MedAI Verdict

AI Medical Education

Editorial illustration: a stack of medical textbooks (Anatomy, Pathology, Pharmacology) with a brachial-plexus flashcard tucked on top and reading glasses alongside.

Boards and Beyond vs SketchyMedical

All comparisons

Scores are legacy evidence and documentation scores, not product-performance ratings. How it is computed

Sketchy's 12-month All access plan costs $449.99 as of October 2026, against $249 for a year of Boards and Beyond on the McGraw Hill product page. The Sketchy price covers illustrated lessons, a question bank and interactive patient cases, and a cases-only plan is $119.99 for 12 months. Boards and Beyond is Jason Ryan's lecture course, with more than 490 Step 1 videos and about 2,300 questions. Sketchy answers the student who forgets drug names and bug features after reading but remembers pictures. Boards and Beyond answers the second-year student who needs all of Step 1 explained in order. The gap holds over six months, at $349.99 for Sketchy and $199 for Boards and Beyond, so Sketchy is the one to drop for a student on a tight budget. Both start with a 7-day free trial, Boards and Beyond's for first-time US users.

Medical education · Reviewed November 1, 2026

On this page
Boards and Beyond logo

Boards and Beyond

by McGraw Hill Education

Step 1 video course taught by Dr. Jason Ryan.

SketchyMedical logo

SketchyMedical

by Sketchy Group LLC

Visual-mnemonic lessons, QBank and interactive patient cases for medical, PA, NP, MCAT and nursing students.

When to pick each one

Boards and Beyond

  • Whole-Step-1 lecture course by Jason Ryan
  • $199 for 6 months, $249 for a year
Read the full Boards and Beyond review

SketchyMedical

  • Illustrated lessons, QBank and patient cases in one plan
  • $449.99 for 12 months All access
Read the full SketchyMedical review

Score

Each row shows points earned of points available under the published rubric.

Boards and Beyond

55of 100

SketchyMedical

68of 100
Score by dimension for Boards and Beyond and SketchyMedical
DimensionBoards and BeyondSketchyMedicalDifference
Peer-reviewed papers0 / 70 / 70
RCT / meta-analysis / systematic review0 / 1.80 / 1.80
Funding & adoption signal8.4 / 1212 / 12-3.6
Pricing transparency6.5 / 6.56.5 / 6.50

Scroll horizontally to see every column.

How scores are computed

Pricing

Boards and Beyond

TierBilling periodPriceNotes
1 month1 month, one-time$89same price for Step 1 Preclinical and Steps 2-3 Clinical
Show all 9 price points
3 months3 months, one-time$149same price for both products
6 months6 months, one-time$199same price for both products
1 year1 year, one-time$249same price for both products
18 months18 months, one-time$349same price for both products
2 years2 years, one-time$399longest term
1 week1 week, one-time$24lowest price quoted on boardsbeyond.com/Pricing ('from $24 for one week')
Clinical Confidence2 price points
Clinical Confidence6 months, one-time$149boardsbeyond.com quotes $149 for 6 months. Product not confirmed
Clinical Confidence1 year, one-time$199boardsbeyond.com quotes $199 for a full year. Product not confirmed

Verified October 14, 2026 from mheducation.com (opens in new tab).

SketchyMedical

TierMonthlyAnnualNotes
Medical, All access, 6 monthsNot statedNot statedTotal $349.99. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. The tab-to-price mapping is inferred from page order.
Medical, All access, 12 monthsNot stated$449.99Marked most popular. Lessons, QBank and interactive patient cases.
Medical, All access, 24 monthsNot statedNot statedTotal $649.99.
Medical, Cases only, 12 monthsNot stated$119.99Interactive patient cases only. The 1-month price is $19.99 per month.

Compliance and integrations

Documented from each vendor’s own pages.

SpecBoards and BeyondSketchyMedical
Free tierNo / unverifiedYes
HIPAANo / unverifiedNo / unverified
SOC 2 Type IINo / unverifiedNo / unverified
EHR integrationsNot statedNot stated
FoundedNot statedNot stated
HQNot statedNot stated

Scroll horizontally to see both columns.

Open the full medical education comparison

USMLE prep (UWorld, AMBOSS, Anki), specialty learning (SketchyMedical, Pathoma, Boards & Beyond), CME (Healio AI, AMA Ed Hub). The most affiliate-rich category in healthcare AI.

See all medical education