Passing the PANCE
This long awaited post is finally here! Thank you for all your patience!
Here are the steps that I took to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). What I have done inside and outside my program- may or may NOT work for you; everyone’s study habits and learning techniques are different. I recommend that you figure out your best methods and stick to it. Ask yourself this- What’s been working for you in PA school? Then, carry on or adjust yourself accordingly.
WHEN did I start studying?
This sounds cheesy but I find it to be true. I began studying for the PANCE when my PA program commenced two years ago. I was told to “trust the process, trust the program” many times, over and over. I was able to pinpoint my best study habits and techniques over the first couple of months and tried my best with every exam and quiz (nearly). That’s the significance of all this testing, right? Your program and faculty are gearing you up for the BIG ONE, the PANCE. For more insight on how my first year of PA school went, check out my semester recaps here:
Halfway Through 1st Semester of PA School
1st Semester of PA School Completed!
Second Semester of PA School Completed!
| JULY 17, 2018 | On Monday, we have a 300 questions final exam that mimics the PANCE. HOLY MOLY. *a little nervous and anxious! We’ve been using this question bank program called PAeasy to practice and it’s more like PAmedium and PAhard lol. Our program provides PAeasy and Kaplan Question Banks for us so that we can practice as much as we need to in preparation for the real PANCE exam :)
Now, onto my second year of PA school - we had two exams per month that accompanied our clinical rotations.
11 months meant 11 different rotations with 1 End of Rotation (EOR) exam & 1 Senior Seminar Exam. EOR exams are given towards the end of the month and emphasize the specialty /rotation you were on for that month. Senior Seminar exams highlighted different body systems and these were meant to prepare us for the PANCE. We started with Dermatology, HEENT, then covered Pulmonology, Cardiology, etc. This was our program’s method of keeping us on track with PANCE preparation(I believe) while working through clinical rotations. You can find all my recapitulation (recaps, lol) of rotations down below along with how I prepared for each EOR and SS exam each month.
Rotation 5 Family Practice/Urgent Care
Rotation 10 Emergency Medicine - A comprehensive 450 question final examination was given this month and we called it the second year Mock PANCE.
Rotation 11 Facial Plastic Surgery / ENT
July 30 - PACKRAT - This 225-question exam is built new each year, based on a content blueprint and detailed topic list developed by experienced PA educators and national exam experts, specifically for PA programs. Our program director ordered and provided this exam to us. It was a great tool used to assess which topics I performed poorly in. This guided my PANCE study schedule.
July 31 - Last Day of PA School
Last Day of Facial Plastic / ENT Surgery with my amazing preceptor!
August 1 to August 11 - Study for the PANCE. As you can tell from my images below, I made myself really cozy at cafes/coffee shops nearly every day. Since starting PA school - I discovered that I am more productive at cafes versus home or libraries.
Here’s my study regimen/goal/what I REALLY accomplished:
Rosh Review (Question bank program that my classmates and I individually purchased back in September 2018)
Goal: At least 5 sets of 60 questions per day on Rosh Review, TIMED - This mimics the conditions of the real PANCE.
Here’s what ACTUALLY went down lol:
As you can see, I didn’t hit my goal AT ALL. Not even one time. Life got the best of me (sorta); I was thrown two big curveballs. A break-up & familial turmoil. It felt like I was in an alternative universe when this all transpired on July 30 (the day before my last day of PA school). I don’t believe my mind or body comprehended the magnitude of events then; I was able to suppress most of it. I was bewildered, anxious, angry, ‘Woah is me,’ what the heck is happening right now. Mercury in retrograde did me a doozy lol.
My body, mind, and spirit went through the metaphorical wringer. I lost ~10 pounds, had a decrease in appetite and anhedonia, became anxious, had nightmares, and I felt distracted, to say the least. I sought out a therapist, practiced yoga every week, started journaling every day, and met up with friends (I am so thankful for them). Daily journaling via @the.holistic.psychologist has contributed so much to my personal healing process. I found my therapist through Soultenders.com (with health insurance) and Psychologytoday.com. If you’re without insurance, you can find a therapist through Open Path. I am doing well now and I’m still healing. I finally found the strength to compose all this!
August 12 - The day before the PANCE - Ari and I decided to take the day off to rest the brain (Highly Recommended). We got tacos for lunch, churro sundaes for dessert, and just chilled. Towards the end of the day, she reminded me to make a confidence card - I suggest doing one the night before your big exam! Mine is below:
August 13 - PANCE Day! My mentor sent me this:
Post-PANCE feels:
5 sets of 60 questions. My first set went terribly, I flagged so many questions and I was thinking to myself, “Man, I should’ve studied more!” I took a break after my first set to relax, went to the bathroom and took a sip of water. I completed my next few sets and took another break after my third one. I felt okay about the rest of it, I flagged a ton of questions but got some of them right away after reading a couple of lines. I think my mediocre prep with Rosh helped me with timing- whew! Coming out of the exam, I didn’t feel 💯 like I aced it but I felt like I did enough to pass (350/800 is passing). Ari and I (were absolutely brain-dead) celebrated with boba and french fries afterward, WOO! The bottom line, I liked Rosh Review and it was THE ONLY source I used because I didn’t have the energy to read through Pance Prep Pearls (PPP).
I want to say - Thank you for getting this far - I have an Instagram Highlight called “Passing the PANCE” that compliments what you’ve read here :) Again, I’m doing well - back together with my boyfriend and still healing…
Best of luck to you and your studies. Make a confidence card. Do a bunch of questions in a Timed mode and you’ll be golden. You’re nearly there, there is a 🌈 at the end of this tunnel, promise!
Until next time!
