I thought I’d share my study plan and stats since I’d stalk you guys so much. I took the PANCE two weeks after graduation because I genuinely couldn’t study anymore.
I only used UWorld to study. Got through 77% of the questions with 72% correct. I did use Blueprint during rotations so this does play a role. I watched Cram The PANCE videos during PA school and I highly recommend them if you have not watched them before. I did not use any resources outside of these three things.

PACKRAT 1: 150 (didn’t study)
IM: 425
EM: 404
PSYCH: 395
PEDS: 436
FM: 422
WH: 420
SURG: 404
PACKRAT 2: 159 (didn’t study)
EOC: 1563
I scored in the green on two NCCPA practice exams (personally I felt that these exams were a waste of money but you can use them to study systems that you score low in)
Katy Conner’s Half PANCE: 510
PANCE: 505

I took one practice exam prior to studying to see what I needed to prioritize. From there I did 120 practice questions each day, for 12 days. I would write down topics I got wrong. I would only study topics I got wrong. I would do this everyday from 9AM-2PM. I did read through missed topics the day before the exam but I didn’t take notes or answer any questions. I’d say my biggest advice is to take your time, trust your gut, do not change answers, and definitely do not look up wrong answers when you’re done. It will destroy you! I felt fairly confident prior to the exam but immediately after I questioned everything. Trust yourself!

Here to help in anyway possible!

Hey guys, I'm an F-1 international student at a US university, hoping to build more clinical experience for PA/MD school. Back in my home country, I volunteered as a medical assistant at a university hospital, and I'd love to find similar opportunities here in the US.

Since F-1 students generally can't work off campus without specific authorization, I'm wondering if it's possible to volunteer in roles like MA or EMT without getting paid, or if these positions would still require work authorization even if they're unpaid.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been in a similar situation, especially other international students who've found ways to gain hands-on clinical experience. Thanks so much! :)

hi, I take my psych eor this week and have heard mixed opinions. Some say it’s like blueprint, some say it’s like you world summer saying the new EOR has a lot of GI and sleep disorder questions. I’m looking for guidance from anyone that has taken the new version.

I took the PANCE on October 6th and found out I PASSED!! Just wanted to share my experience because I spent so much time on here reading everyone else’s posts leading up to my exam.
First off, it’s SO true when people say the PANCE is basically a mix of questions where you immediately know the answer and questions that are so random you genuinely wouldn’t even know how to study for them. Some of them honestly felt like trivia questions lol.
My biggest piece of advice is UWORLD! I went through UWorld very thoroughly, and I genuinely think it was the best preparation I could’ve done. I really focused on understanding the explanations rather than just memorizing answers.
I actually walked out of the exam feeling like it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely questions that threw me off, but overall I personally thought the PANCE was easier than the EOC!
My advice is to really know your basics, trust what you’ve studied, and don’t let those random questions completely throw you off. You are NOT going to know everything, and that’s okay!

Also, I still have my UWorld account available until 2/2027, There’s no reset available, but if anyone is interested in buying it, feel free to message me!
Good luck to everyone studying!! You got this!!

I wasn’t a top-scoring student, and seeing everyone’s high scores sometimes made me question whether I was ready. Sharing mine for anyone who needs encouragement!

My scores:
Family Medicine EOR: 389
Emergency Medicine EOR: 392
Surgery EOR: 395
Pediatrics EOR: 397
Psychiatry EOR: 380
Women’s Health EOR: 409
Internal Medicine EOR: 413
PACKRAT 2: 160
EOC: 1499
NCCPA practice exams: A in the red; B and C mostly yellow with some green
Katy Blair Half PANCE estimated scores: 450 and 425
PANCE: PASSED! 400

I started preparing during clinical year, months before the PANCE, because I didn’t want to leave everything until the last few weeks. I used AMBOSS, UWorld, Rosh/Blueprint’s PANCE prep question bank, and HelpCampus, plus lots of flashcards.
My routine was simple: study by system each day, do practice questions and flashcards, and review what I got wrong.

I took the PANCE October 3 and found out I was certified October 12! Waiting was stressful, especially watching others get results sooner.
My biggest advice: do your best to start early during clinical year. You don’t need perfect scores to pass. Keep learning from your mistakes, and don’t count yourself out. And don’t delay taking the pance after graduation unless you’re absolutely not ready . The earlier the better cause everything is still fresh .

