USMLE prep courses in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: USMLE prep courses in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, AMBOSS was the most searched USMLE prep course brand in the United States, accounting for 60.5% of all searches among the seven brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, UWorld was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. UWorld was recommended most often, coming first in all three responses that gave a list.

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Top USMLE prep courses in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, UWorld was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. UWorld was recommended most often, coming first in all three answers that gave a list. Pathoma was second, and Sketchy was third. Lecturio, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
UWorld	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
AMBOSS	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Pathoma	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Sketchy	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Boards and Beyond	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Kaplan	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Lecturio	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

UWorld4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
AMBOSS3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Pathoma2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Sketchy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Boards and Beyond1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Kaplan1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Lecturio0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about USMLE prep courses

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best resources for USMLE Step 1?”
1. 1UWorld
2. 2Pathoma
3. 3Sketchy
4. 4AMBOSS
Asked ChatGPT
“Which question bank should I use for Step 2 CK?”
1. 1UWorld
2. 2AMBOSS
Asked ChatGPT
“How should I plan my dedicated study period for Step 1?”
1. 1UWorld
Searched Google, AI Overview
“usmle prep”
1. 1Kaplan
Searched Google, AI Overview
“usmle step 1 prep”
1. 1UWorld
2. 2Pathoma
3. 3Sketchy
4. 4Boards and Beyond
5. 5AMBOSS

Not named in any answer:

Lecturio

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 28, 2026.

Which USMLE prep courses do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each USMLE prep course brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven USMLE prep course brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, by month

Month	AMBOSS	Boards and Beyond	Pathoma	Sketchy	UWorld	Lecturio	Kaplan
Oct 2025	57.3%	21%	7.7%	4.2%	4.9%	4.2%	0.7%
Nov 2025	53.4%	23.9%	8.7%	3.9%	5.3%	3.9%	0.92%
Dec 2025	55.9%	20.4%	9.1%	4.1%	6.4%	3.3%	0.73%
Jan 2026	55.2%	20.3%	9%	4%	6.6%	4%	0.89%
Feb 2026	59%	17.7%	7.9%	3.5%	7.7%	3.5%	0.67%
Mar 2026	55.3%	20.3%	7.4%	3.3%	10.6%	2.6%	0.51%
Apr 2026	56.4%	20.7%	7.5%	2.7%	9.4%	2.7%	0.61%
May 2026	58.3%	17.4%	7.8%	2.8%	10.3%	2.8%	0.63%
Jun 2026	60.4%	18.1%	6.6%	2.9%	8.7%	2.9%	0.43%
Jul 2026	59.4%	17.8%	6.5%	2.9%	10.7%	2.3%	0.45%
Aug 2026	58.8%	21.5%	7.9%	3.5%	5.5%	2.3%	0.45%
Sep 2026	60.5%	22.2%	6.6%	3.6%	3.4%	2.9%	0.74%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	AMBOSS	60.5%	60.5K	-18.2%	+1.7 points
2, held 2nd	Boards and Beyond	22.2%	22.2K	-18.1%	+0.7 points
3, held 3rd	Pathoma	6.6%	6.6K	-33.3%	-1.3 points
4, moved from 5th to 4th	Sketchy	3.6%	3.6K	-18.2%	+0.1 pointsmoved from 5th to 4th
5, moved from 4th to 5th	UWorld	3.4%	3.4K	-51.6%	-2.2 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th
6, held 6th	Lecturio	2.9%	2.9K	0%	+0.6 points
7, held 7th	Kaplan	0.74%	740	+32.1%	+0.3 points

1.AMBOSS
60.5%
Held 1st. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +1.7 points.
2.Boards and Beyond
22.2%
Held 2nd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
3.Pathoma
6.6%
Held 3rd. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -33.3% vs prior month. Share -1.3 points.
4.Sketchy
3.6%
Moved from 5th to 4th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
5.UWorld
3.4%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 3.4K estimated branded searches, -51.6% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.
6.Lecturio
2.9%
Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
7.Kaplan
0.74%
Held 7th. 740 estimated branded searches, +32.1% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among USMLE prep courses in the United States?

7 brands

In September 2026, AMBOSS was the most searched among USMLE prep course brands in the United States, with an estimated 60.5K branded searches, 60.5% of all searches for the seven we track. Boards and Beyond is in 2nd place, 38.3 percentage points behind at 22.2%.

United States USMLE prep courses, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
AMBOSS	57.3% → 60.5%	60.5%Sep 2026	53.4%Nov 2025	1st
Boards and Beyond	21% → 22.2%	23.9%Nov 2025	17.4%May 2026	2nd
Pathoma	7.7% → 6.6%	9.1%Dec 2025	6.5%Jul 2026	3rd
Sketchy	4.2% → 3.6%	4.2%Oct 2025	2.7%Apr 2026	6th → 4th
UWorld	4.9% → 3.4%	10.7%Jul 2026	3.4%Sep 2026	4th → 5th
Lecturio	4.2% → 2.9%	4.2%Oct 2025	2.3%Aug 2026	5th → 6th
Kaplan	0.7% → 0.74%	0.92%Nov 2025	0.43%Jun 2026	7th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AMBOSS’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States increased from 57.3% to 60.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Boards and Beyond’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States increased from 21% to 22.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pathoma’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States decreased from 7.7% to 6.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sketchy’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States decreased from 4.2% to 3.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UWorld’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States decreased from 4.9% to 3.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lecturio’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States decreased from 4.2% to 2.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AMBOSS’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 60.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 53.4% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Boards and Beyond’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 23.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 17.4% in May 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pathoma’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 9.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 6.5% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sketchy’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 4.2% in October 2025 and was lowest at 2.7% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UWorld’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 10.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 3.4% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lecturio’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States peaked at 4.2% in October 2025 and was lowest at 2.3% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sketchy rose from 6th to 4th among USMLE prep courses in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UWorld fell from 4th to 5th among USMLE prep courses in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lecturio fell from 5th to 6th among USMLE prep courses in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kaplan held steady: its share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States USMLE prep courses in September 2026?

6 changes

In September 2026, AMBOSS gained share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 58.8% to 60.5%.
In September 2026, Boards and Beyond gained share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 21.5% to 22.2%.
In September 2026, Lecturio gained share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 2.3% to 2.9%.
In September 2026, UWorld lost share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 5.5% to 3.4%.
In September 2026, Pathoma lost share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 7.9% to 6.6%.
In September 2026, Sketchy rose from 5th to 4th among USMLE prep courses in the United States.

How are branded searches counted for USMLE prep courses?

10 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among USMLE prep courses comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.