Cardiology Blueprint Review
The cardiovascular system is the most heavily tested topic on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). About 11% of your exam (~33 questions) will be related to this topic and its subtopics. While your specific exam form will not cover each content category, they have all been deemed important for entry-level practice as a board-certified PA and may be tested.
| Cardiovascular System Diseases and Disorders | |
|---|---|
| Cardiomyopathy | Hypotension |
| Conduction disorders/dysrhythmias | Lipid disorders |
| Congenital heart disease | Shock |
| Coronary artery disease | Traumatic, infectious, and inflammatory heart conditions |
| Heart failure | Valvular disorders |
| Hypertension | Vascular disease |
View the 2025 PANCE blueprint for a more detailed breakdown of each subtopic.
Remember, the PANCE does not simply examine your ability to memorize facts about diseases, disorders, and treatments. You will need to apply your knowledge and skills based on the blueprint's task categories, which requires a deeper level of understanding.
| PANCE Task Categories | % Allocation |
|---|---|
| History taking and performing a physical examination | 16% |
| Using diagnostic and laboratory studies | 10% |
| Formulating the most likely diagnosis | 18% |
| Managing patients — Health maintenance, patient education, and preventive measures | 11% |
| Managing patients — Clinical intervention | 16% |
| Managing patients — Pharmaceutical therapeutics | 15% |
| Applying foundational scientific concepts | 8% |
| Professional practice | 6% |
Tasks related to managing patients account for 42% of PANCE questions. This is an important area to study for all exam topics.
Focus On Key Cardiology Topics
While the PANCE blueprint provides a comprehensive view of each cardiovascular topic that may appear on your exam, a few specific areas are frequently tested: hypertension, heart failure, and arrhythmias. Make sure you study these topics in detail.
- Hypertension: Understand different hypertension classifications and their definitions, common presentations and complications, diagnostic criteria, and management strategies.
- Heart Failure: Learn the types and stages of heart failure, clinical manifestations, diagnostic workups, treatment modalities, and patient education best practices.
- Arrhythmias: Review common arrhythmias encountered in clinical practice, how to interpret ECG findings, and management guidelines for each arrhythmia.
Our new Medical Library will help you connect pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment through hundreds of peer-reviewed articles that integrate directly with your QBank tools.
Consider Your Clinical Experience
As a PA student, you've already encountered the cardiovascular system in multiple clinical rotations. It's a fundamental aspect of patient care that you should be familiar with. As you review your notes and study for cardiology questions, consider your valuable hands-on experience.
- Internal Medicine: You managed chronic cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease in outpatient and inpatient settings.
- Emergency Medicine: You were exposed to acute cardiovascular conditions such as myocardial infarction (MI), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and hypertensive emergencies.
- Family Medicine/Primary Care: You managed common cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes) and preventive cardiology.
- Cardiology: If you took this elective or specialty rotation, it offered in-depth experience with ECG interpretation, echocardiography, stress testing, and management of advanced heart diseases.
- General Surgery: Cardiovascular considerations are crucial in perioperative management, including anticoagulation, fluid management, and recognizing post-op cardiac complications.
- Critical Care: If you took an ICU rotation, you were exposed to advanced cardiovascular support, including vasopressors, cardiac monitoring, and management of shock and arrhythmias.
- Pediatrics: Though less common, you may have encountered congenital heart diseases and pediatric cardiology conditions.
Use Effective Study Resources
To take your cardiology review to the next level, you'll need to leverage dedicated study materials. While it's true you've been preparing for the PANCE since you began PA school, taking advantage of exam-specific resources will help you maximize your time, retention, and, ultimately, your exam performance.
UWorld Cardiology Questions
Our PANCE QBank covers all cardiology subtopics in detail through over 200 cardiovascular system practice questions. Each features a comprehensive rationale that explains the presented clinical scenario and logic behind all answer options. We also provide a simulated exam interface, vivid medical illustrations, high-yield tables, clinical images of real cases, easy-to-use performance tracking, and personalized study tools.
Additional PANCE Resources
There are a number of resources and study tools you can use to supplement your primary study materials. While not cardiology-specific, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA®) offers 2 PANCE practice tests to gauge your readiness. The “Cram the PANCE” podcast also covers several key cardiovascular concepts. When you purchase a UWorld subscription, you can access our medical library which contains hundreds of peer-reviewed articles that explain PANCE content categories in exceptional detail.
Avoid Common Mistakes
When it comes to preparing for the PANCE, there are potential pitfalls to be aware of that can derail your best efforts. Some of the most common include:
- Waiting Too Long To Begin Your Review: Start your preparation early to ensure you have enough time for each content category.
- Ignoring PANCE Task Categories: While memorizing information is important, knowing how to apply it in practice settings is key.
- Overlooking Foundational Concepts: The purpose of the PANCE is to make sure you're ready for active practice, so keep the fundamentals in mind as you build your knowledge base and tackle complex topics.
- Neglecting Blueprint Updates: This can be addressed by using a dedicated QBank with up-to-date practice questions.
As you wrap up PA school and set your sights on the PANCE, applying these lessons will prepare you for cardiology questions and beyond.
