Everything You Need to Know and How to Sign Up for the PANCE Exam

The time to take the PANCE has finally arrived! All of the blood, sweat, and tears you have poured into your future career are coming to a head.

You may be wondering now what? How do I sign up for the PANCE exam? How much does continuing medical education cost? Where do I take the exam? Are there practice questions? Today we will answer all of these questions relating to the PA educational program and more.

Test details

The PANCE exam consists of five 60-minute sections. Yes, you read that right, it is a 5-hour medical exam! Each section has 60 test questions, giving you 1 minute to complete each question. A total of 45 minutes of break time is allotted to each student. You are responsible for managing this time. If you leave the exam during a 60-minute section, this time will be taken away from your actual exam time. You will also not be able to access your locker or materials.

When taking a break after finishing a block of questions, you may check your locker. I personally bring a review sheet for that break. I do not recommend studying in between sections, but I do recommend checking the information you were unsure of that came up in a section.

[Updated 2020] The current exam cost is $550. Sticker shock, I know! But I promise it will be worth it. To qualify for the PANCE exam and start the application process, you must graduate from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) as a Physician Assistant.

Paperwork and test location

Application for the PANCE can be done through the NCCPA. Once the application is accepted, there will be 180 days available to schedule the exam. The earliest test date that will be available is 7 days post-graduation. The PA certification exam can be taken once in any 90-day period or three times within 1 year.

When the NCCPA provides exam acknowledgment, you must create a Pearson VUE account. Pearson VUE is a testing center used for many physician assistant license certifications. You will be able to find the closest Pearson VUE center after creating your account. The testing center offers a tutorial for the PANCE exam for your convenience.

The testing center will require two kinds of identification. One must have a photo. Both must also match the name the NCCPA has on file for you. If there is not a match, the NCCPA must be contacted immediately.

At the testing center, there will be a locker provided to store food and materials. There is nothing allowed in the test room: no gum, no tissues, you get the idea. A digital fingerprint will be used going in and out of the room. There will be a piece of paper, a pencil, and earplugs provided for you.

Test timelines

Before your PANCE exam date, make sure you do a few test runs at home. Try different break schedules to determine your fatigue point. You can also enroll in pre-PA programs to help get you ready.Here are a couple of test timeline examples:

Section 1:   60 minutes
Section 2:   60 minutes
Break 1:       15 minutes
Section 3:   60 minutes
Break 2:     15 minutes
Section 4:   60 minutes
Break 3:     15 minutes
Section 5:   60 minutes

Or:

Section 1:   60 minutes
Break 1:       5 minutes
Section 2:   60 minutes
Break 2:     15 minutes
Section 3:   60 minutes
Break 3:     15 minutes
Section 4:   60 minutes
Break 4:     10 minutes
Section 5:   60 minutes

There are a few quick tips that are important to know about the PANCE exam prior to taking it. There is a tab for normal lab values. Also, the temperature will be given in Fahrenheit and Celsius. You are able to mark a question and go back to it if you have time at the end of the section but, remember, a guess is better than no answer. Finally, know the generic drug names.

Anything else?

Once you have finished the exam, your score could take up to two weeks to arrive. The score will be listed on the NCCPA site. Aside from that, it is important to discuss with your future place of employment what is needed for credentialing. States have different licensing requirements which may include a state license, controlled substance license, and a DEA license. Some places of employment will pay for these expenses. If you plan to work under a temporary license, you must email the NCCPA for an eligibility letter which you will submit to the state of employment.

For more tips on studying, check out some of these PANCE Prep Tips.

Good luck!

By Dawn Miller, PA-C

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Dawn Miller, PA-C is a practicing physician assistant who graduated from Wayne State University. Clinically active in advanced heart failure and transplant medicine at the University of Michigan as well as per diem internal medicine at Spectrum Health and their regional facilities. She has worked in medical education at Blueprint-Rosh Review since 2017 in many roles including working directly with customers in content support, managing content support specialists, with authors in medical editing, with AAPA in quiz bowl authoring, and any other opportunity she's given! She lectures occasionally at the university level in PANCE review. She remained clinically active throughout the COVID pandemic as well as joined forces with a company to deliver COVID and flu vaccines. When not working she has 4 children who have a variety of extracurriculars they travel country for and they love to camp! She loves to read and hike!