Written by Dr. Roupen Odabashian MD, FRCPC
Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Abbotsford | Founder, MeDucation AI | Updated November 2026
Heme/onc ITE practice questions are not one thing — the medical oncology in-training exam is run by ASCO and the hematology version is run by ASH as the Hematology In-Service Exam (ISE)[1], and most of what shows up when you search for practice questions is either generic board content repackaged for fellows or free crowdsourced flashcards with no clinical review. The verdict: no single bank perfectly mirrors either exam's item style, but HemeOncQuestions (HOQ) and ASH-SAP's companion question book get closest for hematology-heavy content[2][3], BoardVitals is the most exam-blueprint-targeted option for the medical oncology side[4], and hemeoncbuddy.org is the best free source if you just want board-style blocks with explanations at no cost[5]. Quizlet and Docsity decks — the current top search results for this exact query — are not reviewed by hematologist-oncologists and should be treated as flashcard scaffolding at best, not primary ITE prep.
Conflict of interest, up front: I'm a practicing medical oncologist and I founded MeDucation AI, which sells a physician-written heme/onc question bank among other board-prep tools. I'll tell you honestly where it fits into ITE prep and where a fellow is better served buying something else.
Ranked: Which Practice Question Sources Actually Resemble the ITE?
Here's how the major options stack up on realism, cost, and volume, based only on what each source publishes about itself.
Rank | Source | Best for | Volume | Published cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ASH-SAP question book | Hematology ITE, benign + malignant | ~10-12 questions per chapter across 23 chapters[2] | Included for FHF-program fellows[2]; not separately priced in the source |
3 | BoardVitals Heme/Onc | Medical oncology, ABIM blueprint alignment | 600+ questions[4] | $159–$429 depending on plan length[4] |
4 | hemeoncbuddy.org Qbank | Board-style blocks with explanations | 40–50 question blocks[5] | Pricing not listed |
5 | HematologyOncologyQBank.com | Flashcard-heavy review, both exams | 3,000+ MCQs, 7,500+ flashcards[6] | $12/month to $249/36 months[6] |
6 | MeDucation AI Question Bank | Fellows wanting physician-reviewed explanations plus a strong and broad study ecosystem | See pricing post | |
7 | Quizlet / Docsity decks | Quick recall only, not primary prep | Variable, unreviewed | Variable |
Who Actually Administers the Heme/Onc In-Training Exams?
ASH runs the hematology ISE through NBME; ASCO-branded prep material covers the medical oncology side, but the ISE itself is the one with a fully documented public process[1]. ASH's Hematology In-Service Exam has been used by training programs in North America and internationally since 2009[1], and ASH works with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to administer it[1]. Registration is program-level only — "registration is only available to training programs; individual registration is not available," and "only program directors and/or program coordinators may register fellows for the exam"[1]. The exam covers adult hematology and oncology content only, and ASH explicitly advises that pediatric fellows should not take it[1].
What is the format and timing?
The ITE is a six-hour, single-sitting exam[1]. "The exam must be completed on the day it is started," and fellows "should set aside six hours to complete the exam," which begins at 9:00 a.m. local time[1]. It's offered across two calendar days so programs can schedule fellows, but each individual fellow completes it in one sitting[1]. Remote proctoring is available, using Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams[1].
How are scores reported, and who sees them?
Scores post roughly two months after the exam, and reporting is cohort-based rather than individual-only. "ITE scores will be posted in the NBME portal approximately two months after the exam," and "the most important aspect of verification is making sure that fellows are in the correct cohort (first-, second-, or third-year fellow), as scores are reported for each class of fellows"[1]. Score reports are not sent to individual programs directly[1], and scores won't post for a program until payment is received[1]. If you want a full breakdown of what counts as a good score and what to do with a bad one, that's already covered in detail — see What Is a Good Heme/Onc In-Training Exam Score rather than re-deriving it here.
What does registration cost, and when does it open?
Registration for the 2027 ITE opens November 2, 2026[1], with pricing set per fellow, not per program.[1]
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Registration opens | November 2, 2026[1] |
Registration closes | February 5, 2027[1] |
Exam dates | March 23–24, 2027 (back-up March 30)[1] |
Scores posted | May 2027[1] |
Cost, ASH members | $275[1] |
Cost, non-members | $325[1] |
Cost, one faculty "key member" | $60 discounted rate[1] |
Refund policy | Refunded minus a $25 registration fee if a fellow can't test; no late registration accepted[1] |
Which Practice Sources Actually Look Like ITE Questions?
None of the commercial banks claim to be ASH- or ASCO-authored ISE replicas — what matters is clinical-vignette format and explanation depth, and here the sources diverge sharply.
Does ASH-SAP match the ITE's style?
Yes, closely — it's built by the same professional body and is distributed to the same fellows who sit the exam. ASH itself recommends it as prep: "ASH Self-Assessment Program (ASH-SAP): All fellows who are part of ASH's FHF program have online access to the ASH-SAP, 6th edition and its six tests," organized into "23 chapters, with a companion question book that supplies about 10 to 12 questions per chapter"[2]. ASH also directly recommends the ITE itself as practice: "the questions in the ITE are the closest thing to the boards, and your score report has helpful breakdowns to allow you to brush up on those areas that may not be your strongest"[2]. The limitation: ASH-SAP is a board-certification study tool first, not an ISE-specific item bank, and its vignette style leans toward certification-exam depth rather than in-training breadth.
