep dives, we have nothing verified to report for BoardVitals here.

Lecturio: not confirmed as a dedicated Step 2 CK bank

Lecturio pairs a question bank with a full video library for Step 1, but its page did not confirm a dedicated Step 2 CK product in the same way.

What we could confirm

• A 7-day free trial is listed on Lecturio’s site generally.
• Its question counts and pricing for Step 2 CK specifically were not confirmed on the page we checked.

If Step 2 CK coverage matters to you, verify directly with Lecturio before subscribing, since we found stronger, directly confirmed Step 2 CK offerings from UWorld, AMBOSS and TrueLearn.

USMLE-Rx: one plan that covers Step 1 and Step 2 CK

USMLE-Rx’s Qmax covers Step 1 and Step 2 CK in the same 12-month, $299 plan, with explanations tied to First Aid page numbers, which is most useful if First Aid is already part of your review for both exams.

Strengths for Step 2 CK

• 5,000+ questions shared across Step 1 and Step 2 CK in one plan.
• Three self-assessments included.
• A 5-day free trial with no card required.

Drawbacks for Step 2 CK

• Only one plan length (12 months) is published, with no shorter option for a compressed Step 2 CK-only timeline.
• Less useful if you are not already using First Aid as a reference during clerkships.

Which plan to buy for Step 2 CK

There is only one published plan. It makes the most sense as a single purchase if you start it early enough in Step 1 prep that the same 12 months still covers your Step 2 CK dedicated period later.

Kaplan Qbank

Kaplan sells a Step 2 CK Qbank with free sample questions, marketed around UpToDate-style clinical content. Its pricing pages returned an access error every time we tried to load them directly, so we are not repeating a number we could not verify ourselves. Check kaptest.com directly for current pricing and question counts.

MedPrep Institute: adaptive practice (our product)

MedPrep Institute is the question bank we build. Instead of a static set of Step 2 CK vignettes you work through once, an adaptive engine flags the concept behind every question you miss and brings you variations on it through spaced repetition over the following days. If you already used MedPrep for Step 1, your progress carries over automatically.

What you get for Step 2 CK

• NBME-style clinical management vignettes across every core clerkship: internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, OB/GYN, psychiatry and family medicine.
• An adaptive engine that targets your weak rotations instead of moving on after one attempt.
• Built-in spaced repetition, so a missed concept comes back on a schedule.
• Physician-reviewed explanations.
• 5,300+ Step 2 CK question topics, each producing a full clinical vignette when you reach it.

Who it suits for Step 2 CK, and where to add something

MedPrep suits students who keep missing the same concepts across rotations and want reviews scheduled for them automatically. It does not include official-style self-assessment exams or a score predictor. Pair it with UWorld’s self-assessments or the official NBME self-assessments for that piece.

How to choose your Step 2 CK bank

• You are mid-clerkships and want shelf exam overlap: TrueLearn, since its bank explicitly covers Step 2 CK and shelf questions together.
• You are in dedicated study and want exam-style volume plus self-assessments: UWorld.
• You want to learn while you practice: AMBOSS, for the library and study plans built into every question, or MedPrep for a light daily habit with spaced repetition.
• You are using First Aid alongside clerkships: USMLE-Rx’s Qmax, which also covers Step 1 in the same plan.
• You keep missing the same concepts across rotations: add MedPrep’s adaptive review alongside your primary bank.
• You already used a bank for Step 1: AMBOSS, TrueLearn, UWorld and MedPrep all carry the same account and progress forward into Step 2 CK.

How many Step 2 CK questions should you do per day?

During clerkships, a small daily set tied to whatever rotation you are currently on works best, since it reinforces what you are seeing on the wards instead of pulling in material from a rotation you have not started. During a dedicated period, many students move to two or three full blocks a day. Because Step 2 CK still reports a three-digit score, pacing yourself against realistic block timing matters more here than it does for the now pass/fail Step 1.

When should you start a Step 2 CK question bank?

