Alan failed his test twice before passing it. Maybe we should take a listen to what he has to say:
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Hey Brian,
I was an Anatomy and Physiology college instructor for 12 years before going to PA school. I was used to GIVING tests, not taking them!
I emailed you a couple of weeks ago to let you know I have been going through The Final Step and podcasts as a big part of my PANCE prep. I took the PANCE for the 3rd time last week and finally PASSED!! WooHoo!!
You are correct, it’s not the content knowledge that is the reason for failing the exam (twice), it’s learning how to take the test. Good time management and key words are huge! Thanks for what you are doing!
I’m encouraging all my former A&P students that are going into PA school to get The Final Step!
Alan
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He has a point I want to pull out because it is so important.
“It’s not the content knowledge that is the reason for failing the exam (twice), it’s learning how to take the test.”
I’ve seen lots and lots of SMART people fail. I’ve seen lots and lots of … let’s call them “not-smart” people pass. Content knowledge is great, but if you’re a mess and you can’t read test questions, it won’t be enough.
Here are the top 3 reasons people fail, in order:
1) Nerves
2) Poor testing skills
3) Content knowledge
Always work on content knowledge, but it should not be the only thing you’re working on. Kind of like the 3-legged stool analogy… you need all three. Just one or two, and you’ll fall over and wonder why.
Nobody talks about numbers 1 and 2 because they are hard to teach. But every day I think more and more they are the reasons for 85% of the failures I see.
I’m working on some things to help with them. They won’t be ready for a while, but keep your eyes peeled. If baseball season ever ends, I might just get to work on it.
In the meantime, The Final Step is designed to help with both content knowledge and test-taking skills. Use it.
Brian Wallace
P.S. I always ask permission before using emails people send in.