JC-PA Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Hi All, I believe this is my first ever post on this forum, at least since starting PA school. I graduated in June and have spent the last month dedicating 4-5 hours per day, increasing to 6-8 hours per day the last 2 weeks, to prepare for the PANCE. A little background on performance for "litmus test" exams for PANCE performance: Pre-clinical PACKRAT: 125, Post-clinical PACKRAT: 172. Additionally, I completed the HIPPO PA Exam Review as well as the Kaplan QBank, and used the NCCPA Comprehensive Review. My average performance on Hippo questions was around 80% and Kaplan was consistently in the 70s, and Comp. Review practice exam was 71%. Overall, I felt fairly confident going into the test on 6/25/16. Here's the maddening part of my story. Despite my preparation, studying, reading, etc., I left the PANCE with a sickeningly dazed feeling, and honestly felt that some of the questions were completely out of left field. It's medicine, I understand that I am not supposed to understand all of it, but I was honestly hoping to leave the test feeling more confident in my performance than I did. In the days since, I have regained some of that lost confidence, but the doubts also linger, which can be a little frustrating. So, in an attempt to quell my anxiety so I can make it through the next 2 weeks with my sanity still in tact, I sought out stories on this forum and found that I'm not alone in much of my post-PANCE nerves. Spending time focusing on an exam which I cannot possibly change now isn't the healthiest way to cope, but I wanted to post this in an attempt to kindle some conversation from recent test takers to gain an understanding of how they felt on it, as well as some sage-like wisdom from you PA-C's out there who would be kind enough to offer your own experiences when you took the PANCE/PANRE. Looking forward to your feedback! All the Best, A PA anxiously waiting 2 weeks for his -C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynPA-C Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I just took it this morning. Had basically the same schedule and packrats, and I felt like a handful of the questions left me thinking "WTF?". I think I made it through, but I feel like I can't get those WTF questions out of my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC-PA Posted July 27, 2016 Author Share Posted July 27, 2016 I think that's been my issue. Honestly, most times today, I felt fairly good about my performance, and then the doubt kicks in, you think about those WTF questions and start hyperventilating. I'm making a conscious effort to preoccupy myself to keep my mind off of it, otherwise, I fixate and panic. I hope you do well!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssistantDoctor Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I'm taking it on Friday. Any last minute tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC-PA Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 I'm taking it on Friday. Any last minute tips? I haven't gotten my scores back, so take this with a grain of salt , but, retrospectively from my own experience, I would suggest focusing on rest and relaxation today. Tomorrow will be a very stressful day and adding to that stress by overanalyzing and trying to cram today can be detrimental. At this point, you are prepared! Additionally, once the exam is over, it's very easy to have that gut reaction that you didn't do so well, especially if you're like me and tend to focus on what you've missed rather than what you were confident about. It's normal to have this reaction, but try to remind yourself that the majority of test takers ~96%, pass on their first attempt and try not to worry yourself into oblivion. In the 5 days since my test, I can say I've had my fair share of mini panic attacks and have done sets of review questions on both Hippo and Kaplan to re-affirm that I do know the material; instead, I would suggest trying to find a distraction in a hobby, book, video game, Netflix, exercise, etc to keep your mind off of the wait, because it tends to be very long and stressful. We should get our scores on the same day, so please update if you want! I wish you the best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynPA-C Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I agree with JC, spend your last day or so before the exam relaxing. Have fun and give your brain a break so it's ready to go come test time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssistantDoctor Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Thanks for the tips JC-PA. I decided to postpone my exam for a few days so I can review some more. I'm so nervous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike mike Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 OP - you'll be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC-PA Posted August 4, 2016 Author Share Posted August 4, 2016 OP - you'll be fine! Thanks Bike Mike! Just found out I passed! PA-C never looked so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynPA-C Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 I passed too!! Found out this morning!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC-PA Posted August 4, 2016 Author Share Posted August 4, 2016 I passed too!! Found out this morning!! Great to hear!!! Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynPA-C Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Great to hear!!! Congratulations! Thanks! You too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaseaCakes PA-C Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Hi guys, For those who are anxious about taking boards or just curious about boards, I figured I would share what I felt was incredibly helpful. First of all, remember the PANCE is question based scenarios therefore practice practice practice questions. I used both Rosh review and Kaplan Qbank. I can not stress enough on practicing questions. Rosh review is great for visualize learners. I felt that Rosh helps to build medical knowledge and foundation so you can work through questions. Rosh review does a great job explaining reasons for the right answers and wrong. There is a free trail if you like to check it out: https://www.roshreview.com/ Kaplan Qbank was also a great resource. Although it is a bit more challenging then Rosh it represented similar questions and challenging questions that I saw on the boards. Actually both Rosh and Kaplan I felt were similar to the boards in the wording of the questions, difficulty, associations, etc... When practicing my questions, I first used Rosh to go over sections first (ex: cardio, pulm, endo, etc.) and then use Kaplan in the same sections. I also did the NCCPA practice exams (both of them). Although you are not able to view the questions you get wrong, I thought that it was a good representation of what to expect on the exam (the question format, topics and amount of depth of questions). It shows you areas of proficiency in each blueprint topics. Since these are old retired questions, I thought it was a good resource in preparing. However, be prepared to pay $50 each exam. PANCE pearls by Dwayne Williams is a great book that I used to help supplement my studies. I used this book a lot my fist year and used it again during clinical year and preparing for boards. I would do practice questions from Rosh and Kaplan then review answers and open this book to address additional concepts, associations, what to look out for, etc... Again this is based off my experience and what I felt helped me. Honestly, yes the boards will be challenging. However, there will be a lot of questions that are easy and some that can be challenging. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.