In addition to earning 100 CME credits via Physician Assistant CME activities, 50 of which must be Category 1 CME credits, every 2 years, PA-C designees must pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE) every 6 or 10 years, depending on their recertification cycle, to maintain their board certification. The PANRE exam tests general medical and surgical knowledge of physician assistants and ensures that they are constantly improving their skills and mastering their expertise.
What are the PANRE exam dates?
There are multiple dates throughout the year physician assistants can take the PANRE exam. The available dates vary depending on which testing center you choose to take your exam at.
It is important to note, that certified physician assistants may only schedule the exam if it falls within the 180-day timeframe for you to take the exam based on the successful submission of all required materials to NCCPA.
Also, there is no testing available from December 18-31, 2018.
What are the components of the PANRE exam?
The PANRE exam is a four-hour exam that consists of 240 multiple choice questions. that are focused on core medical knowledge that applies to all practice disciplines and settings. The questions are separated into four blocks of 60 questions, and testees are given 60 minutes to complete these questions.
Beginning in 2019, all the questions will be focused on core medical knowledge that is relevant to all physician specialties regardless of their practice discipline or setting.
Currently, physician assistants have the option of taking the exam in their medical focus, called the Practice focused component. There are three areas PAs can choose to take the exam in; Adult Medicine, Surgery, and Primary Care. When choosing the Practiced focused component, 60% of the exam will cover all areas of practice in primary care and 40% will contain questions in the focus area chosen. The practice focused option will be discontinued starting in 2019.
Click here for more information regarding the content found on the exam.
How do I prepare for the PANRE Exam?
The best way to prepare for the PANRE exam is via PANRE exam practice questions. One of the most popular practice tests is the BoardVitals’ PANCE/PANRE Board Review Questions and Practice Tests.
This online board review course contains over 1100 PANCE/PANRE practice questions that will be very similar to the content PAs will see on the exam. The questions are also accompanied by detailed explanations that will help PAs fully comprehend the topics being covered.
This review course covers a wide range of topics including the immune system, human development and genetics, infectious a parasitic diseases, the neurologic system, nutrition, cardiovascular issues, and many more. As mentioned earlier, the PANRE exam tests core medical knowledge that is important to all physician specialties. By covering many different topics, this review course ensures that you will be prepared for the different type of questions you will face on the exam.
Another benefit of these review questions is that they can be accessed via your computer, phone, or tablet. This allows Physician Assistants with hectic lifestyles to study for their exam whenever it is most convenient for them.
The course has three different pricing options:
- 6 Months: $89
- 3 Months: $59
- 1 Month: $39
Click here for more information on this PANRE review course.