How I prepared and what I would have done differently

[milo2good]

I just want to thank everyone here who shared their resources and experiences. I recently took the PANCE and am so relieved to say that I passed! I wanted to come back here and share with everyone how I studied and what I would have done the same or differently. I honestly felt like I failed the PANCE after I took it and am so glad that I passed. The PANCE was different than any of the questions I studied but maybe all the reading and practice tests/questions prepared me in the end. I can’t guarantee that how I studied will mean that you will pass too but it worked for me.

 

Here is how I prepared:

· I graduated at the beginning of August and took about 2 weeks off to relax at home with friends and family. Then buckled down and studied for about 2 ½ weeks, around 8 hours a day.

· I read the AAPA comprehensive book and did all of the questions (I did this throughout the year but did it again after graduation). Reviewed topics that I thought were kind of weak with my own notes from school and with online research.

· Studied as many packrats as I could.

· Signed up with PanceMaster and completed all of the questions.

· Completed several exams in the Lange Q&A (cardio, pulm, ortho, rheum).

· I took both of the NCCPA practice exams

 

Here is what I wish I had done:

· Take the exam 1 week after graduation. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to take the test, I think it created more stress. I also regret that I didn't start studying for the PANCE sooner. I was studying all year for rotations, but I waited until after graduation to really focus on practice PANCE questions.

· Take the exam on a Monday! I took mine on a Thursday and it was torture waiting 7 days for the results!

· Sign up with PanceMaster 1-2 months before taking the test. (I really crammed to do as many questions as I did in only 2 ½ weeks and I really wish I had spaced it out better).

· Read the AAPA comprehensive book and do all the questions. Review topics that are weak.

· Do as many packrats as you can. (I think the packrats are easier than the PANCE but it’s good practice to take long tests).

· I really liked PanceMaster, it cost $55 for over 1000 questions. I thought these questions were the most difficult out of all the questions that I studied.

· The Lange Q&A is good, I thought the cardio and pulm were fairly simple and straightforward but some of the other exams were really hard for me, maybe it just depends on your strengths.

· I regret doing the NCCPA practice exams, which cost me a total of $70, $35 for each exam. These exams don’t give you feedback on specific questions and so you’re left wondering what the correct answer was.

 

 

 

Hopefully this might help someone out there with their studies. Thanks again for everyone’s help here!

[PA4_13]

Thank you for sharing

[Guest carolanimal]

I'm only a pre-PA, but your PANCE prep sounded so comprehensive that I'm saving the link for later haha. congrats on your "C"!

[cardiackat]

i have been a pa-c since 1993 in ct surgery. i just passed the panre and wanted to come back to this site and make a few points. 1. i have never failed a pance or panre exam...yet i have NEVER actually thought i passed when leaving the exam room. so, if you feel this way after the exam please stay calm. 2. the fact that we have to recertify...and all the expense, anxiety involved...makes me so angry. we have np's that are getting the same or higher salaries and take one stupid exam and never have to see it again.each time i take the exam the surgeons, nurses and OR staff are shocked we have to do this. the surgeons who are board certified take an exam in their specialty every 10 years. note: in their specialty. what are we trying to prove as a profession? its not working. the general public has no clue. we get no credit for this. plus, if you think that its gets easier as you age...with children, marriage, responsibilities...it does not. NCCPA is collecting our money and laughing all the way to the bank. 3. take the practice exams offered...i know it freaks you out and costs money but you need a sense of what these idiots consider important. 4. support fellow pa's that challenge and question why we should have to re-certify in a generalist exam. you cannot imagine what it feels like to be in your forties with a family depending on you....and your livelihood is at the mercy of some group of sanctimonius jerks that create this exam. 5. heres a thought: what is the downside of making the exam completely straightforward? some people will still fail. 6. stay active with your state pa associations. they are the ones that really help you...or not. 7. if you do fail a panre- dust yourself off and stay mentally tough. we are all behind you...keeping your wits about you during the exam may mean the difference between passing and failing. regards.

[aprillh]

Cardiackat, I completely agree. I am in the midst of studying for my second PANRE with a full time job, family, small kids, etc. The pressure is unreal because I *have* to pass. I have specialized since I graduated so I feel like I am relearning everything. The recert process gets more asinine every time. But I digress...

 

What did you use to study? I am using the Van Rhee book and the Appleton and Lang along with some topic specific notes a colleague had put together. Any other suggestions?

