The Best Advice for the PANCE Exam – What you need to Know
You must register for your PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam) on the NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) online at www.nccpa.net.
The PANCE exam is a pass or fail but is scored on a scale from 200 to 800, and passing is 350. You do not need to ace the exam you need to pass. No job is looking at your score they are only checking to see if you are certified.
Prerequisites for PANCE Exam
Per the NCCPA, Before registering for the exam, you must graduate from an ARC-PA Program (accredited program) and submit an application not until 180 days before the expected graduation date. The earliest you can take the test is 7 days after your program completion. You can only take the exam in a 90-day period or 3 times per calendar year.
What is on the PANCE exam?
- 300 Questions
- 60 Questions in each block
- 45-minute breaks between each block
- 15-minutes to complete tutorial (before starting exam)
- Topics: Organ Systems, Diagnosis, Pharm, History Taking/PE, Clinical Intervention, Labs/Diagnostic Test, Basic Science, Health Maintenance
Can you fail the PANCE Exam? Yes, you can!
You have a total of 6 times or up to 6 years to take the exam, whichever comes 1st. Most people pass on the 1st time. Also, you have been preparing for this for 2.5 years by taking multiple exams and studying like crazy. This is why checking the PANCE Pass rate for PA Programs before enrolling. 👀Check out my post on Selecting a PA School!
KEYS TO PASSING PANCE….QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!!!!
How to Pass the PANCE Exam
You must do practice questions every day for many hours THIS IS YOUR JOB until you take the exam. There are 24 hours in a day you should do questions for at least 8 hours a day minimum.
- LANGE Q & A Physician Assistant Examination (Recent and Old Editions)👉🏾 THIS IS THE BEST OPTION IN MY OPINION
- Comprehensive Review for Certification and Re-certification Examinations for PAs
- PANCE PREP PEARLS
My Story: I took 1 month to prep and review for the PANCE Exam after graduating. I passed on the 1st try. After taking the exam, I feel that I would have passed on the 1st try if I took the exam immediately after graduation because the questions we were doing in school were more complicated and longer. I felt initially that I was not ready and needed time to practice questions and review. You will feel the same way. I did what was comfortable for me, and you must do what is comfortable for you. The sooner you take it, the better!
Maintain Certification
You must maintain your certification to work in a hospital, clinic, or private practice. It’s simple all you have to do is:
- 10-year certification (must pass by end of 10th year)
- CME 100 hours submit by 12/31/XX 11 pm Pacific Time on expiration year ($180)
- Log every 2 years 50 Category 1 and 50 Category 1 or 2 or combo
PANRE (Re-Certification)
The PANRE is every 10 years PAs re-certify, which is an improvement from every 6 years, a change made in 2001 per the NCCPA.
- PANRE every 10 years
- 240 questions
- 4-hour blocks
- 60 minutes for each block
- 60 questions
- 45-minute breaks between blocks
Best way to study for PANRE: LANGE Q&A Physician Assistant Examination “Yellow Book” (Recent and Old Editions) and CME Resources Inc.
My Story: I used CME Resources Inc to study for my re-certification exam. I took the course 2 weeks before the PANRE, and I passed on the 1st try. This course was informative and thorough, but it was a lot of information in a few days. I took the 4-day course in Chicago. The 3-day course would have killed me. I admit I was very tired at the end of each day, so I did not hang out. Also, the room where the course was held was extremely cold, so bring a THICK SWEATER. I did go to Chicago after the course to hang out, which was not too far away. So, if you to the course in the summer, take some time to hang out in Chi-town.
Where to take PANCE Exam?
You can take the exam in person at Pearson’s Learning Center when you 1st take your exam. For your re-certification, you can take it in person at Pearson’s or online via the PANRE-LA. 👉🏾Click here to learn more about the PANRE-LA.
Keep in mind you will be fingerprinted at the Center (inkless), all your items will be placed in a locker, and a lock will be provided by the site for free. You will be taking the test in a room with other people who are taking other certification exams.
🎉🎉BONUS: TIPS FOR EXAM DAY🎉🎉
- Get there 20 minutes early so you can relax and register before the exam.
- Eat a good and light breakfast, not carb-heavy.
- Take your break, no heavy lunch, and don't try to check answers to questions you completed.
- Utilize the dry-erase pad they give you to write notes you want to remember.
- Make sure you answer every question in every section (DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTIONS BLANK).
- REMEMBER, YOU HAVE PREPPED FOR THIS FOR 2.5 YEARS...YOU WILL PASS!
