As a physician assistant (PA) student, you don’t need us to tell you the road to becoming a PA-C is tough — you’re already on it. We can, though, help you tackle your end-of-rotation (EOR) exams and the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). These exams will test your didactic knowledge and clinical skills in ways you might not expect. With the right study habits, you can build the momentum to finish strong and earn your license as a physician assistant.
Here are 6 essential PA school study habits to prepare you for exam-day success.
#1 Pace Yourself
With lectures, readings, skills labs, quizzes, and exams, the didactic phase can feel like drinking from a firehose. You’re expected to retain a massive amount of information in a short window, and it can get overwhelming fast. In fact, many PA students note that the difficulty lies not in the content itself but in the volume.
Rather than cramming all day, set realistic daily goals. After all, if you’ve already put in 8-9 hours of studying, chances are you’re not absorbing much more. Let our PA study planner do the heavy lifting so you can focus on what really matters, like mastering infectious disease management.
#2 Build Knowledge With Your Blueprint
If you’re not studying with the exam in mind, you’re studying blind. The PA Education Association (PAEA) EOR Blueprints and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) PANCE Content Blueprint are your best friends during PA school. Why? They tell you exactly what content areas to expect, how heavily each topic is weighted, and where to focus your time.
Start each study block by reviewing the relevant blueprint. Then, use targeted tools to help drive home those high-yield topics. That leads us straight into the next habit — and if you were paying attention, you might already know the answer.
#3 Practice, Practice, Practice
Quick knowledge check: When does real learning happen in PA school?
- When passively rewatching lectures on emergency medicine
- When consistently participating in active learning exercises
- When using our PA QBank and digital flashcards
- Both B and C
Answer: D. Real learning happens when you stop simply reviewing and start engaging. Active recall and spaced repetition are proven strategies for retaining and applying what matters, not just buzzwords. Our QBank practice questions and flashcards put you in command of your learning. But it’s not just about occasional practice. Building a habit requires you to consistently target your weaker areas, reinforcing key concepts covered in the EOR and PANCE.
#4 Review on Rotation
Patient interactions are yet another opportunity to study smart. When you encounter a case during your clinical rotations, challenge yourself to go deeper. You can use our medical library to review conditions through peer-reviewed articles and reinforce knowledge with detailed illustrations and tables.
Connecting real-world cases to what you’ve studied helps lock in concepts and strengthens clinical reasoning. This habit will help train you to start thinking like a physician. And that’s what sets apart a confident test-taker from a PA-C patients truly trust.
#5 Pivot as Needed
The hard truth: What worked for you in undergrad might not work in PA school. If handwriting notes once made you feel productive but now slows you down, try altering your approach. For example, My Notebook lets you highlight and organize essential concepts, turning overwhelming medical content into a clear, personalized study guide.
You could also study in groups rather than solo and set stricter boundaries around your time and environment to limit distractions. The key is to stay flexible and self-aware. Adjusting your strategy isn’t a setback — it’s a smart move.
#6 Stay Disciplined
Between back-to-back rotations, late nights, and life in general, staying consistent can be a struggle. Still, discipline is all about showing up, even when it’s hard — especially when it’s hard. To keep yourself on track, use the performance tracking feature in our PA exam review. It adds structure and accountability to your study routine, which is key to staying focused over time. And if you miss a day or more, don’t beat yourself up. Just reset and keep going. Progress in PA school is all about momentum, not perfection.
You can test for PA success. Whether you're deep in didactic lectures or grinding through clinicals, passing the EOR exam and PANCE comes down to smart, consistent study habits. Stay focused. Stay flexible. Lean on tools that make the process easier and more effective. With the right strategies and support, you’ll ace your exams and become the kind of PA-C every patient deserves.
