NCCPA reports the PANCE on a scale of 200 to 800, and the passing standard is 350. Because the score is scaled, the number of right answers needed to pass varies slightly from one exam form to another.
| Scale | 200 to 800 |
|---|---|
| Passing standard | 350 |
| Mean score, 2025 | 459 (standard deviation 82) |
| Results | About two weeks after the exam |
A panel of practicing PAs reviews each question and judges whether someone just barely qualified to practice would answer it correctly (the modified Angoff method). NCCPA's Board of Directors approves the recommended passing score.
Scaling puts every form on one scale, so no one is helped or hurt by getting slightly easier or harder questions. That is why NCCPA does not publish a fixed number of correct answers to pass. Every exam also contains a few unscored pretest questions that you cannot tell apart from the rest.
Our practice tests report questions right by category. They are a guide to where to study, never a scaled score: no published table converts practice results to the 200 to 800 scale.
A 79-year-old woman has 1 week of fatigue and mild unsteadiness. Three weeks ago chlorthalidone was added for hypertension. Her other medicines are amlodipine, atorvastatin, levothyroxine and metformin, all unchanged for years. She appears euvolemic. Sodium is 125 mEq/L, down from 139 mEq/L last month. Glucose and TSH are normal. Which of her medicines is the most likely cause?
A 20-year-old woman who emigrated from a country without routine rubella vaccination has 2 days of low-grade fever and a pink maculopapular rash that started on her face and spread to her trunk within a day. She has mild pain in her fingers and wrists. Which of the following additional examination findings is most likely?
An 18-month-old boy has had fever, irritability and tugging at his right ear for 2 days. He has been crying throughout the visit. Which of the following otoscopic findings most strongly supports a diagnosis of acute otitis media?
350, on a scale of 200 to 800.
NCCPA does not publish a fixed number. Scores are scaled, so the number of right answers needed varies from one examinee to another.
NCCPA emails you when results are posted to your certification record, about two weeks after your test date.