The Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE) can be intimidating tests. The PANCE is composed of 300 multiple-choice questions completed over five hours, while the PANRE is four hours long and composed of 240 multiple-choice questions.
It is important to understand the components of the test and the number of questions to expect from each topic. Be sure to study each topic; however, focusing more time on heavier-weighted subjects will yield the best results.
The following is a breakdown of the percentage of exam content on each subject.
– Cardiovascular: 16%
– Pulmonary: 12%
– Gastrointestinal/Nutritional: 10%
– Musculoskeletal: 10%
– Ears/Eyes/Nose/Throat: 9%
– Reproductive: 8%
– Endocrine: 6%
– Genitourinary: 6%
– Neurologic System: 6%
– Psychiatry: 6%
– Dermatology: 5%
– Hematologic: 3%
– Infectious Diseases: 3%
Another way of breaking down the test is below.
– Formulating most likely diagnosis: 18%
– Pharmaceutical therapeutics: 18%
– History taking & physical exams: 16%
– Using laboratory & diagnostic studies: 14%
– Clinical intervention: 14%
– Health maintenance: 10%
– Applying basic science concepts: 10%
The key to doing well on the exam is simple: Practice Questions (and lots of them!). Click here for 1400 of them. Whether you choose to do this on your own, through online or printed material, or through a review course is up to you. The format isn’t important — getting used to the style and content of the questions is what really matters.
For sample practice questions, check out our blog: https://www.boardvitals.com/blog/tips-passing-pance-panre-exams/
Still have questions? Reach out to us here!