AAMC Material Guide · Question Bank

How to use the AAMC Independent Question Bank (IQB)

The IQB is the AAMC's bank of discrete, standalone questions across all the sciences. Small blocks, honest signal.

What it is

The Independent Question Bank collects official discrete (non-passage) questions organized by subject: biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology.

Because there is no passage to lean on, IQB questions give you a clean read on raw content and concept fluency across C/P, B/B, and P/S.

How a Retaker gets the most from it

Use IQB blocks as content thermometers. A rough IQB block in one subject is a strong signal to revisit that content area before layering on more passage practice.

Keep blocks small (Pillar's plan uses 25-question blocks per subject) and review immediately while your reasoning is fresh.

On a retake, IQB is especially useful early: it quickly maps which content actually survived the gap since your last test date.

Where it lands in a retake plan

Pillar Prep's plan schedules one IQB block per subject across the middle of prep, sequenced by your weakest sections first, alongside the Q Packs and before the Section Bank peak.

Pillar Prep's study plans are built around official AAMC material because it is the gold standard for MCAT practice. If you want a personalized schedule that places every AAMC resource for you, start with the free Retaker Calculator or explore The Retaker Course. You can also see how a plan is structured on our 3-month retake schedule guide.

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