The top physician assistant degree programs require you to commit a lot of your time and energy to your studies. By the time you graduate from one of these master’s degree programs and are ready to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) test for professional licensure, you should be used to studying hard and have an idea of what study methods work best for your learning style. There are numerous exam preparation options available directly through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the American Academy of PAs or through private test prep companies. You could take a course, try your skills in a practice exam or hit the books and tailor your study plan to the NCCPA’s official exam content blueprint.
Sign Up for a Face-to-Face or Online PANCE Prep Course
If you want your exam study procedure to follow a routine more closely related to your graduate school studies, a prep course may be your best option. You can choose from live face-to-face courses as well as online prep courses. Either option can provide a great study experience, so the choice between online and face-to-face programs depends on what structure you prefer. If you find you perform best in a traditional classroom environment, you might opt for a live course, but if you value convenience and flexibility, an online option may have everything you need.
Hippo Education’s AAPA PANCE/PANRE Review, for example, is a comprehensive online course that boasts a 99.94 percent pass rate. The full course includes a massive question bank and more than 72 hours of video lectures and audio education that you can filter by topic along with in-depth performance data that helps you identify your weak points and work to improve them. Aspiring PAs and established PAs preparing for their regular recertification exam during the 2020 to 2021 period can buy a one-year subscription to the entire course for $495 or get it for a discounted cost of $400 if they are also a member of the American Academy of PAs. You can also buy 3-month or 12-month access to the question bank only.
Some of the companies promoted by the American Academy of PAs that offer live PANCE prep courses include CME Resources, CME4LIFE and Certified Medical Educators.
Spend Time Taking Practice Tests
The best way to assess your knowledge of the topics covered on the PANCE exam is by taking practice tests that simulate the experience of the real exam. Besides helping you assess what you know and what you need to work on, practice tests can help you reduce test anxiety and become more confident.
Taking practice tests should undoubtedly be part of your study routine, but you should use these tests as a guide for what to study, not a complete replacement for reviewing notes and lessons. You might benefit from taking a practice exam early on in your study process and use the results to guide your study schedule so that you know which topics you already know well and which will demand more of your attention. Some test takers find it valuable to complete a benchmark test midway through their studies to determine if they are on track to meet their goals. You may find it reassuring to take a practice exam near the end of your studies, as your test date approaches.
If you’re buying your practice exams directly from the NCCPA, the organization that administers the PANCE exam, you may take an unlimited number of practice exams but have to pay each time you take a practice test. At $50 per test, the costs can add up quickly.
Review the Most Up-to-Date PANCE Content Blueprint
Of course, you don’t need expensive courses to get ready for the PANCE exam. If you’d prefer to study independently, you can get started by reviewing the PANCE content blueprint to identify the topics you need to study. Then identify resources that will help you achieve those study goals. You might spend time reviewing textbooks and notes from your college courses or invest in PANCE test prep books.
It’s important to really understand your personal learning style and choose study activities that fit that learning style well. You might create flashcards to test yourself, take written notes to help you commit information to memory, or develop visual representations – like flowcharts or diagrams – of processes and other types of information.
The content of the PANCE test changes regularly, so make sure you’re using the most up-to-date content blueprint to plan your studies. Similarly, if you’re choosing a course or practice test, make sure it has been updated to reflect the current PANCE exam content.
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