What subject matter is covered on the PANCE / PANRE?

Both the PANCE and the PANRE are organized into two dimensions: Physician Assistant Practice Task Areas and Diseases/Disorders by Organ System

Physician Assistant Practice Task Areas

• History Taking & Performing Physical Examinations 16%
• Using Laboratory & Diagnostic Studies 14%
• Formulating Most Likely Diagnosis 18%
• Health Maintenance 10%
• Clinical Intervention 14%
• Pharmaceutical Therapeutics 18%
• Applying Basic Science Concepts 10%

Diseases/Disorders by Organ System

• Cardiovascular 16%
• Dermatologic 5%
• EENT (Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat) 9%
• Endocrine 6%
• Gastrointestinal/Nutritional 10%
• Genitourinary 6%
• Hematologic 3%
• Infectious Diseases 3%
• Musculoskeletal 10%
• Neurologic System 6%
• Psychiatry/Behavioral 6%
• Pulmonary 12%
• Reproductive 8%

PANCE & PANRE Questions & Answers, PANCE Tips & Tricks

Question Format

Our PANCE question bank attempts to follow the format of five options per question, though you will find a few that only have four choices, specifically where we found it appropriate to limit the options and provide explanations for why each one is incorrect.

Pharma Questions

"Be careful on the pharma questions…" we hear from students over and over to know which drugs not to give, in which situations, and what the potential side effects and complications are. PANCE has a very high emphasis on patient safety and anyone preparing for this exam should keep this in mind. Our question bank has several blocks of questions that cover this content area specifically. Specifically, focus on CV drugs, neuro/psych drugs, and antimicrobials. Also, spend time on EKGS (our question bank has several good EKG questions to focus on). Don’t try to memorize the information – try to gain understanding instead.

What to Focus On

Also, make sure to focus on the systems with the higher percentages of exam content. (For example, we’ve heard that the Hematologic questions can be really tough, but it’s only a small percentage of the exam, so focus more on areas like Cardiovascular, GI, and Musculoskeletal)

Relax

Finally, remember to RELAX. After you’ve drilled thousands of questions, and studied the topics, you really are ready. The vast majority of our students pass, so take comfort in knowing that you’ll be well prepared. Our average score in the question bank is below 60%, but nearly everyone passes, so that should help give you a benchmark. Also, use our flagging system to track questions that are particularly difficult so that you have a good review session 1.5 - 2 weeks before the exam.