The biggest lever for Step 2 CK is starting a question bank during clerkships, not only afterward, so internal medicine questions get done during your internal medicine block, surgery during surgery, and so on. That reinforces the clinical experience and the question practice together, in a way that is difficult to replicate once clerkships end. Save official self-assessments for your final two to three weeks, when a score actually predicts where you will land.

If you have not built a full schedule yet, our Step 2 CK study guide includes a sample four-week dedicated plan you can compress or stretch to fit your timeline.

Free ways to practice Step 2 CK questions

• AMBOSS: a 5-day free trial.
• USMLE-Rx: a 5-day free trial, no card required.
• Lecturio: a 7-day free trial (Step 2 CK coverage not directly confirmed).
• Kaplan: free sample questions on their site.
• MedPrep Institute: a 7-day free trial, cancel anytime. Try 5 free Step 2 CK sample questions right now, no account needed.
• The official USMLE website: content outlines, question format guidance and the interactive testing experience.
• Your school: ask the library or student affairs office about institutional access before paying for anything.

How to get the most out of your Step 2 CK bank

1. Do questions during the matching clerkship, not only during a later dedicated period.
2. Read every explanation, including for questions you answered correctly by guessing.
3. Track misses by concept, not by question, so patterns stand out across rotations.
4. Let missed concepts come back on a schedule instead of only once. Spaced repetition does this for you automatically.
5. Move to timed, mixed blocks as your exam date gets closer, since the real exam does not tell you which clerkship a question is testing.
6. Save self-assessments for your final two to three weeks, to get an honest, timed read on where you stand.

Frequently asked questions

What is the single best question bank for USMLE Step 2 CK?

UWorld is the most widely used Step 2 CK bank, with 4,250+ pre-written questions and up to three official self-assessments on longer plans. AMBOSS is the main alternative if you want a library and score predictor in the same subscription, TrueLearn is the strongest choice if you want shelf-exam overlap, and MedPrep Institute adds adaptive weak-area review on top of any primary bank.

Is UWorld worth the price for Step 2 CK?

For most students in dedicated study, yes, especially since Step 2 CK is still numerically scored and UWorld’s self-assessments are a real predictor of that score. If your budget is tighter, AMBOSS at $378 for six months covers similar question volume with different bundled extras.

Should I start a Step 2 CK bank during clerkships or wait for dedicated study?

Start during clerkships. Doing questions that match your current rotation reinforces what you are learning clinically at the same time, and most banks, including UWorld, AMBOSS and MedPrep, carry your progress forward into a later dedicated period rather than resetting it.

Can I use the same question bank account for Step 1 and Step 2 CK?

With UWorld, AMBOSS, TrueLearn and MedPrep Institute, yes, and your prior progress carries forward. USMLE-Rx’s Qmax is built specifically as a single Step 1 and Step 2 CK plan from the start.

How is this different from the general USMLE question bank comparison?

Our general comparison covers Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 side by side using the same verified pricing data. This guide is the Step 2 CK-only version, with a full strengths, drawbacks and which-plan-to-buy breakdown for each bank, including the gaps we could not verify for a couple of them.

What about Step 1 question banks?

See our Step 1 question bank comparison for the same depth of breakdown, applied to preclinical prep.

Sources and disclaimers

Prices, question counts and trial terms were checked on the official pages below on September 24, 2026.

• UWorld Step 2 CK
• AMBOSS USMLE preparation
• TrueLearn USMLE
• BoardVitals (no Step 2 CK product page loaded for us to confirm details)
• Lecturio pricing
• USMLE-Rx pricing
• USMLE.org for Step 2 CK scoring and official materials

MedPrep Institute is not affiliated with or endorsed by NBME, FSMB, USMLE, UWorld, AMBOSS, TrueLearn, BoardVitals, Lecturio, USMLE-Rx, Kaplan or any other company named here. All trademarks belong to their owners and are used descriptively. This guide is for general information and is not a guarantee of any exam result.