COMPREHENSIVE, RESEARCH-PROVEN RESOURCE FOR USMLE, STEP & COMLEX EXAMS
700+ more topics than Amboss. Easily align to course curriculum and popular textbooks. Ace exams and achieve dream STEP & COMLEX scores.
PROVEN. EFFICIENT. EFFECTIVE.
Retain Hi-Yield Facts 331% Longer
1,900+ topics plus 22,000+ facts and quiz questions, with an Anki add-on, mobile access and built-in spaced repetition. Picmonic has helped hundreds of thousands of med students study efficiently and effectively with succinct 2-3 min videos, alignment with First-Aid and other popular books, study guides, infographics and more. With Picmonic, you'll pass the USMLE STEP & COMLEX, guaranteed*.
Learn MoreA Comparison of Picmonic and Amboss
| , | Amboss | ||
| For Medicine | For Medicine | ||
| Price | $180/year | $388/year | |
| CONTENT | |||
| Videos / Topics | 1,900+ | 1,000+ | |
| Quiz Questions | 22,000+ | 4,800+ | |
| BENEFITS | |||
| Avg. Video Length | 2-3 mins | 6-18 mins | |
| Definitions | |||
| Topic Summaries | |||
| Daily Quiz with Spaced Repetition | |||
| Study Scheduler | |||
| Custom Playlists | |||
| Follow pg-by-pg w/ Popular Books | |||
| Real Images & Video | |||
| Board Style Questions | |||
| Customize & Share Content | |||
| Study Guides / Workbooks | |||
| Webinar Videos | |||
| Academic Infographics | |||
| Integrated with Other Study Aids | |||
| Anki Integration | |||
| Mobile Apps | |||
| Validated by Published Research | |||
| Last Updated 5/2021 | |||
Which visual mnemonic flashcard resource is best for you? We compare both med study resources on content coverage, # videos, # quizzes, definitions, topic summaries, daily quiz with spaced repetition, study scheduler, custom playlists, real images and videos, flashcards, sharing content, customizing content, webinar videos, study guides, workbooks, academic infographics, integration with other study aids, Anki integration, aligned with popular textbooks, educator dashboard, LMS integrations, and mobile apps.
| Amboss | ||
Picmonic for Medicine | Amboss for Medicine | |
$227.88/year | $388/year | |
| Last Updated 02/2022 | ||
Save $200+ Every Year
That's how much you'll save by choosing Picmonic for Medicine's visual mnemonic learning system over Amboss membership. Plus you'll get more of the topic coverage you need to succeed at a fraction of the cost.
Helping Med Students for Nearly a Decade
"Best Study Aid"
Chicago, Illinois - University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
I just wanted to compliment you all on creating such an amazing resource for visual learners in medical school! Out of everything I use to study, Picmonic helps me lock it in long-term. I have KILLED my block exams so far because of all of you! It truly is a magnificent product. It really just helps me keep little details straight—something that is important to accomplish before Step preparation. I’m not sure how popular Picmonic is, but I want to assure you that there are people like me who love it and use it regularly.
"275: Dream STEP Score"
Med Student
True Blue - St Georges University School of Medicine
Picmonic has been a huge part of my learning. I just took the first UWORLD simulation exam and I scored a 275 (99% percentile) and it’s definitely because of Picmonic. Picmonic is for the students who want to excel because they were the ones who knew that extra small detail that changed their score from a 239 to a 245 or a 249 to 255….because one extra correct question on the actual USMLE can mean a few extra points.
"Great MS1 Resource"
Med Student
Chicago, Illinois - Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
I used Picmonic for my first medical school course which covered genetics, molecular biology, cell biology and a little bit of metabolism. The lysosomal storage disease videos made learning and memorizing the information much easier and more enjoyable. I am a visual and auditory learner and the Picmonic cartoons and funny narratives really cement the information in my brain.The videos for Biochemistry and Biostat are amazing and saved me time. I definitely recommend using Picmonic during year one of medical school and beyond!
