How I Would Approach the PANCE
If I could go back in time to before taking and scheduling my PANCE, here are 5 things I would tell myself!
1. Schedule the PANCE for a Monday.
Although the NCCPA says it can take up to 2 weeks to get your exam results, a common theme is that people taking the exam on a Monday receive their results on Friday of the same week. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but I like those odds! The sooner you know, the better!
2. Do at least 120 practice questions per day while studying.
Practice questions are the holy grail of studying. Material can only be tested in so many ways, so you’re bound to see similar questions on the real PANCE that you are seeing during mock exams. I suggest breaking the 120 questions into 2 blocks of 60 to allow it to closely mimic the real set up. MYPABOX’s STUDY BUDDY has a plethora of questions that you can use to make mock exams.
3. Listen to high yield podcasts.
Working through practice questions and reading explanations can quickly become exhausting, so a nice alternative is listening to high yield podcasts. This is especially useful while going for walks or driving! I would not suggest this as your first pass of learning the material, but it is a great way to review and solidify concepts.
4. Focus on the material you’re consistently getting wrong.
This is never comfortable, but you will learn substantially more when you focus on the material you struggle with. It is easy to focus on reinforcing material you already know because it is comfortable and boosts your confidence, but facing the information that you struggle with will allow you to answer more questions correctly on the PANCE. You have to face the uncomfortable.
5. Make plans for the week after taking your PANCE.
I think this is the most valuable advice. You need to distract yourself after you take your PANCE up until you get your results. It is physically and mentally painful waiting for the results so to mitigate the struggle you need to get out of your home. You can do simple things like planning a daily walk or plan something bigger like a vacation. Either way, if you sit and reflect on the PANCE before you get your results you’re going to end up stressing yourself out way more than necessary!
Goodluck and you got this! And I cannot wait to be colleagues!
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