Does HOQ resemble the ITE?
Reasonably well for hematology and oncology vignettes, with the caveat that it's a single author's voice. HOQ states that its questions "will serve as a refresher for those who are recertifying for their boards or for the ASCO inservice exam," and that the bank covers "all of Benign Hematology, Malignant Hematology, and Solid tumors"[3]. It cross-references NCCN and UpToDate for every question[3], and a Student Doctor Network thread captures the trainee reputation directly: "the HOQ question bank is definitely king and seems great from what I've done so far"[7]. For a full breakdown of HOQ's strengths and its known technology shortcomings, see the HOQ 2026 review.
Does BoardVitals match ITE content?
It's built to the ABIM certification blueprint, not the ISE specifically, but the overlap is substantial since both exams draw from the same disease distribution. BoardVitals states its bank "follows the exam content outline for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Medical Oncology Certification Exam" and separately publishes the ABIM Hematology blueprint weighting[4]. The blueprint breakdown is useful for prioritizing study even for ITE prep, since in-training exams tend to mirror certification-exam proportions:
ABIM Hematology Certification Exam | Weight |
|---|---|
Hematologic Neoplastic Disorders | 35%[4] |
Coagulation | 27%[4] |
Hematopoietic System | 25%[4] |
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation | 8%[4] |
Transfusion Medicine | 5%[4] |
ABIM Medical Oncology Certification Exam | Weight |
|---|---|
Breast Cancer | 13.5%[4] |
Gastrointestinal Cancer | 13.5%[4] |
Hematologic Neoplasms | 13%[4] |
Genitourinary Cancer | 12%[4] |
Palliative Care, Survivorship, Communication | 11%[4] |
Thoracic Cancer | 11.5%[4] |
Skin Cancer, Sarcomas, Unknown Primary | 7%[4] |
Head, Neck, Thyroid, CNS Malignancies | 6.5%[4] |
Clinical Research Methodology and Ethics | 6.5%[4] |
Gynecologic Cancer | 5.5%[4] |
Is hemeoncbuddy.org worth using, and is it really free?
Yes, and for a free resource it's the most ITE-shaped option available. The site describes a "Qbank" offering "board-style questions with explanations" in "tutor or timed mode, 40 to 50 question blocks, spaced review and a performance dashboard when you sign in," alongside pivotal trial summaries and disease-site board prep notes with PDF, PowerPoint, and audio formats[5]. It has no published pricing information indicating a paywall for the core content described. The limitation is depth — a thinner question set relative to the larger paid banks[3][6], which is exactly why the current SERP leans on it despite its size; there isn't much competition in the free, board-style-block category.
How Many Practice Questions Does a Fellow Actually Need, by Year?
There's no published per-PGY-year question quota from ASH or ASCO, so any specific number here is a study-design choice, not an exam requirement. What is published is exam structure that should drive volume: the ITE is a six-hour exam[1], and ASH's own guidance is that steady, small-dose review beats cramming — "the best way to prepare for board exams and more importantly for life as a practicing hematologist, is to do small amounts of studying each week, about two hours or so, rather than trying to cram three weeks before the exam"[2]. A reasonable structure built from that principle: first-year fellows prioritize breadth and explanation-reading over volume, since most content is still new; second- and third-year fellows shift toward timed blocks that mimic the six-hour format, concentrated on blueprint-weighted categories like hematologic neoplastic disorders and coagulation[4].
How should a fellow review wrong answers?
Read the explanation for the distractor you picked, not just the correct answer — that's the entire value proposition of a well-written question. ASH's own description of its case study archive makes this explicit: the roughly 40 case studies each feature "a board-style multiple choice question, explanation, and references"[2], and the structure of every serious bank reviewed here follows the same logic — HOQ notes "each question has a detailed answer/explanation and all have supporting references"[3], and BoardVitals advertises "detailed explanations for both correct and incorrect responses"[4]. If a bank only explains the right answer, you're not learning why you were wrong, which is the actual gap the ITE is measuring.
What Should the Final Four Weeks Look Like?
Given the exam's six-hour, single-day format[1], the final month should include at least one full-length timed simulation so the format itself isn't a surprise on test day. Beyond that, the specific week-by-week taper used for the ABIM certification exam — shifting from content review to pure question practice and then a deliberate wind-down — is laid out in detail in One Month Out, and the same logic applies to ISE prep: convert existing knowledge into exam points rather than trying to learn new material in week four.
FAQ
Is the hematology in-training exam the same thing as the ITE?
Yes — ASH calls its hematology in-training exam the "Hematology In-Service Exam," abbreviated ISE, and it's been used by training programs since 2009[1].
Can a fellow register for the ITE individually?
No. "Registration is only available to training programs; individual registration is not available," and only program directors or coordinators can register fellows[1].
Are Quizlet and Docsity decks reviewed by hematologists or oncologists?
Nothing in the published sources reviewed here describes those platforms as physician-authored or specialty-reviewed for heme/onc content, so treat them as unverified flashcard scaffolding rather than primary exam prep.
Is remote testing available for the ITE?
Yes. "For the 2026 exam, your fellows will be able to test remotely," using NBME-supported Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams proctoring[1].
What happens if a fellow can't finish or has to leave the ITE partway through?
The exam must be completed the day it's started, within the six-hour window[1]; if a registrant is unable to take the exam at all, a refund is issued to the program minus a $25 registration fee[1].
