TrueLearn Review: SmartBanks for COMLEX Level 1 and 2 CE

One of the hardest decisions that all medical students face involves picking the resources to help them succeed on their board exams. There are a countless number of review books, flash cards, video lectures, question banks, and more. We here at Elite Medical Prep want to help you decide which resources are right for you. To provide you the best and most accurate advice, we have our tutors personally utilize the services we review in our blog posts. In this blog post, we will share our updated impressions of TrueLearn’s SmartBanks for the COMLEX 1 and COMLEX 2 CE.

As always in our review series, our reviews do not reflect any partnerships, promotions, or paid positivity. We pride ourselves in bringing our students accurate information and our honest opinions surrounding USMLE resources.

What is TrueLearn?

TrueLearn is a test prep company with a wide variety of products tailored to prepare students to pass their licensure and board exams. They provide test prep content for a wide range of medical students, including physician assistant, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing students. For medical students, they have products for both the COMLEX-USA (Levels 1, 2 CE, 2 PE, 3, and Shelf Exams) and the USMLE (Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Shelf Exams). They have a variety of question banks (which they call SmartBanks) and assessment exams that are frequently updated to reflect any changes in the exams.

What did we review?

In this blog post, we will specifically be reviewing the pros and cons of TrueLearn’s SmartBanks for the COMLEX 1 and COMLEX 2 CE together. Both SmartBanks utilize the same user interface and have over 2900 test prep questions each.

Before we get into our complete analysis of TrueLearn’s Smartbanks, here are some of our initial notes:

Our overall score: 4.5/5 stars

Pros:

• Customizable user interfaces, including one that models what you will see on test day
• Extensive question bank which you can organize by the COMLEX Master Blueprint, organ system, or even symptom presentation.
• Ability to search previously questions by keywords
• Companion mobile app is simple to use
• Impressive analytics regarding your overall performance in comparison to that of  students across the country
• 2025 First Aid References so you can easily refer to the most commonly used textbook
• Create your own flashcards
• Prometric Testing Interface so there are no surprises on test day

Cons: 

• Variability of depth and quality in question explanations (however, much improved from our last review)
• Some aspects of the user interface when creating a test are not very intuitive and can slow down your studying until you get used to using their program.
• Internet access is needed in order to use the Question bank (as is common amongst most question banks)

Overall, we believe TrueLearn SmartBanks is an excellent resource. It is comparable to other top question banks and can serve as a primary resource for students. The platform provides both a comprehensive and robust array of questions for students in a manner that is customizable and easy to review. 

Students can take a predictive assessment to get feedback on the likelihood they will pass Level 1. There are also many features that come standard with this product like being able to test yourself in Timed, Untimed, or Tutor Mode. Unlike most other question banks, students can both copy and paste and screenshot while the software is running. This is a huge advantage for students who want to make their own personal study guides as they go through the question bank. 

Despite these positive features, we recognize some of the shortcomings of the Smartbanks including the inability to use this platform offline and a user interface with some features which are difficult to use (primarily in customizing your specific question blocks).

So, let’s look into the specifics that TrueLearn Smartbanks has to offer:

1. Customizable Tests:

There are various features for creating tests (which can be up to 200 questions each). The tests can be individually named and classified by the student and can even include new questions only, used only, incorrect only, new and incorrect, or all questions.

Test topics can be selected by system, including body systems or broader disciplines such as diagnosis, embryology, and histology. Alternatively, tests can be designed using the COMLEX Master Blueprint, which separates competency domains from clinical presentations. You can also choose which testing interface you want to use, either TrueLearn’s own proprietary interface, or the Prometric Interface that you will experience on test day. You also can vary the amount of time you have per block, which is great for people who have testing accommodations. This level of customizability in terms of your ability to select the questions in your tests is at the highest level amongst question banks we have reviewed. However, it can be a bit cumbersome to have all of these choices, which naturally comes with the territory of having so many options.

