How hard is the PANCE? While the exam itself is tough, much of the difficulty around preparing for (and taking) the PANCE is the pressure we put on ourselves!
From day one of PA school, we all have the exam in the back of our mind. We ace exam after exam in school, and yet we’re still shaking in our boots when it comes time to take this last one. You’d think given our years of experience, we’d have a bit less stress over leaping over that final hurdle. But for many of us who struggle with test anxiety, it isn’t so simple!
In this article I’d like to put the exam into perspective for you, share my story in an effort to put your mind at ease, and give you some tips for what to expect on exam day.
The PANCE is Hard For a Few Reasons…
Let’s start by unpacking what it is about the PANCE that makes it so hard:
1. It’s long.
The first thing is that the PANCE is such a long test! We’re talking five hours straight, with 300 multiple-choice questions.
2. It covers so much information.
In addition to being a long test, PANCE questions can be on anything you learned over the past 2.5 years. The breadth of information that could be tested is so incredibly vast!
The PANCE covers 14 organ systems, over 110 sections, and around 680 specific diseases and disorders. Not to mention, you’ll need to know how to diagnose conditions, counsel patients regarding them, what the treatment options are, and the possible adverse reactions of those treatments. (It doesn’t help that the PANCE Blueprint listing all these topics can be a bit vague at times.)
For a few tips on how to retain info during PA school, check out this other post on the blog: Taming the Whirlwind: How to Actually Remember What You Learn in PA School
3. There’s a lot of pressure!
The PANCE is undoubtedly a high-stakes exam, which can make it all that much harder. The feeling that everything is riding on this one test that stands between you and your dreams of practicing medicine. Framing the exam in those terms would understandably make anyone stress out.
What Happens if You Fail the PANCE?
I know how much pressure you’re under, but I’m here to reassure you, the PANCE is just another test! Absolutely it’s a big test, but even if you don’t reach the passing score, you CAN come back from that!
There are resources (like Blueprint PA) to help you get back on track and pass the test. As a PANCE tutor at Blueprint, I have the honor of helping students get a second, third, or sometimes even a fourth chance at the exam.
We have one-on-one PANCE tutoring, a comprehensive 4-day PANCE Live Review Course, tons of PANCE-style practice questions, and so much more to help you pass that test!
The reality is, pass or fail, you’re going to be fine. And the truth is—given first-time pass rates for the PANCE—you are likely to pass!
My Experience Taking the PANCE
I chose to take the PANCE seven days after graduation. My reasoning for taking it so quickly was that I didn’t want to lose any of the knowledge I’d gained over the last 2.5 years.
In school I was basically in study mode every day, constantly trying to absorb as much information as possible. I feared once I graduated that if I waited too long I’d become too lax and lose knowledge rather than gain it. I didn’t see the benefit of giving myself more time to study before taking it, because studying for the EORs and EOC was studying for the PANCE in my opinion.
Based on my experience, I’d like to share some tips with you so exam day goes as smoothly as possible!
These include:
1. Don’t study in your car before the exam!
So there I was, seven days post graduation, driving up to the testing center.
I showed up way earlier than necessary and did what I tell everyone NOT to do, which is to study in my car. I looked over the cranial nerves for the 100th time and I still ended up missing a question or two on them. (Some things just never stick no matter how many times we try! )
The time would likely have been better spent trying to relax before I went and sat for the 5-hour exam.
2. Take the breaks.
In my bag, I brought more than the required two forms of identification, lots of snacks, gum, and a water bottle. I took every one of the offered breaks and would eat a snack, use the restroom, walk around a bit, chew a new piece of gum, etc.
Little mental breaks can make a big difference.
3. Take notes right away.
During the exam you’re given paper or a white board to take notes and there were things I always forgot so I wrote them on my board right away. You can’t keep notes on the board between question blocks, so I rewrote the notes each time we started a new section. That way, if a question came up on those topics, I knew I was prepared to answer it.
For example, I always wrote down the ECG leads association with what coronary artery is blocked. We all know they’re going to ask something about that!
Final Thoughts
People always want to know, did I think the PANCE was hard? This is such a hard question to answer because there are a lot of things that make it hard. And sometimes we make it harder than it needs to be!
However, I personally think the exam content was in line with the PANCE blueprint, what I learned in PA school, and what I practiced with the Blueprint PA (formerly Rosh Review) questions.
I say this to reassure you that if you were able to graduate from your PA program, you put in the time studying the PANCE blueprint, and are scoring 70% or above on your practice questions, then you’re ready to take this exam.
Going in confident is one of the best things you can do to achieve your goal of passing the test. And remember, if by some chance you don’t pass on the first try, we’re here to help you pass it on the retake. Good luck and be sure to reach out to Blueprint tutors for a free consultation if you need help getting ready for exam day!
