Shocked I did not pass pance

[samhamiam]

Hi everyone,

 

First and foremost, I am grateful for everyone reading this. I really wish I did not have to even write this. I took my board exam on 10/10/19 and I found out a few hours ago that I failed. I will list everything I did below, I really just need guidance and what I did wrong. I am asking for advice and I have a job offer waiting and no idea what to tell them. Do I tell them I failed then risk everyone at work later knowing I am dumb? 

How I studied:

- I took the board exam 7 weeks after graduation. I took the first week off, then for the remaining 6 weeks I studied every single day (some days half days). I got to studying at about 11am and studied till 8-9 in the evening. 

- I used ppp and step up to complete the entire blueprint -- I did this then I reviewed it once more to refresh things I did weeks ago. 

- I did all the cardio rosh review and exam master cardio questions with review on tutor mode. I did rosh review for all of GI, pulmonology, neuro. 

- my packrat scores were 146 then 155 

- All six EORs I was between 79%-85% 

- my nccpa exam had me in the green range (not in borderline at all but not HIGH in the green range either)

- took a 2 day Joe Gilboy course and listened to this soundcloud (all 18 videos) and did the problems in his booklet 

Mistakes I made:

- I studied the night before the exam (till 8 in the evening)

- I studied on the way to the exam (my exam was at noon) 

 

What I am thinking of doing now: 

- taking the week off 

- I already paid NCCpa the $500 to book yet another test, I will schedule the next exam as soon as possible and a morning time (8am) at a location 15 min from my house

- just doing questions and reviewing pharmacology 

 

Any advice? Also, do I tell my job I failed? I feel I should. I am just really sad, I know I worked hard. I did not think this would happen. please give me your advice if you believe it will be helpful in my sad situation. 

[Guest HanSolo]

I'm sorry this happened to you, but shit happens. It's not the end of the world. You can take the exam again. A few things.

- Practice active learning instead of passive learning. Listening to podcasts, watching movies, and reading is passive. You need to spend more time on active retrieval skills.

- You'll likely have some test anxiety for this next round. Do whatever you need to get yourself in a mentally sound place. At a minimum, eat actual healthy food and get some exercise.

- You studied a lot. I'm thinking you may have been fatigued by the time you took the exam. Marathon runners don't run full blast right up to race day. Take a few days off before to let your mind rest. 

- New plan sounds good. Don't expect a pity party. Get back up on the horse!

 

[MT2PA]

Questions, questions, questions.

Yes, you have to know the material and studying is key, but you've essentially studied for the last 2 years straight!  A big part of PANCE is knowing how to take the test.  What are they really asking?

To me it seems like you didn't do enough practice questions.  Basically everyone in my class just did questions constantly for 1-2 weeks after graduating until test time.  If you scored low in a category then you go to PPP or green book to review.

You need to practice like you're taking the test.  Set up ROSH with 300 random questions.  Give yourself the 5 hrs to do them, allowing yourself the 15 min breaks.  You should do this at least once if not twice in your study plan leading up to the test.  I did it once before graduation and once before the test.  My goal otherwise was at least 50 questions a day.

Edited October 19, 2019 by MT2PA

[drummer195]

I want to say the first thing is you are not dumb. The PANCE is not a measure by any means of the kind of provider you are. Practice questions are important, but understanding the material is more important. I would focus first on areas where you did the worst on the exam based on the feedback you were given and make sure you get a better foundation on these topics then really focus on the big topics of Cardio, Pulm, GI, MSK. I also think you studied too much. If you were truly studying from 11 am to 7-8 pm that 7 to 8 hours daily this would cause you to have so much fatigue and not be a great way to learn materal . I would not study more than four hours a day and not more than 90 minutes without a break. The number of hours doesn’t matter you have to give yourself the time to cover and learn the material. I bet if you just covered a little material in an organized way daily you will be fine and I would also recommend not studying for two to three days before your next exam you need your mind to be in great shape.

 

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

7 hours ago, MT2PA said:

Questions, questions, questions.

