What it costs
WhiteCoat Prep
$20 to $30 a question, and nothing recurring
- On your own
- Free
- Friends and peers
- Free
- Paid coaching
- $200 to $500 or more per session
- Other automated tools
- A one-off fee or a monthly subscription
How this fits
You will prepare more than one way
Most applicants end up with some mix of a friend, a coach if the budget stretches, a list of questions, and something on a screen late at night. Each is good at a different part of the job. Here is what this one does, and where it stops being useful.
Side by side
What each way of practising can actually do
These are the structural limits of each approach, the things that stay true whichever provider you pick. That is also why no product names appear below: we have not sat down and tested anyone else's software, so we are not going to tell you what it does.
Reps before the day
WhiteCoat Prep
As many as you buy, at 1am, without booking anyone
- On your own
- Unlimited, but nobody is watching
- Friends and peers
- Two or three, realistically
- Paid coaching
- One or two on most budgets
- Other automated tools
- Varies
Follow-up questions
WhiteCoat Prep
Live and unscripted, built on the answer you just gave
- On your own
- None
- Friends and peers
- Only if they think to improvise
- Paid coaching
- Yes, and pointed
- Other automated tools
- Varies. Some work from a fixed list
How you came across
WhiteCoat Prep
Delivery scored from the video: eye contact, composure, pacing, filler words
- On your own
- Nothing to go on
- Friends and peers
- Usually kind, rarely specific
- Paid coaching
- Expert, though it is one person’s read
- Other automated tools
- Varies. A tool that cannot see you cannot tell you
Time pressure
WhiteCoat Prep
Timed reading, timed answer, and it stops when the time does
- On your own
- Only if you enforce it on yourself
- Friends and peers
- Rarely enforced
- Paid coaching
- Yes
- Other automated tools
- Varies
Consistency of marking
WhiteCoat Prep
The same rubric every station, scored dimension by dimension
- On your own
- No marking at all
- Friends and peers
- A friend who wants to be kind
- Paid coaching
- Varies by consultant
- Other automated tools
- Consistent
CCFP SOO practice
WhiteCoat Prep
80 cases on video, reviewed by recent family medicine graduates and marked against the official 11-component CFPC scheme
- On your own
- Not practisable alone
- Friends and peers
- Needs someone willing to play the patient for 15 minutes
- Paid coaching
- Hard to book, and expensive once you do
- Other automated tools
- Rarely covered
| On your own | Friends and peers | Paid coaching | Other automated tools | WhiteCoat Prep | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | Free | Free | $200 to $500 or more per session | A one-off fee or a monthly subscription | $20 to $30 a question, and nothing recurring |
| Reps before the day | Unlimited, but nobody is watching | Two or three, realistically | One or two on most budgets | Varies | As many as you buy, at 1am, without booking anyone |
| Follow-up questions | None | Only if they think to improvise | Yes, and pointed | Varies. Some work from a fixed list | Live and unscripted, built on the answer you just gave |
| How you came across | Nothing to go on | Usually kind, rarely specific | Expert, though it is one person's read | Varies. A tool that cannot see you cannot tell you | Delivery scored from the video: eye contact, composure, pacing, filler words |
| Time pressure | Only if you enforce it on yourself | Rarely enforced | Yes | Varies | Timed reading, timed answer, and it stops when the time does |
| Consistency of marking | No marking at all | A friend who wants to be kind | Varies by consultant | Consistent | The same rubric every station, scored dimension by dimension |
| CCFP SOO practice | Not practisable alone | Needs someone willing to play the patient for 15 minutes | Hard to book, and expensive once you do | Rarely covered | 80 cases on video, reviewed by recent family medicine graduates and marked against the official 11-component CFPC scheme |
The columns describe what each approach can structurally do rather than any particular provider's feature list, which we have not audited.
The live video interviewer is rendered by Tavus, and the written feedback comes from a large language model reached through OpenRouter. Both are named in our Terms and Privacy Policy.
What we are not
When to spend the money on a person instead
Repetition is what this is for. Judgement is not.
A coach, a mentor, or a preceptor is worth paying for the things a rubric cannot reach: which schools to apply to, what your story should be, whether the version of it you keep telling is the right one, and how you land with a particular program.
Use both if you can. Volume here, and a session or two with someone who knows you and knows the programs. We would rather say so than pretend this replaces them.
Check the table against the real thing
The free trial is one question for medical school or residency, or one CCFP SOO case, scored the same way a paid one is. No card required.