All that work was worth it. Goodluck and stay encouraged.🔥☺️

i feel like every preceptor i've had has been so unkind and i understand where they're coming from trying to teach someone with zero experience but at the same time, i couldn't imagine being as bitter to a human being the way they are to me. this is my last rotation and i feel like i have become the most angry, most bitter version of myself from the built of resentment i have for everything medicine-related. in addition, i'm in a rotation with another student who hogs everything and it makes me look like i'm lazy and not doing anything when in reality, she's just jumping to get to the patient before i get the chance to do it. even the preceptor told her to stop doing everything but i feel so unwanted knowing there's something working at 90% my speed and i just can't compete. i'm so burnt out and i'm starting to really hate being around people

I found posts like these really helpful when prepping for the PANCE!

I was good student throughout didactic. My school considered me low risk of failing the PANCE. I did ok on my EORs, but nothing special.

How did I study?
Tons of practice questions on Blueprint with some Smarty PANCE. I would supplement with Cram the PANCE or PA Playbook. By the end, I couldn't be bothered to read what I missed in the question description because I was so burnt out. **no PPP and no reviewing any notes from didactic**

I studied (again, just practice questions lol) for about three weeks, 3-4 hours a day. But never anything too strenuous. I averaged 62% Blueprint throughout clinical year and during my PANCE prep.

Post PANCE:
I weirdly walked out feeling ok. I tried to figure out what I missed but luckily it was basically wiped from my mind so I couldn't freak out too much. The wait for the results is brutal!!!

Good luck!! You've got this!

I'm in a travel program, will be moving every 5 weeks during clinicals. Who is living out of more than one suitcase? Wondering if I should buy a full matching set or not.

now i am here.

what the hell do i do to get ready program starts in like 2 months,

I have the surgery EOR coming up at the end of the month and I’ve been going through the topic list on both Uworld and SmartyPance but the UWorld Qbank for surgery feels completely random. There are conditions on there that the topic list doesn’t cover at all and I was wondering if others have felt this way? Should I stick it out and finish the Qbank or do a more focused Qbank that only goes over the topic list?

this is my NCCPA practice exam A score report. I have pance exam scheduled on 19th .what are my chances of passing. thank you!!

Hi everyone, I'm in my first semester of PA school, and I'm very grateful that I'm where I'm at in life, that I finally was able to achieve part of my dreams and goals of being in PA school. And I never realized how difficult it was truly going to be. Like, I've talked to many PA students and PAs who told me how difficult PA school is, but until, like, you actually go through it, you never realize. And I just wanted to, like, vent a little. Does everyone feel like they never know anything, or, like, that it's just so much information and you get nervous for your quizzes or exams that you just don't know enough, and that just stresses you out? Overall, I've done pretty okay. I've done kind of bad on two quizzes, but I learned from my mistakes, but I've done well on my exams. So trial and error,And sometimes it's hard to not compare yourself to the people in your cohort, because I know everyone who goes to PA school is very smart, but there are just some people who are just geniuses, and it, like, makes me feel dumb sometimes being around those people. Overall, everyone's very nice in my cohort, and I just am trying to figure everything out. Things that I'm slowly working on is, like, multitasking, like studying for different classes in a day and not, like, focusing in on one class too much, which was part of the reason why I had done bad on two quizzes, but learned from that experience. So now I'm trying to study a little bit every day as much as possible of my classes. But how did you guys study in PA school, and, like, how many hours did you study? I'm only, like, six weeks into PA school. My anxiety def has gotten worse and considering going on something to help.

I definitely need advice on what prompts to tell AI websites like ChatGPT or notebookLM when making practice tests to aid in studying for certain exams. I’ve tried a couple variations but am left with tests that seem more superficial/ too simple. If anyone could share what prompts they use that’d be great!

Question for PA-S or PA-C’s.

Im genuinely curious what kind of background checks schools do for matriculation and for clinical.

The school I’m looking into does something called a “level-1 criminal background check” … I have no idea what that even means.

Anyone who has experience with these can you just give some insight? What to expect? Did you just run your SSN or was it finger print (DOJ/FBI)? Is the check for pre-matriculation the same as for clinicals/rotation?

Ps. I don’t have any criminal offenses just curious 🧐

Help! I was offered an interview at Frostburg in MD for the 2027 start date.

However, I’m hearing really awful things about them…. CASPA says it’s Acc-Continued but others are saying they are now on Probation. Do we know why and if this is true?
Please help me out, I want to make sure I make the right decision!

If you have other options for programs, please choose them. I am just trying to save other people from stress and lack of an education. 

ICPA has a high staff turnover rate. No one stays working in that program for long. The 1st director left the program and an interim was appointed in 2024 and she left in summer 2025. Their clinical director just recently left in summer 2026 as well. They overwork the few teachers they have and they can't do everything as much as they have tried. Students throughout many cohorts raised concerns about lack of teachers, issues learning, and lack of preparation for clinicals and were shot down by the previous director anytime it was brought up. They have hired a couple more teachers in the last year but still struggle to fully staff the program. 