[joanna.nola]

I took and passed the PANCE recently. I also took a month after grad to study, though I studied most of that time (not as intense in the beginning, though). I think this was perhaps a bit too much time, like the OP said. If you start doing practice questions well before grad a week after grad could be an ideal time to take the test. People have emphasized this before, but I really think most of one's studying should be directed at practice questions. I did the New Jersey review course. It was good. But I think I might have done just as well to focus on questions (I took my time going through the course--took me almost 3 weeks & then I spent a week and half drilling questions). My advice: just drill those puppies all day long. Go over the explanations. Really understand the answers. I went through old Packrats, Appleton and Lange, Van Rhee, and some examaster. I just did questions over and over. I did the practice test by NCPPA (the $35 one). They don't give you explanations (so I can understand the OPs dislike of them), but they do give you a sense of what the test will "feel" like and they give you how well you did broken down by subject area, which I have to say, almost matched my PANCE break-down by subject area exactly (I did crazy well in some of the same areas and not so well in others, for instance--but it was nearly identical...I took it only a week before my tests, maybe if I'd taken it before that I could have raised some of those weak areas. Oh well.) So I do think it is useful tool to tell if you are likely to pass the PANCE (if most of your little bars in your score report are in the average to above average area, you should pass). But then again, I think the Packrat does that, too.

Folks say that the packrat is much easier than the PANCE, but I'm not sure that is true. I think going through the Packrats might have helped me more than any of the other practice questions (actually Appleton & Lange is up there too). I really thought some of the questions were very, very similar to packrat questions.

 

Also, once you've drilled those questions a lot, you hit a stride. You start to see things to rule out; you can narrow down the right answer etc. As a result of this test-taking practice, I'd say, I got in a zone and took the PANCE *very* quickly (finished in a few hours) Afterward I thought: well that was either good or very bad! But I just didn't dwell on any one question, just like I did in my practice tests. And I wasn't nervous at all (remarkably! again, I attribute this to all the practice questions!) In school, I always finished tests early, but about half of the class finished before me (so I was right in the middle speed-wise).

[cardiackat]

hang in there. and most importantly stay tough during the exam. do not start thinking 'im failing'. you can think that after! ;)

as i mentioned: please take the practice exam. not so much to test your knowledge...but to get a first hand look at how questions are asked.

i used the review book approved by aapa- the outline one- mc connell (?) also: appleton and lang, but these questions offer way more info than you will be given on most questions. if you recently graduated, or know a recent graduate, they seem to have a nice collection of short questions that appear frequently on exams. i had a young friend at work that gave me 500 questions...and they were great. lastly, i also used a usmle step 2 er medicine book. this was nice as it was succinct and gave high yield facts to remember. i remember thinking during the exam, this time and the time before, that an ER pa is probably the best prepared. even more than family practice. hope this helps. good luck.

[christopherjmu]

I just graduated in august and I have my PA school notes on quizlet if you're interested. They are seperated by organ system, and the information is up-to-date.

[cmbarry]

I just graduated in august and I have my PA school notes on quizlet if you're interested. They are seperated by organ system, and the information is up-to-date.

I searched Quizlet, but couldn't find yours. What should I search under?

[c0untingstars]

I found this thread awhile back and saved it later for when I did my own PANCE prep...the OP definitely lists the best study recommendations I have come across. I modeled my preparation after the OPs suggestions and did pretty darn well. Here are my thoughts:

 

1) PACKRATs, although easier than the PANCE, are the most similar questions you will find. I think they were great for practice.

2) I purchased one exam on ExamMaster for $20 and would not suggest it. Like many others have said before, some of the questions and explanations are far too long and I just don't think the material they tested me on translated well to the PANCE.

3) I agree the NCCPA practice exams are a waste of money. Again, you do not get answers or feedback on specific questions. I felt the PACKRAT questions were more similar to the PANCE than the questions in the NCCPA practice exam.

4) Purchase the AAPA book early and read sections as you go through your clinical rotations. Then re-read during your PANCE prep time. Be sure to look up information that the book is lacking. Supplement with lecture notes or textbooks. Also, if you access the questions online you can sort by chapter; so instead of taking the 300 question pre-test, I did the questions on each section after I read.

5) You do not need to purchase an online review course.

6) I wasn't a huge fan of LANGE Q&A, but it is worthwhile to look through for cardio, or any of your weak areas.

