I knew the second I was getting close to graduating that I needed to get the fear of taking the PANCE over with asap!!! My roommate and I decided that we had studied for the entirety of PA school together, so why not have each other as support through the biggest exam of our life? We both had moved home during our last rotation (me-Dallas, her-Minnesota) and decided that after graduation (literally the day after) we would fly back to my place and begin the grind. We read every blog post, and every website, looked at Smarty PANCE, looked at the PA forum and we did a little bit of everything. So... Here's what worked, and here's what didn't. And lastly, here is what I would do if I were to do it all over again!!!
What didn't work:
- Smarty PANCE 8-week study guide
If you subscribed to Smarty PANCE questions like I did clinical year then you probably thought, why not use what is already given to me, save a little $$$$. I began the 8-week Smarty PANCE guide (found here: https://smartypance.com/pance-study-schedule/) during my last 8 weeks of clinical. However, 8 weeks is a long time. It's a long time to forget what you reviewed on week 1. And that is why I do not recommend it. For the PANCE, you need rapid fire a few days before the exam. After all, you have been studying for 2, maybe 3 years now.
The one aspect of this study guide I did appreciate was the 300-question exam at the end. My advice, skip to that and take it and right out what question you got wrong and why the correct answer is right.
- CME Resources 4-day Demand Source (found here: https://www.cmeresources.com/on-demand-cme-course/)
I was panicked that maybe I need lecture-style learning for PANCE prep. WRONG. It was very basic, too basic, and didn't dive deep into the tricky little fun facts that IS the PANCE. It was 4 intense days (I did the do-it-yourself online version, and I even paid for the study guide) and I feel like I maybe learned 2 things. I knew the basics, we all know the basics. Heck, we have been in school for the last few years nailing the BASICS. Why provide an expensive program drilling what you already know? P.S. the tests they give you at the end is near impossible and not at all like the PANCE.
*side note, I did not do too hot on my PANRE and this was recommended to me by a professor*
- NCCPA Practice PANCE
I took that thing and was freaaaaaaking out. It was hard and difficult, and the vignette did not provide you with enough information to even come to a straight diagnosis. They do not give you a score at the end, rather, they give you a color scale like the PANRE. Red = you didn't do so hot. Yellow = enough to stress you out and enough to give you hope. Green = you're going to do just fine. Well, I got in the Yellow and was in total freak-out mode and shed a few tears. Don't stress yourself out and don't pay the extra money! (However, in comparison my roommate I was studying with got full-on green and I believe that was a confidence booster for her.) SO take it if you want but don't bank on the score to actually be a determination on if you're going to pass or fail.
What did work:
- ROSH ROSH ROSH ROSH!!!
I can go on forever about how helpful RoshReview was! THE PANCE IS MOST SIMILAR TO ROSH REVIEW-TYPE QUESTIONS. So why not do as many of those questions as you can? A lot of people have told me that they came close to finishing all the questions during clinical year (as did I), however, I doubt you have those bad boys memorized, so restart your question history and start from scratch. Once you start over your history you can actually track your PANCE projected score and the likelihood of passing. For all of you who are nervous nelly right now (I was averaging around a 478 on ROSH Review and got a 505 on my PANCE.) The key for me and Rosh was not only to have stamina with question practice but also to read and write out why I got that particular question wrong. It helped me to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
- PANCE PREP PEARLS (PPP)
I loved physically being able to have the book in front of me and to write and highlight all over the book. Tactile learning really came into play during my studying. If you're a high-tech person, get out that iPad and do so on there. Either way, read, take notes, and come up with ways you're going to remember things come test day. This brings me to my next point...
- Cram The PANCE
Oh man I loved that man while studying He was soothing and had the coolest tricks for remembering all the little fun facts the PANCE likes to throw at you. He has a podcast version, wherever you listen to podcasts at, and a youtube version (found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZCILePJ-E17txF-ObXlFKw/videos?app=desktop) I would go listen to his podcasts and take notes in red of things he would say, that way when I was reviewing PPP I had his little fun fact right in front of me. This was also a more ~fun~ way of learning and remembering things.
*KEY: listen to his ~40ish podcasts the week before you start your grind studying so it doesn't take time when you really want to get down and focus*
- 12-day PANCE GRIND.
I know I know, this schedule seems rushed. This is what worked for me and many other classmates. It is nice to go meal planning before and to have a loving family who can cook you food but also stay out of your hair for the time being.
Here is the schedule we followed:
12-day PANCE Study Schedule
Sunday:
Heme & Pharm
Read PPP Heme Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 Heme Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP Pharm Section
Do 60 pharm Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Monday:
Renal/GU and ID
Read PPP Renal/GU Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 Renal/GU Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP ID Section
Do 60 ID Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Tuesday:
Psych and Derm
Read PPP Psych Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 Psych Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP Derm Section
Do 60 Derm Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Wednesday:
Endocrine and Repro
Read PPP Endocrine Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 Endo Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP Repro Section
Do 60 Repro Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Thursday:
Practice Rosh Pance (you may have to buy this or set up 300 Rosh comprehensive questions if you don't care about having the particularly perfect breakdown of subject and allowed questions)
Friday:
Neuro and MSK
Read PPP Neuro Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 Neuro Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP MSK Section
Do 60 MSK Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Saturday:
GI and ENT
Read PPP GI Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 60 GI Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Read PPP ENT Section
Do 60 ENT Rosh Questions
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Sunday:
Practice PANCE
Monday:
Pulmonary
Read PPP Pulm Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 120 Pulm Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Tuesday:
Cardio
Read PPP Cardio Section (either talk it out with a study buddy or read to yourself)
Do 120 Cardio Rosh Q’s and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
Do 120 Comprehensive Rosh Questions and review wrong and right answers, write out wrong answers in a notebook
If you get to this point and want to do more of any of the above questions, do so now.
Wednesday BREATHE - we watched movies and walked around this entire day. Use this day as relaxation and to get your mental stamina back in sync. I would advise against rigorous exercise or doing more studying (you might stress yourself out more)
Thursday: PANCE
If I would do it again:
- Focus on questions! 1 week before your grind, take a couple of days to do 300 Rosh Questions each day: this will give you a better understanding of where you need some work and what sections you are good to go! (For me I needed work on knowing the side effects of antibiotics, who knew I really didn't have those down)
- Mark up your PPP with all tips Cram The PANCE podcast gives you!!!!
- Do the grind. Find a cozy spot to study in, get your meals planned out, your energy drinks on hand, and some headache meds, and get to studying. The more you do now the more prepared you'll be when the day comes!
Test Day Tips:
- Bring water
- Bring a sweatshirt
- Plan time for them to pat you down before and after every break
- Bring a snack
- Bring an energy drink
- Drive there the day before so you really are comfortable when you show up for test day.
- Have a dance party on the way there. Get PUMPED! Get blood flowing!
Even after all the questions, I was doing daily, I still felt very fatigued during the 4th and 5th sections of the exam. The energy drink and splashing my face with water helped to wake me up and kick me back into shape.
LASTLY.... YOU GOT THIS. The PANCE has a high pass rate for a reason. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Here are my Recommended Study Links:
Pance Prep Pearls: https://pancepreppearls.com/
Cram The Pance Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZCILePJ-E17txF-ObXlFKw/videos?app=desktop