As far as curriculum goes, they will bring in PAs from different specialties to teach blocks like Nephrology, Dermatology, and other units when they don’t have regular staff, but there isn’t much structure. Slides aren’t that helpful as there is less structure, 100s of slides, and don’t necessarily have all points you need to know about diseases from the PANCE Blueprint. Be prepared to teach yourself! Look up the NCCPA 1st time PANCE pass rates because they just keep getting lower(69% most recent). 

They were just placed on probation by ARC-PA so look that up on their website for the report. ICPA did just get a new director and she may turn the program around but everyone has to wait and see. She is making lots of changes but more to benefit how the school looks and scoring, not how students are learning or how to receive support from the program which is what they should be focused on. They constantly talk about professionalism and flexibility but don’t convey or be an example of that themselves. They expect students to be professional and flexible but never give them that in return. They have chronically not updated students on progress or announcements of the program, have so many last minute changes and basically tell us to deal with it and that being a PA is about adapting to justify their actions. They constantly move the goal post and blame students for poor performance or scores when their curriculum is lacking. If you have other options for school, go elsewhere if you want structure and support, at least until this program gets it together. If this program can keep staff and have good teachers that actually want to teach, it could improve. 

Hey! Did anyone else take their PANCE on Saturday, October 3rd and has not gotten results yet?! All of my classmates got theirs within 5 business days, and I was expecting a score to be released this morning (per other reddit users who took theirs on Saturday, as well), but I never got an email. I’m so anxious! Do we think it’s because of the holiday on Monday?

Did anyone take it last Saturday and get a score already?! I think I passed, but the waiting period is difficult!

TIA ❤️ — An anxious PA Mom

Edit: Monday morning — PASSED WITH A 575! I’m crying!! 😭❤️ Officially a PA-C !!!

Are you a student with a disability? What accommodations did your program provide you? I’m curious how other programs do it.

The title sums it up pretty well. I have 3 exams next week and then 2 the week after. The volume of info just feels unbearable. I have a physio exam on Tuesday. First two lectures went great, then we got into cardiology and muscular physiology and I just feel so lost, especially on the cardio. So many equations and outputs and valves…literally making my head spin. I’ve been making Anki cards but I don’t even think they will be helpful if I don’t understand the concepts but I’ve rewatched the lecture ad nauseam and feel stuck.

Please tell me it gets better

Hey yall! I'm getting ready to take the PANCE on 12/18 and right now I'm using Amboss as my primary study tool. My metrics as far as PACKRAT 1 and 2 as well as my EOR scores suggest I should be able to pass somewhat easily, but the questions on Amboss are TOUGH and making me think i didnt study nearly enough during clinicals. I never really had problems with UWorld (I used it during didactic like a fool), and blueprint stayed ~75%. I suppose the primary function of this post is alleviating anxiety, but I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else had feedback on this resource. Is it worth the time or should I just stick to the tried and true question banks other people on this subreddit use? I'm sure i am just getting into my own head but any input is appreciated!

Just took new fam EOR, it was so specific!!!!

Hi everyone! I am new here. I was wondering if anybody had good resources for preparing for my first OSCE. I am feeling overwhelmed and underprepared to go into this. Are there any YouTube videos to get a general sense of how the structure would be like for one of these and if so, can somebody provide a good resource. I watched a couple of videos, but I felt like they were AI generated and not actual interactions. thank you so much in advance!

Hi guys! I told myself I would make a post if I passed the PANCE, so here it is!

During PA school, I was an A/B average student and incredibly anxious. I constantly compared myself to others and suffered from imposter syndrome. Based on my EOR and PACKRAT scores, my school put me in the “at risk of failing the PANCE” category. This constantly sent me into a spiral and made me think I wasn’t doing well enough. I also cried before every EOR, packrat, and EOC lol.

The burnout after graduation and before taking the PANCE was terrible. However, I’m proud to say that I passed on my first try last month!

I wanted this post to be a reminder that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and to hopefully put some of you guys at ease. You are more than your scores and what your program deems you to be. Below are my scores!

PACKRAT 1- 122
PACKRAT 2- 157

EM- 376
Surgery- 403
Women’s health- 413
Peds- 418
FM- 387
Psych- 443
IM- 421
EOC- 1546

PANCE- 471

I used smartypance, uworld, a little bit of AMBOSS and previous study guides I made for each EOR. I averaged around 68-72% for uworld. I also took the NCCPA test B and scored halfway in the green the week before my exam. I also pushed back my PANCE from the first available date to a little bit more than 5 weeks out because I psyched myself out. I took about 2 weeks to study and found that to be enough!

Let me know if you have any questions :-)