Comparison

CorePendium vs Run the Board

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CorePendium

This app provides a comprehensive, continuously updated, and peer-reviewed clinical reference for Emergency and Urgent Care Medicine. It features integrated multimedia, offline access, intuitive navigation, and medical calculators, making it an essential tool for medical professionals on the go.

Highlights
  • Expert-backed, continuously revised content
  • Integrated media library (ECGs, X-rays, videos, audio)
  • Offline access to all content
  • Intuitive navigation with Rapid Access and Deep Dive sections
  • Integrated medical calculators
  • Links to EM:RAP knowledge base content
Features
Read full description

The textbook is dead. Long live CorePendium! CorePendium is the first truly comprehensive, continuously updated, peer-reviewed, multimedia clinical reference for Emergency and Urgent Care Medicine. Download the CorePendium App and bring the best clinical reference text with you anywhere in the world, regardless of connectivity. With your EM:RAP account, the CorePendium App allows you to join over 65,000 members of the CorePendium community. The CorePendium App gives you… • EXPERT-BACKED CONTENT — Written, edited, and peer-reviewed by a team of over 800 leading academics and practitioners, every CorePendium chapter is continuously revised by leading experts in emergency medicine and beyond. • INTEGRATED MEDIA — Comprehensive learning requires more than just words. Dive into our constantly growing media library of ECG’s and X-rays, as well as expertly-produced videos and audio segments. Look, listen, and learn, all without leaving the CorePendium App. • OFFLINE MODE — With new chapters being added and updated frequently to reflect the latest literature and practice guidelines, the CorePendium App makes sure you always have the newest information at your fingertips, 24 hours a day. The app looks for updates to its offline database every time you’re active online, so that you have the answers you need, no matter what. Do you want access to our skillfully-shot procedure videos and expert commentary away from a wireless connection? You can choose to download our audio and video content to ensure access when you need it most. • INTUITIVE NAVIGATION — Designed to prioritize all of the crucial information and media needed for the critical patient, CorePendium’s ‹Rapid Access› section gives you the quick insights you’ll need at the bedside. If you are looking for more background, the ‹Deep Dive› section provides all the information you’ll need to know about a topic. Sleek chapter sidebars, internal searches, search filters, and curated tabs ensure you can find what you need when you need it. • MEDICAL CALCULATORS — Get all of the commonly used clinical scoring and decision tools you need, with important interpretation data compiled by some of medicine’s foremost experts just a thumb slide away. Our calculators are also integrated with the content that uses it most. • PART OF THE EM:RAP KNOWLEDGE BASE — CorePendium is just one piece of the EM:RAP universe. The CorePendium App takes full advantage of its special connection to the most listened to programs in Emergency and Urgent Care Medicine by integrating that content. With continuously updated links to video, conference content, and podcasts you’ll always get the most cutting-edge answers. • INTERNATIONAL — CorePendium is for the whole world. We have an international advisory board that aims to address emergency care for patients and practitioners in all of the various environments where it is practiced. • EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE — CorePendium is written by clinicians for clinicians, without the support of advertising or industry. With the CorePendium App you just get the best information, current and expertly reviewed. • THE REFERENCE OF RECORD — Accessed millions of times, CorePendium is already the reference textbook used by residency training programs and frontline clinicians the world over.

About

Run the Board

This app simulates the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Certifying Exam with AI-powered cases and realistic medical scenarios. Practice all 8 case types, interpret EKGs and ultrasound clips, and receive detailed performance scores based on ABEM criteria. Includes voice input for responses and a full-length mock exam.

Highlights
  • AI-powered realistic cases
  • All 8 ABEM case types
  • Real ultrasound and EKG interpretation
  • Detailed ABEM scoring reports
  • Full-length mock exam simulation
  • Voice input for responses
  • Quick action panels
Features
Read full description

Run the Board simulates the ABEM Certifying Exam. An AI examiner runs you through realistic cases, adapts to your clinical decisions in real time, and scores you against ABEM's published criteria. ALL 8 CASE TYPES Every case type on the new Certifying Exam: - Clinical Decision-Making - Prioritization - Reassessment - Difficult Conversations - Managing Conflict - Patient-Centered Communications - Procedures - Ultrasound BUILT FOR THE NEW FORMAT Clinical Decision-Making runs as a structured discussion, not a resuscitation drill. Cases open undifferentiated. You commit to a differential before any result is released, say what each test rules in or out, and justify your management. The examiner asks why, not just what. AI EXAMINER Each case pairs you with an examiner that presents a new patient, responds to your workup, introduces complications, and probes your reasoning. It never confirms, corrects, or hints. Mistakes show up in the patient's course, the way they do on exam day. REAL ULTRASOUND CLIPS POCUS video across cardiac, FAST, aorta, biliary, renal, DVT, lung, IVC, soft tissue, OB/GYN, ocular, and procedural guidance. You explain the study to a standardized patient, choose your own views, and interpret real pathology on screen. At least one image comes back suboptimal and you have to name the fix. 12-LEAD EKGs STEMI, NSTEMI, arrhythmias, heart blocks, PE, hyperkalemia, and more. Tap for full screen, pinch to zoom, examine each lead. EKGs update dynamically after treatment. PROCEDURE CASES Perform the procedure step by step and hear what you encounter after each one. Indications, consent with the patient, technique, complications, and post-procedure care. ABEM SCORE REPORTS Every case is scored against criteria drawn from ABEM's published standards for that case type. Clinical Decision-Making scores 9 domains. Communication cases score 5 to 6. Ultrasound scores 3. Each rated Excellent, Competent, Developing, or Needs Improvement. MOCK EXAM Full-length simulation in the Certifying Exam format. 4 Clinical Care cases at 15 minutes, then 6 Communication and Procedure cases at 10 minutes. Hard timers, structured debriefs, full performance summary. VOICE INPUT Speak your responses instead of typing. On-device transcription via WhisperKit with medical terminology support. Audio never leaves your device. QUICK ACTIONS A categorized panel of common orders, labs, imaging, exam steps, and communication phrases. Chips adapt to each case type. FREE TO TRY Your first case is free. Unlock unlimited cases, Mock Exam, and every feature with a one-time purchase. IMPORTANT Run the Board is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Case content is AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies. For practice purposes only.

Screenshots

CorePendium4 screens
Run the Board4 screens

Verdict

The call

CorePendium and Run the Board both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Run the Board's written reviews are positive against 62% of CorePendium's. Run the Board also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). CorePendium's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 4). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Run the Board sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CorePendium asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for CorePendium against 5.0 for Run the Board. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CorePendium has 1.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of CorePendium's written reviews are positive against 100% of Run the Board's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CorePendium ships an update monthly, Run the Board every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CorePendium versus Run the Board: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCorePendiumRun the Board
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.5K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better4
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB527 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperEM:RAP, Inc.James Napolitano

Customer experience

CorePendium

All ratings1,534 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%

Run the Board

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

CorePendium

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • iPad version
  • Ability to track progress and bookmark content
  • Video playback controls (speed, rewind)

Run the Board

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CorePendium

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Run the Board

One-time1
  • Run the Board Pro$49.99

Questions

Is CorePendium free?
CorePendium is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Run the Board free?
Run the Board is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CorePendium or Run the Board?
Run the Board is rated higher. CorePendium averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Run the Board averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do CorePendium or Run the Board have ads?
Neither CorePendium nor Run the Board shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CorePendium or Run the Board?
CorePendium ships an update monthly, and Run the Board every 4 days. Most recently, CorePendium was updated on October 25, 2026 and Run the Board on October 17, 2026.

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