7) Remember, active studying (such as doing practice questions) is superior to passive studying (such as reading notes and listening to lectures over and over).

8) I took my exam Monday and got my results 3 days later on Thursday.

 

I used exactly 2 weeks (14 days) to study and did 75 PACKRAT questions per day on most days. I recommend saving 2 PACKRATS to do from start to finish to practice for timing. Otherwise, break them up and do questions daily. I found that my studying was more effective this way. For those who like to compare, I averaged 170 on my PACKRATs,

[bananapeppers]

Very, very helpful c0untingstars! Thanks for the tip. Did you ever try using the Kplan Qbank during your review session? Or PAeasy?

[rchop12]

hi i am taking my panre in july ending, i do have all the aapa books from pance preparation but no cds given to friends who needs after i passed my pance 6 years ago. so i dont want spend money to buy all books again just for cd's. please any one have it i am willing to pay for cd's.

[c0untingstars]

Sorry bananapeppers, I did not try Kaplan or PanceMaster...I had access to PAeasy but I chose not to use it since I've read feedback on the forum about incorrect answers.

[kaytee]

Hi I am wondering if you have any advice to help me out. I graduated last year from the PA program and all in all I wasn't a bad student and didn't struggle in passing my classes like how I am now =( i just took the pance for the 3rd time and found out I failed it again. Each time I am literally off by 1 or 2 points from 350. I am devastated and Im not sure what im doing wrong. I have used Paeasy, pance master, exam master. I used the Davis review book, the aapa green book and i used a review course from mycme.com. Is there any other review course you can recommend like the hippo or the kaplan live course. That one costs 800 dollars and so does the live cme review course for 5 days. Do you think I should try one of those? Please help I plan on taking the pance again in september. I am frustrated that I am failing by a couple of points all the time. Any advice you can give me will be appreciated. Thank you so much.

[Studentforlife]

Hello Christopher!

 

I saw your post- it has been a while, but i would be very interested in getting a hold of your Quizlet s. I am taking PANCE - my 1st pance to be exact, the dreaded pance in October and would like any help that I could get. I am sure you worked hard to create the Quizlet, and i would be very happy if you could share it with me.

 

Thank you!

Monika

[dbarnes09]

I found this thread awhile back and saved it later for when I did my own PANCE prep...the OP definitely lists the best study recommendations I have come across. I modeled my preparation after the OPs suggestions and did pretty darn well. Here are my thoughts:

 

1) PACKRATs, although easier than the PANCE, are the most similar questions you will find. I think they were great for practice.

2) I purchased one exam on ExamMaster for $20 and would not suggest it. Like many others have said before, some of the questions and explanations are far too long and I just don't think the material they tested me on translated well to the PANCE.

3) I agree the NCCPA practice exams are a waste of money. Again, you do not get answers or feedback on specific questions. I felt the PACKRAT questions were more similar to the PANCE than the questions in the NCCPA practice exam.

4) Purchase the AAPA book early and read sections as you go through your clinical rotations. Then re-read during your PANCE prep time. Be sure to look up information that the book is lacking. Supplement with lecture notes or textbooks. Also, if you access the questions online you can sort by chapter; so instead of taking the 300 question pre-test, I did the questions on each section after I read.

5) You do not need to purchase an online review course.

6) I wasn't a huge fan of LANGE Q&A, but it is worthwhile to look through for cardio, or any of your weak areas.

7) Remember, active studying (such as doing practice questions) is superior to passive studying (such as reading notes and listening to lectures over and over).

8) I took my exam Monday and got my results 3 days later on Thursday.

 

I used exactly 2 weeks (14 days) to study and did 75 PACKRAT questions per day on most days. I recommend saving 2 PACKRATS to do from start to finish to practice for timing. Otherwise, break them up and do questions daily. I found that my studying was more effective this way. For those who like to compare, I averaged 170 on my PACKRATs,

 

What is this AAPA review book that everyone is talking about. Can someone post an Amazon link or the name/author of the book?

[rchop12]

hai studentforlife..

 

i opened quizlet after seeing on some posts.. u just login there is lot of stuff and quick cards u can go through they are nice. i am not using because my exam is in 4 days.. doing questions.. but otherwise they are good reviews.

[c0untingstars]

http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Certification-Recertification-Examinations-Assistants/dp/1605477265/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375317473&sr=8-1&keywords=aapa