--- title: "Boards and Beyond vs Kaplan: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Boards and Beyond or Kaplan more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the USMLE prep courses set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/boards-and-beyond-vs-kaplan" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Boards and Beyond vs Kaplan: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Boards and Beyond or Kaplan more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the USMLE prep courses set in the United States. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Boards and Beyond and Kaplan - **Competitive set**: USMLE prep courses - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Boards and Beyond Share of Search**: 22.2% - **Kaplan Share of Search**: 0.74% ## Is Boards and Beyond or Kaplan more popular in search? - In September 2026, Boards and Beyond had more branded searches than Kaplan among USMLE prep courses in the United States. Boards and Beyond had about 22,200 branded searches, while Kaplan had 740. Boards and Beyond made up 22.2% of all USMLE prep course searches we track, and Kaplan accounted for 0.74%. - Boards and Beyond was ahead of Kaplan in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Boards and Beyond’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States moved from 21% to 22.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kaplan’s share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States moved from 0.7% to 0.74%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 740. ## Top USMLE prep courses in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Boards and Beyond and Kaplan were each mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | UWorld | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Pathoma | 2nd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Sketchy | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | AMBOSS | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Boards and Beyond | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lecturio | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Kaplan | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about USMLE prep courses - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best resources for USMLE Step 1?": 1. UWorld, 2. Pathoma, 3. Sketchy, 4. AMBOSS - Asked ChatGPT "Which question bank should I use for Step 2 CK?": 1. UWorld, 2. AMBOSS - Asked ChatGPT "How should I plan my dedicated study period for Step 1?": 1. UWorld - Searched Google, AI Overview "usmle prep": 1. Kaplan - Searched Google, AI Overview "usmle step 1 prep": 1. UWorld, 2. Pathoma, 3. Sketchy, 4. Boards and Beyond, 5. AMBOSS Not named in any answer: Lecturio. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 28, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States USMLE prep courses in September 2026? - In September 2026, Boards and Beyond gained share of searches among USMLE prep courses in the United States, from 21.5% to 22.2%. ## Month by month | Month | Boards and Beyond estimated searches | Boards and Beyond Share of Search | Boards and Beyond rank | Kaplan estimated searches | Kaplan Share of Search | Kaplan rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 22.2K | 21% | 2 | 740 | 0.7% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 22.2K | 23.9% | 2 | 850 | 0.92% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 18.1K | 20.4% | 2 | 650 | 0.73% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 22.2K | 20.3% | 2 | 980 | 0.89% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 18.1K | 17.7% | 2 | 690 | 0.67% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 22.2K | 20.3% | 2 | 560 | 0.51% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 22.2K | 20.7% | 2 | 650 | 0.61% | 7 | | May 2026 | 18.1K | 17.4% | 2 | 650 | 0.63% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 18.1K | 18.1% | 2 | 430 | 0.43% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 22.2K | 17.8% | 2 | 560 | 0.45% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 27.1K | 21.5% | 2 | 560 | 0.45% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 22.2% | 2 | 740 | 0.74% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Boards and Beyond’s and Kaplan’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Boards and Beyond**: Measured on the search term “boards and beyond”. - **Kaplan**: Measured on the search terms “kaplan step 1” and “kaplan usmle”, summed into one figure. - [Boards and Beyond profile](/demand/us/brands/boards-and-beyond) - [Kaplan profile](/demand/us/brands/kaplan) - [All USMLE prep courses in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-usmle-prep-courses): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Boards and Beyond or Kaplan more popular in search? In September 2026, Boards and Beyond had more branded searches than Kaplan among USMLE prep courses in the United States. Boards and Beyond had about 22,200 branded searches, while Kaplan had 740. Boards and Beyond made up 22.2% of all USMLE prep course searches we track, and Kaplan accounted for 0.74%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Boards and Beyond vs Kaplan: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/boards-and-beyond-vs-kaplan This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/boards-and-beyond-vs-kaplan. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.