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Isabella graduated PA school thinking her strong EOC score and years with PANCE Prep Pearls would carry her through boards. Instead, she failed her first PANCE attempt by 9 points.
In this episode, Isabella shares how she rebuilt her approach, her mindset, and her test‑day game plan using the 33 Days to Pass the PANCE program – and turned a 341 into a 474.
In this conversation, we cover:
- From didactic “survival” to clinical setbacks
- The shock of the PA school workload and barely surviving first semester
- Failing her first surgical EOR by 2 points and only gaining 5 points on the retake
- The first PANCE attempt
- Studying with PANCE Prep Pearls “on repeat” and confusing passive reading with real prep
- Feeling confident after a strong EOC… then scoring a 341 (9 points short of passing)
- Realizing it wasn’t a content problem, it was a mindset and game‑plan problem
- Finding 33 Days and changing the way she studied
- Why a professor pointed her to 33 Days instead of another cram course
- Using the 33‑day content calendar so her exam date landed right after the program
- How she did UWorld in exam mode first, then targeted content based on what she missed
- Swapping out PANCE Prep Pearls for a bullet‑point review book and high‑yield audio (podcasts)
- Mindset, dailies, and the test‑day game plan
- Doing the dailies every day and still continuing them after the program ended
- Visualizing the entire test‑day sequence, down to the palm vein scanner and walking into Pearson
- Planning breaks, doing a workout before the exam, and using a written mantra on her board
- What it felt like to sit down for the second attempt and not be spiraling
- Results and what changed
- Opening the email on her dad’s birthday and seeing “PASS” and a 474
- How “everything happens for a reason” feels different on the other side of a fail
- The traits and habits she’s now carrying into her dream ortho job
Who this episode is for:
- PA students struggling with EORs or hovering in the low‑80s and scared of the drop
- New grads who failed the PANCE and feel alone while classmates move on
- Anyone who suspects their problem isn’t content, it’s how they study and how they perform on test day
Next steps
- Registration for the June 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort opens tomorrow.
Get the details and join the interest list here: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/33 - Want a deeper dive on test‑taking and performance under pressure?
Join the upcoming live workshop here: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/workshop
