First, give yourself a moment of celebration: you’ve made it to the end of your PA program! Now, the fun part begins (that is, depending on your definition of fun): preparing for the PANCE. Maybe you’ve already picked out the perfect PANCE review resources but are struggling to create a study plan with them. Or, maybe you’ve created a plan, but find yourself falling behind and reconfiguring your schedule often to cover all of the material.
Fortunately, there are numerous scheduling resources to help you stay on track with your PANCE studying—you may just not know where to find them! Here are four tried-and-true tools that could work for you when creating your PANCE study schedule, so you can spend less time planning and more time prepping.
Tool #1: The “old-school” store-bought, handwritten journal
Personally, this was (and usually still is) my go-to method to plan my schedule, helping me organize and prioritize study content as I prepared for my PANCE and other exams throughout PA school. However, it’s now been over 10 years since I took my PANCE and even in that time, technology has improved vastly to save PA school students’ most precious commodity: time.
That is the biggest “con” to this method: it can be time-consuming. With all the different color-coding, rescheduling, and “pop-up” appointments that happen (because your schedule often is not your own in school), you could waste valuable time and watch as a beautiful, well-organized schedule eventually becomes a cluttered, scribbled mess.
On the other hand, the largest “pro” to this method is that in creating the calendar/planner, you are completely in control of its methodology and operation. This puts you totally in charge and allows you to enjoy the benefits of hand-written scheduling. For example, who doesn’t like to clear and check off those completed tasks? Satisfying stuff!
Tool #2: A digital upgrade to the handwritten classic!
It should not be a huge surprise that anyone can take handwritten notes on their phone, tablet, or even some equipped computers. With a screen-friendly pen, there are a variety of tools that can digitize your handwriting, allowing you to upgrade your study schedule without needing to be a quick typer.
Moreover, features like pairing, emailing, and file sharing allow you to collaborate with others in real-time. This can be an especially handy feature if you’re working as a part of a study group and that’s preparing for the PANCE together and needs a tool to ensure everyone stays on the same page.
In particular, there’s one very sleek and natural resource to organize and quickly declutter your handwritten notes: the reMarkable writing tablet. The big con with this tool and others like it? Price! That being said, it really does look like an effective resource for prepping a PANCE study calendar.
Tool #3: All-digital study guide
If you are good with your computer, this next one might be an especially effective planner to help you prepare for the PANCE. Using iCal (for Apple), Google Calendar, or even Excel, you could create an all-digital planner for your upcoming exam. Additionally, easy “cut-and-paste” features can make it a breeze to move around chunks of your schedule—no scribbling required. It even can be managed via mobile device and email, making it a great option for those “on the go.”
However, one “con” comes to mind: once again, you have to manage all the inputs, appointments, and practice tests yourself. This means you would have to determine what you study, when, for how long, and other items. This may increase your anxiety, as you’re not only stressed about effectively preparing for the test, but now you also have to worry about the state of the study planner that’s supposed to be making life easier!
Tool #4: The tried-and-true “smart” study planner
As I mentioned before, there is a long line of individuals before you who’ve plotted out plans to take the PANCE. While some of them may have been stuck with less-than-stellar study scheduling resources, others have developed and used tools specifically built to make PANCE prep as easy as possible.
Why not take advantage of their experiences and get a “smart planner” that will do the guesswork for you on what and when to schedule? This tool uses personalization to make your schedule as conducive as possible to the content you need (when you need it) to prep for your PANCE.
One of the most effective examples of this kind of tool is the “smart” PA Study Planner. This resource is designed to help students “rebalance” their schedules, have a guided plan on what to study every day, determine if they’re overstudying (yes, this is a thing!), and connect other prep resources.
A “smart” study planner is a great option as it responds to your unique needs and automatically schedules your resources to keep you on track, so you can make the most of your precious time and get right back on track after falling behind!
Interested in joining a live course for accelerated PANCE review? The 4-day Rosh Review PANCE Review Course is now open for enrollment to help you pass the exam on the first take!
