preparing for the pance

7/24/2019 Preparing for the PANCE

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PREPARING FOR PANCE

Randy D. Danielsen, PhD, PA-C

Professor & Dean

Arizona School of Health Sciences

A.T. Still University

Forer Chair of !oard, "CCPA

Presentation to the AAPA Student Track

Monday, May 27, 2013

1:00-2:00 p.m.

Sheila #a$ldin, #"#

%P of 'a Pro(ras

"ational Coission on Certification

)f Physician Assistants



PA-C

A mark of professional accomplishment

! Emphasizes clinical practice knowledge

! Requires knowledge of basic pathophysiology

! Requires knowledge of basic health sciences ! Core functions in which PAs should be skilled in

primary care



Goal: Successful Passage ofPANCE

Three conditions are generally necessary for

successful passage of PANCE

!"#nowing about or recognizing the medical

information contained in the questions$

%"&sing appropriate test'taking skills and

strategies$ and

("A)oiding situations that are likely to causemistakes or impede performance" !

1

Mi""er # $arski, Test-Takin% Ski""s: Tips and Techni&ues, Physician Assistant '(amination, )an%e, 'dition *, p% 1



Today’s Presentation

Areas we will discuss today:

*ow to study and prepare for the e+am

About the e+am

,hat to do during the e+am$ and

,hat to do A-TER the e+am



General Test Taking Tips

Test'taking skills A purposeful$ positi)e attitude

.trategic thinking

Planning Naturally$ a solid grasp of the RE/&0RE1

content



Let’s Talk about te PANCE

Two dimensions

! #nowledge and skills areas 2PA tasks3

! 1iseases$ disorders and medical assessments of the

organ systems Appro+imately %45 of the test questions will

co)er surgical issues"

&p to %5 may be legal or ethical questions"



Percentage of Diseases/Disordersof

Organ Systems



Percentage of Knowledge S!ill "#as!$Areas



Test !e"elop#ent Ter#s

Stem ! The stem refers to any information preceding the

response items"

! The stem usually contains 2!3 a question or anincomplete statement6phrase to be completed byselection of a response option and 2%3 anyinformation supplied to the student for use inresponding to the item 2e"g"$ case history$ clinical)ignette$ statement or problem$ lab )alues$ P07$

etc"3

Key ! The correct answer 2The 89A:;3



Test !e"elop#ent Ter#s

Distracter

! A distracter is any incorrect response in anitem" A good distracter will “distract” a less

knowledgeable student from the correctresponse"

Item Type

! Refers to the format of an item A'Type 2type that<s on PANCE3

#'Type 2not included on PANCE3



Testing $ecall "ersus $easoning

The de)elopment of e+aminationquestions )aries in comple+ity according

to the cogniti)e process the student must

employ to identify the correct answer"

There are generally two kinds of items

2!3 recall 2or memory3 items$ and

2%3 reasoning 2or application of knowledge3 items"



Testing $ecall "ersus$easoning

Recall Items ask for the recognition ofmemorized facts or data = a one step process"

Reasoning Items in)ol)e a cogniti)e process of

three or more steps" A reasoning item asks thestudent to ! recall what is known about the problem at hand$ ! interpret6translate information that is recalled or that

is presented in the stem$ and

! apply the interpreted information to arri)e at aconclusion

PANCE requires reasonin!not

simple recall"



%o& to Study

>our chances of doing well aredirectly dependent on a concentrated

re)iew effort"

The key 1on?t wait until the last

minute" @egin your re)iew early"

To de)elop test'taking skills you

must actively practice what you will

be doing on the test'''answering

multiple'choice questions



%o& to Study

1irect your studying to the primarycare areas with which you are leastfamiliar;

*ow to do that Take multiple'choicetests cold then go back and Bust studythe areas that you missed"

.ome like to actually write their ownquestions as part of the study process"



'en to Study

NOW!

