Welcome, fellow PAs, to the PANRE-LA journey; whether you are about to start quarter six or quarter 2, we are all in this together. I am about to begin my 6th quarter and wanted to share some tips and tricks learned over the past five quarters that can help you succeed.
NCCPA tells us that starting in quarter two, five of the topics you see on the exam will be repeat topics from the previous quarter. Either these topics were missed or correct, but rated as "low confidence" in your answer. This repetition serves to "reinforce existing knowledge and facilitate learning." Remember, the "LA" stands for longitudinal assessment; this learning over time is one of the hallmarks of this exam format and the reason we can't just take all our questions at once.
Between completing one quarter and starting the next, we have the unique opportunity for targeted review. Here are a few tips:
- Carve out about 30 minutes to an hour before starting the new quarter to review the questions from the last.
- Start with the items you got wrong. By examining these items, you can see if there is a knowledge gap or if you didn't read the question correctly.
- Understand how and why you got the item incorrect. This helps you hone those test-taking skills for the next quarter. If there is a knowledge gap, look that topic up in the AAPA PANRE-LA Reference Guide to read more about it. You know you'll be asked about it again!
- Review the questions you got right because you may see this topic again, especially if you marked low confidence in your answer. Answering standardized test questions is a skill beyond our medical knowledge to understanding patterns from the item writers and cues in the question. The more practice questions we do and review, the more prepared we will be for the next set. Check out our Qbank for extra practice!
One of the pros about signing up for the PANRE-LA vs the regular PANRE is that it doesn't require the hours and hours of studying necessary to take the closed book, hour-long test center exam, so it fits better into our busy lives. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare! NCCPA tells us that we'll see repeat topics and even tell us what those topics will be, so use this information to your advantage. By putting in just a little time for targeted review, you can begin your next quarter more confidently and strive to keep your score bar longer than the passing cutoff.