2. Question and Answer Quality:

Overall, the questions are very detailed, with stems of varying lengths that accurately reflect the real exams. Most questions also include thorough explanations, along with relevant charts and images. Incorrect answers are explained, and references to other useful materials, such as relevant First Aid pages and primary literature are provided.  Each question finishes with a concise “Bottom Line” which summarizes the main point of the clinical presentation – this is a great resource for those who are in a rush and do not have time to read the entire answer explanation. However, the explanations for some questions are more thorough than others. We came across some questions where there was a thorough explanation as to why the correct answer was correct, but brief explanations as to why the wrong answers were wrong.

3. Search, Notes, and Screenshots:

A great feature of the TrueLearn SmartBanks is your ability to search questions by keyword. The search provides information about the topic, category, and question ID, shows whether you have seen or marked the question before, and indicates if the question includes any media. This feature allows you to not only study certain topics on the COMLEX, but also other closely related subjects. It is also extremely nice to see if there is media involved in the question, if specific imaging modalities are challenging for you.

You can also view your exam notes and any highlights made in the “exam notes” section. This feature helps with quick reference of difficult topics. Fortunately, there is now a feature to make flashcards which we have been hoping for for quite some time! Additionally, students can both copy and paste text directly from questions and even screenshot the questions for their own personal study guides! This is an amazing feature that other major question banks do not have.

4. User Interface:

Students have the unique ability to utilize two different user interfaces when taking a test. There is a setting that will mimic what you will utilize on test day so you can get familiar with the layout. However, you can also choose to work in the “TrueLearn Visualization” if you prefer a different layout.

While this is a useful feature, we strongly recommend that students use the COMLEX (Prometric) Visualization. It’s best to practice with the same interface you will encounter on test day.

5. Statistics and Analytics:

The analytic features of the TrueLearn SmartBanks are quite extensive. You can set a goal percentile, track your overall percent correct versus the national average, and monitor your progress through all questions. TrueLearn also displays your performance across various categories. You can sort them by Body System, Discipline, NBOME Discipline, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Competency Domains, or Clinical Presentations. A standout feature of TrueLearn SmartBanks is the ability to compare your scores with students nationwide, giving you a clear sense of where you stand among your peers. The statistics and analytics section is comparable – or even superior – to almost all other question banks we’ve reviewed.

Our Final Thoughts on TrueLearn Combank for COMLEX 1 and 2 CE

• From a content perspective, TrueLearn Combank is extraordinarily thorough, offering thousands of questions, significantly more than when we last reviewed it. These questions cover all the information needed to succeed on the COMLEX exams. The platform is comparable to other top-tier question banks and can serve as a primary resource for any student preparing for COMLEX.

• This resource primarily serves students during their dedicated COMLEX preparation period. Students can benefit from TrueLearn Combank by starting early in medical school and steadily working through questions as they progress in their coursework. With most question banks, students often feel overwhelmed trying to tackle 2,900+ questions during their dedicated COMLEX study period. Starting early can help reduce stress and anxiety while promoting long-term retention of the material.
  

• The TrueLearn Combank is not drastically different from other question banks, namely UWorld, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The questions are overall fairly comprehensive and this platform will prepare you for test day. TrueLearn Combank stands out for its unique features. These include a powerful search tool, high customizability, detailed statistical reports, and the ability to screenshot questions. However, it does lack in its ease of use given the high degree of customizability, heterogeneity in answer explanations, and inability to work offline.

Overall, TrueLearn Combank is a fantastic resource that is comprehensive and exhaustive. A question bank can serve as a primary resource for students seeking practice questions similar to those on test day. Although it has some shortcomings, it lets users copy, paste, and screenshot questions. These features are extremely useful for creating personalized study guides. Other question banks often don’t offer these options.

• Affiliate Link: TrueLearn Affiliate Link 
• Promo Code: elitemedical 
• Discount: $25 off Residency Exams, USMLE, and COMLEX SmartBank subscriptions (90 days or longer), and 20% off other healthcare exam subscriptions.