Careers · Guide

What is the PANCE?

By The Prereq Club, a pre-PA student and her mom (not PAs or admissions advisers). Every program rule below names its source and the month we checked it: October 2026.

Short answer

The PANCE is the national certifying exam you take after graduating from an accredited PA program. It's 300 multiple-choice questions in five 60-minute blocks and costs $550. Passing it earns you the PA-C credential, which NCCPA says is a professional requirement for licensure in all U.S. states. In 2025, 91.5% of first-time takers passed.

The exam at a glance

Who can take itGraduates of an entry-level PA program accredited by ARC-PA (accredited at the time you started)
FormatFive blocks of 60 questions, 60 minutes each: five hours of testing, plus 45 minutes of breaks and a 15-minute tutorial, for about six hours in total
WhereOver 300 Pearson VUE testing centers, year-round
Cost$550 with your application
ScoringScaled score from 200 to 800; passing is 350
Pass rates (2025)91.5% of 13,145 first-time takers; 88.4% of all 14,669 exams given

What it covers

Under NCCPA's blueprint effective January 2025, medical content makes up 94% of the exam and professional practice 6%. Up to 8% to 10% of the exam covers general surgical topics, and 12% to 15% of questions focus on conditions in pediatric patients. NCCPA says allocations may vary slightly on exams.

The timing rules

  • Applying: NCCPA accepts applications starting 180 days before your expected program completion date. The earliest you can test is seven days after you complete the program.
  • Your window: you get 180 days to take the exam once your timeframe begins.
  • Retakes: no more than once in any 90-day period and no more than three times in a calendar year, whichever is fewer.
  • Six years, six attempts: if you've never been certified and graduated on or after January 1, 2003, you can take the PANCE for up to six years after completing your program's graduation requirements, up to six times. Whichever runs out first ends your eligibility; NCCPA says the way to regain it is to complete an accredited PA program again.

After you pass

You can use the PA-C credential while you keep your certification current. That means earning and logging 100 CME credits every two years and passing a recertification exam (PANRE or PANRE-LA) in each 10-year cycle.

What this means before PA school

ARC-PA requires accredited programs to publish and make readily available NCCPA's "PANCE Exam Performance Summary Report Last 5 Years" no later than April 1 each year (not necessarily on their website, so ask if you can't find it). Compare each year's first-time pass rate in that report with NCCPA's national first-time rate for the same year (91.5% in 2025). Small classes can swing from year to year, and new programs won't have results yet.

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Quick answers

What is the PANCE?

The Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, given by NCCPA. Graduates of ARC-PA accredited PA programs take it to earn the PA-C credential. It has 300 multiple-choice questions in five 60-minute blocks.

What is the PANCE pass rate?

In 2025, 91.5% of first-time takers passed (13,145 candidates), and 88.4% of all 14,669 exams given were passing, according to NCCPA.

How many times can you take the PANCE?

If you graduated on or after January 1, 2003 and have never been certified: up to six times within six years of completing your program, whichever runs out first, and no more than once in any 90-day period or three times in a calendar year, whichever is fewer.

Sources (all opened October 2026)

Rules can change from one cycle to the next. Before you count on any of this, check each program's own admissions page or email the program. This guide is educational only and isn't admissions advice.