Yes, you have to know the material and studying is key, but you've essentially studied for the last 2 years straight!  A big part of PANCE is knowing how to take the test.  What are they really asking?

To me it seems like you didn't do enough practice questions.  Basically everyone in my class just did questions constantly for 1-2 weeks after graduating until test time.  If you scored low in a category then you go to PPP or green book to review.

You need to practice like you're taking the test.  Set up ROSH with 300 random questions.  Give yourself the 5 hrs to do them, allowing yourself the 15 min breaks.  You should do this at least once if not twice in your study plan leading up to the test.  I did it once before graduation and once before the test.  My goal otherwise was at least 50 questions a day.

Totally agree with this. It’s how I’ve passed every big exam from nursing NCLEX, to CCRN, PANCE, and my EM residency exam. You know the material, you just have to practice marathon like recall. I just did 300 questions a day for about 2 weeks. Then 2 days before I did 500, then rest the day before. I read nothing other than answer explanations when I missed or guessed an answer. 
 

another thing, and this something that really changed my test taking, is i drop off at about 50 questions. After that, if I don’t have a break, you can watch the score start to drop off. So I calculated out my breaks and took one, I think every 50 mins with a 10 minute break. Worked out great.

[ZZ123]

You are NOT dumb! You have to get that out of your head before starting to study again, and DO NOT compare yourself or your scores to other people in your class, it will make you more depressed. 

Here is my story, to make you feel a little better, hopefully! I also was in A LOT of shock when I failed - twice. 

The first time I took the exam, I got 336 (passing was 350), then I studied more, 4 days/week, while working 2 days/week, and having 1 personal day, I used Rosh and Pance Prep Pearls. I decided that to solidify everything I learned, I should take a CME review course, during which I scored above average, and 4 days later I went to take PANCE for the 2nd time - and failed again - 345 (passing was 350). 

I felt very defeated, that after almost 6 months of full time studying, I did not pass by 5 points. 

My previous PA school advisor recommended Dr. Athas for 1:1 tutoring online (http://www.precipiolearning.com/precipio/2016/10/26/so-you-failed-the-pance-or-panre). I was so desperate, I figured, if I have already studied for 6 months, done over 3,000 questions on Rosh and read Pance Prep Pearls cover to cover about 10 times, I had nothing to lose... I had a total of 4 tutoring sessions with Dr. Athas (2hrs each). I have also watched all of his videos. He provides a different approach to learning medicine, which is what I was lacking. The videos truly helped me understand the mechanisms of action and physiology of diseases and medications, which I had memorized before, but did not truly understand. 

I took the exam for the 3rd time, and scored 407, which was passing.

***In addition to Rosh questions and the videos from Precipio Learning, I also used Exam Master Questions (which I got access to by taking the online course from Precipio Learning). I attended a 26hr CME course for PANCE/PANRE Review. During my free time (driving or going to the gym) I listened to podcasts from Brian Wallace  http://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/sitemap/ , but I did NOT buy his book. 

Study all your weak topics, but do not leave out the material you are confident with, which was my mistake the first time. Make a study plan, and stick to it. Make sure to have at least 1 day/week dedicated to yourself and your personal health. 

Lastly, unfortunately you definitely need to tell your job. They are not going to think any less of you, they will appreciate the honesty, and perhaps offer you a position next time, or at least keep you in mind for the next opening. I am sure this is not their first encounter with a similar situation. 

Don't lose hope. 

Best,
Fellow PA-C

[snoopy]

I'm planning on taking panre in dec.   I was not going to recert but now feel that i should.  i have been out of school for a long time.  i did 3 previous panres and passed but each one i found more difficult.  would you recommend the pance prep pearls or any other recommendations i'd really appreciate.  thank you.

[ZZ123]

@snoopy I would say read pance prep pearls and do a CME Review course. CME review course is helpful and they give you practice tests to see how you are doing. In the meantime, I think listening to pance/panre podcasts in the car is beneficial. I found this one helpful: http://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/sitemap/