@e aware of your best time of day"

any students learn best in daylight hours"

Use waiting time: -i)e minutes waitingfor the bus$ %4 minutes waiting for the dentist$!4 minutes between classes = 0t adds up fast;

! *a)e short study tasks ready to do during thesetimes"



'ere to Study

&se a regular study area" ! >our body knows where you

are" ,hen you use the same placeto study$ your body becomes trained",hen you arri)e at that particular place$ it will

automatically sense that it?s time to study" >ou willfocus your concentration more quickly"

1on?t get too comfortable"

Put yourself into a situation where your mind isalert"



'ere to Study

&se the library" ! :ibraries are designed for learning"

! Entering a library is a signal to your body to quiet the

mind and get to work"

ost students can get more done in a shorter

time at the library"



'ere to Study

.et up study groups" ! -orces you to articulate concepts and

makes a re)iew more fun and producti)e"

! #eeps your re)iew on schedule and helps you

a)oid procrastination" ! Allows you to benefit from other students<

e+pertise

A study group doesn?t take the place ofindi)idual study"



%o& to %andle Life

Pay attention to your attention span"

@reaks in concentration are oftencaused by internal interruptionsD

your own thoughts Bump in to tellyou another story about the world"0f this happens too often$ perhapsyou need to find a different study

time or place" Agree with li)ing mates about study

time"



%o& to %andle Life

A)oid noise distractions"

1on?t study in front of the T" Turn off

the stereo" any students insist they

study better with music$ and that may

be true" .ome students ha)e reportedgood results with carefully selected

and controlled music"

The o)erwhelming maBority of

research indicates that silence is the best form of FmusicG for study"



%o& to %andle Life

Notice how others misuse your time"

@e aware of repeat offenders" Ask yourself ifthere are certain friends or relati)es whoconsistently interrupt your study time"

0f a)oiding them is impractical$ send a clear 2butgentle3 message"

.ometimes others don?t realize they are breakingyour concentration"



%o& to %andle Life

8et off the phone" ! >ou don?t ha)e to be a telephone )ictim"

Try saying$ H0 can?t talk right now$ 0?mstudyingH or lea)e your answeringmachine on" 9r$ a)oid the whole problem

by studying at the library"

:earn to say no"

This is a )aluable time sa)er and an importantlife skill" any people feel it is rude to refuse arequest" .aying HnoH can be done effecti)elyand courteously"



Getting $eady for PANCE

#e prepared emotionally and physically as well asintellectually"

$ocate t%e test center t%e day&e'ore t%e e(am")ind a center near you atwww"pearson*ue"com+nccpa"

Arri*e at t%e site early$ particularly if parking may be a problem"



%ore Details on PANCE



'ere does it start(

E)a# blueprint is based oninfor#ation obtained fro# tepractice *+ob, analysis



%o& E)a#s Are !e"eloped



Scoring Analysis

Each question countsequally"

! 0tems are notweighted$ nor are

points subtracted for

incorrect answers"



Scoring Analysis

PANCE is a criterion-referenced criterion-re ferenced e+amination"



Scoring Analysis

PANCE passin standards

are not normati*e"

0f !445 of the candidates

meet the specified passing

criteria$ then !445 will

pass the e+amination"



Scoring Analysis

Periodically$ the passing standard is e)aluated"

.tandard setting committee is comprised of

certified PAs and physicians who ha)e

e+perience working with PAs" ! They re)iew questions from the e+am and de)elop a

recommended passing standard

NCCPA @oard of 1irectors makes the final

decision"



PANCE !etails

(44 multiple'choice questions$administered in fi)e blocks of I4 questions

I4 minutes to complete the test questions

in each block 2! minute6item3 Time Allotments

! Testing time J K hours

! Tutorial time J !K minutes

! @reak time J LK minutes



PANCE !etails

Cost for the e+am ' MLK

After applying$ you will ha)e a !O4

eligibility period for taking the e+am"

Earliest date you can test is days after

graduation"



.n E)a# !ay/0

,hen you arri)e at the Pearson &E test center$ you<ll be asked to present ! a current go)ernment'issued photo 01 2i"e"$ dri)er<s license or

passport3 with your pre'printed name and signature"

! a second current 01 with your name pre'printed and signature"

,hen you apply$ please )erify that your name as listed in NCCPA<s records is the same as on your 01"

