Amboss USMLE (2025): The Google for Doctors
Best for: Best Library ★★★★ ★ 4.8/5
Price: from 14.99 USD/month
Pros
- The Library: Instant access to high-yield articles on every topic.
- Anki Integration: The Amboss add-on for Anki is a game-changer.
- Difficulty: Questions are often harder/trickier than UWorld.
- Attending Mode: Can be used on the wards for clinical decision support.
Cons
- Low Yield: Sometimes goes too deep into the weeds.
- Overwhelming: The sheer amount of information can be paralyzing.
The Smartest Tool in the Room
Amboss started in Germany and took over the US market in a few short years. It is a hybrid product: half UpToDate (reference library), half UWorld (QBank).
The Knowledge Library
This is Amboss’s superpower.
- Contextual Learning: When you are doing a question and see a term like “Kawasaki Disease,” you can hover over it to see a summary, or click it to open the full article without leaving the question.
- High-Yield Mode: You can toggle “High Yield” on any article, and it will highlight only the information that is likely to appear on Step 1 or Step 2. This saves you hours of reading fluff.
The Anki Add-On
If you use Anki (and you should), the Amboss add-on is essential.
- It scans your Anki cards for medical terms.
- Hover over a term in Anki, and a pop-up window appears with the Amboss definition and a high-yield image.
- This integration makes your flashcard review significantly more efficient.
Amboss vs. UWorld
- UWorld: Best for learning the “test logic” and getting used to the exam format.
- Amboss: Best for looking up information and drilling specific weak spots (e.g., “Give me 50 hard questions on Lysosomal Storage Diseases”). Amboss questions are known for being “tricky” and testing 2nd or 3rd order thinking.
Verdict
Amboss is the ultimate “force multiplier.” It makes every other study tool (Anki, UWorld) better. At ~$15/month (or ~$129/year), it is a steal.