How Soon Should You Plan for the PANRE?

When you’re in the midst of Physician Assistant (PA) school, classes, studying, clinicals and everything else, recertification might not be top of mind. We agree! You shouldn’t have to worry about relearning topics or stressing about exams after you’ve graduated and passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). At Picmonic, we want you to learn things once and retain that valuable information for your next exam, the PANCE and even years later for the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE). As a PA student, we are sure you’ve already read about the Dos and Don’ts When Studying and Preparing for the PANCE to know all about the exam, studying for the exam, the best tools to help you study, how to schedule your studying and so much more. Becoming a Physician Assistant is a big investment in your time and resources. You have committed yourself to a career of helping others and serving individuals and communities who will benefit from your passion and knowledge. We want to help ensure that return on investment is continual. Learn something once and use it for the rest of your career. At Picmonic, we are all about retaining information so you can actually use it. You can use Picmonic for PA from the first day of your first class to the PANRE recertification exam years from now. Our visual learning system with study guides, videos and infographics help PAs all over retain 331% more course material. Learn it once with Picmonic.

What is the PANRE?

Recertification with the PANRE might be the furthest thing from your mind today, and we get it! With all those helpful Picmonics, we will get you through PA school, pass the PANCE and help you get ready for recertification. PAs are required to pass the PANCE exam after graduating in order to be certified and practice as a PA. Then, PAs are required to pass the PANRE every 10 years to maintain their certification requirements. The good news is that according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, around 93% of people pass the PANRE.

How is the PANRE different than the PANCE?

Both the initial PA certification exam, PANCE, and the recertification exam, PANRE, are multiple-choice, computer-based exams. The differences in the actual test are pretty straight-forward. The PANCE is a five-hour test consisting of 300 questions divided into five blocks. The shorter PANRE is a four-hour exam with 240 questions divided into four blocks. Passing the PANCE means scoring a 350 or higher. If you don’t pass the PANCE, you can retake it after 90-days up to three times per year if needed. To pass the PANRE, you will need a score of 379 or higher. Similarly, if you don’t pass it, you have to wait 90 days to retake the PANRE. It’s a good bet to plan to take your PANRE more than 90-days before your initial PANCE certification expires, just in case. If you are using Picmonic through PA school and studying for PANCE, though, we are confident you will do well on your PANRE too.

How much should I study for the PANRE?

While the pass rate is high, you will still have to study for the PANRE. The good news is that Picmonic is designed to make refreshing the information, recertifying and maintaining your standing as a PA much easier. When you are studying for the PANCE – as difficult as it is – that is your main focus at the time. One of the challenges to consider when studying for the PANRE is that you will be busy working as a PA, and scheduling time to study can be harder. Fear not, we believe in efficiency with your time and resources. That’s why we have created a playlist for PANRE at Picmonic to help you. The best advice for studying, besides using proven tools like Picmonic, is to start early with whatever time you have. Remember, you will be working as a PA and you will have to fit studying into your minimal free time. Give yourself at least a few months so you can study, take practice tests and adjust your studying routine and schedule as needed. Picmonic has been by your side making your studying more efficient and helping you excel in your PA program and in your career. Using our proven mnemonic studying system, you will retain the information for years. One quick review with Picmonic covering a particularly challenging topic – like Pharmacology for PA school – will start to bring it all back. Thousands of students around the world have relied on Picmonic to get them through PA school and beyond. You can try it for free today and literally see what all the fuss is about. Let’s get started!