"Built-in Spaced Repetition"
Med Student
Georgia
Picmonic is a total game changer. I had trouble going back and revising old notes but with picmonic things get easy. They have cool picmonics and great spaced repetition program to study and retain more. I'm already seeing improvements, this is unbelievable.
"Time Efficient, Better Retention"
Med Student
True Blue - St Georges University School of Medicine
Picmonic’s short videos are what set them apart from other medical school study-aid resources. When I need to cover a lot of ground, and gain those little extra bits of knowledge just before an exam, Picmonic is my go-to. On several occasions, it wasn’t the countless hours of review in front of a textbook, lecture slides, or whiteboard, that helped me recall an answer to a question, but a Picmonic that literally only took 2 minutes to review.
"Aligns with First Aid"
Med Student
Brooklyn, New York - State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
Picmonic was the perfect add on for my medical school studying! I like that it aligns with first aid and I always use it after I do first-pass of a topic.
A Smart Way to Study
Picmonic Is Different
Picmonic is the only visual learning resource for STEP and COMLEX with powerful creator tools students can use to create the perfect study resource for them. Personalization isn’t something offered by other resources such as Amboss. Add facts, characters, images and videos. Customization also helps with retention, and can become an integral part of a robust study routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Amboss is a med school resource that distills medical information into easily digestible bites, providing answers in minutes to help make clinical decisions. Amboss also offers board style questions with an add-on subscription.
When it’s time to review for an exam or prep for STEP 1, the Picmonic platform will be the more efficient resource across all topics given Picmonic’s more comprehensive coverage of hi-yield med school topics. If you are already a subscriber of Amboss, you can use Picmonic’s visual mnemonics to fill in the gaps for coverage of the thousands of topics Amboss does not include.
Amboss does NOT have
- Comprehensive coverage of STEP 1 topics
- Customization
- Related Facts (connect related topics)
- Real-life imagery
- Study guides and other study aids
- Infographics
- Alignment with First Aid and other textbooks (you can’t use Amboss as you study First Aid page by page)
- Pass guarantee*
Amboss med school resources are good for STEP 1 studying, but only covers 1000+ topics. You can supplement your studying with another study tool for coverage of all hi-yield topics that will be covered on STEP 1, but you give up the benefit of being able to easily connect related facts across all STEP 1 topics. Selecting the right tool to study with from your first year in medical school is important to ensure you have a strong foundation for reviewing all STEP 1 topics in your second year.
Amboss has a Step 2 CK Self-assessment, which is a practice version of USMLE Step 2 CK, simulating both its structure and scoring.
Amboss Step 3 is an on-the-go app for physicians, to get quick clinical answers and a custom study plan. It includes 800+ Step 3 questions with curated explanations.
Amboss provides USMLE-style questions, with contextual explanations of which answers do and do not apply.
Yes, Amboss has a mobile app for the Medical Knowledge Library and for Qbank. Picmonic offers a mobile app that you can download for iOS and Android, to enable on-the-go studying even without an internet connection. In 2021, the app has a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5, and you can read reviews in the App store.
The Amboss Medical Knowledge Library has over 900+ Learning Cards, for in-depth study on every topic featured on the USMLE Step exams.
Amboss costs $200 a year for STEP 1 Complete ($150 for 6 months). If subscribing to Immunology, Biochemistry or Pharmacology separately, each would be $130 per year ($100 for 6 months).
Amboss offers a 5-day free trial without a credit card. There is no ongoing “freemium level” of access as you would have with Picmonic.
There are 1000+ Amboss videos that range in length from 3-18 minutes. That’s less than Picmonic’s 1700+ videos.
Yes, you can upgrade your flashcards with pop-up explanations and links to articles from the Amboss library.
By the Numbers
Over 1 million healthcare students have used Picmonic to ace exams and boards/certifications on their way to becoming successful professionals.
*Pass STEP/COMLEX, guaranteed. Start using Picmonic in your first year. If you do not pass we’ll hook you up with a full refund or double the length of your access free.