0f they do not match when presented at the test centerD you will not beallowed to test that day"

>ou<ll be required to do a palm )ein scanning and ha)eyour picture taken at the test center"



.n E)a# !ay/

No personal &elonins are allowed inthe testing room" >ou will ha)e use of alocker for storing those items"

! @rimmed hats$ book bags$ handbags$ books$notes$ study materials$ calculators$ watches ofany kind$ electronic paging de)ices$ recordingor filming de)ices$ radios$ cellular phones$ orfood and be)erages$ Backets3

0f you need to take a medical de)ice in

with you$ you may ha)e to apply forspecial accommodations when registering"

! -or more information$ go to www"nccpa"net"

http://www.nccpa.net/EX_accommodations.aspx

http://www.nccpa.net/EX_accommodations.aspx



.n E)a# !ay/

Test center staff will pro)ideinstructions on the use of thecomputer equipment"

Then$ you<ll ha)e the opportunity tocomplete a brief tutorial"

The e+amination will be managed andobser)ed by test center staff with the

aid of audio and )ideo monitors andrecording equipment"



.n E)a# !ay/

Clock'stopping breaks are not permitted once a test block begins"

Take breaks between e+am blocks$ although keep in mind yourtotal break time is limited to LK minutes"

Taking long or frequent breaks early in the daymay lea)e you with no break timee)en between blockslater in the day"

Each time you lea)e$ you will be required tosign out and sign back in upon return" >ou must present your01 each time you sign in"



.n E)a# !ay/

>ou may answer the questions within a block inany order$ and you may re)iew and changeresponses within a block of questions duringthe time allotted for that section"

After you e+it a block of test questions or aftertime e+pires for that block$ you won<t beallowed to re)iew its questions or change your

answers"



Scores

NCCPA pro*ides online score reports"

,hen your scores ha)e been processed 2within two

weeks after your test date3$ NCCPA will e'mail you

instructions for accessing your score report on yoursecure online record"

Each e+am is scored on two independent computer

systems to assure accuracy"



1ore About Taking PANCE/0

Consider nutritional and other personalneeds ! A)oid hea)y meal within two hours of

e+amination

! A comple+ carbohydrate shake appro+imately (4minutes before e+amination may be beneficial

! #eeps snacks and food for lunch a)ailable2cannot take into room3




8et proper rest;

>our e+am performance should reflect yourknowledge base rather than physical and

mental endurance; :ack of sleep may result in deterioration ofnormal cogniti)e and psychomotor function




>our physical and en)ironmental needsduring the testing period should beconsidered ! Plan to arri)e at least (4 minutes before your

scheduled testing time" ! Arri)ing early A> allow you to select a

computer terminal in an optimal location choose one with fewer distractions

! 0f you arri)e late you may not be admitted$ and

you will ha)e to forfeit your e+am fee andreapply"

! Temperature e+tremes may be possible so dressin layers that will allow you to be comfortable



1ore About Taking PANCE/

Do not panic if you see a question you did notanticipate or prepare for"

,ead t%e question as is" A*oid o*er analysis oro)ersimplifying"



1ore About Taking PANCE/

ore .uggestions

! I' you %a*e ne*er %eard o' t%e c%oice- it is

pro&a&ly not t%e correct answer"

! Answer each question as you progress ! Test center personnel are not allowed to answer$

interpret or clarify test itemsand anyway$ they<re

not medical professionals;

! C.AN/E AN ANS0E, 1N$2 I) 213 A,E S3,E

213 .A4E ANS0E,ED IT INC1,,ECT$25



.nce te E)a# is ."er

Try not to worry about your performance"

T%e test is o*er5

Do not discuss t%e test wit% ot%ers" ! .haring e+am questions with others

constitutes Firregular beha)iorG or

cheating "0t<s Bust not worth it"



Conclusion

Remember$ testing is a part of professionallife"

0t is important to deal with it in a rational

way through preparation$ re)iew$ study$and practice"

T%ese suestions plus your a&ility s%ould

%elp you o&tain t%e score t%at is trulyre'lecti*e o' your a&ility"

preparing for the pance

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