TL;DR: Don’t study beforehand. Not because it wouldn’t help, but because it’s probably not the best use of your time. Spend the two months getting very good at sleep and exercising every day, at the hours PA school is going to demand. Those are foundations you can build on, and they’re hard to set once you hit your first day.
Brian Wallace, PA-C. I’ve worked with PA students for 15 years and I run 33 Days to Pass the PANCE. Updated October 2026.
The question, as it was asked
A student posted this on Reddit:
“What the hell do I do to get ready? Program starts in like two months.”
I’ve heard a version of it for 15 years. The answers usually sort into two camps, study ahead or do nothing, and I’d push back a little on both.
Should I study before PA school starts?
Don’t study beforehand. Not because it might not help, but because it’s probably not the best use of your time.
You don’t know what you need yet. If you spend the next six weeks going deep on the coronary arteries and your school starts with the rotator cuff, it’s going to feel like a waste of time. It might not be, but it’s going to feel like it.
And even if you guess the right system, a month or two of studying on your own, with no structure and no exam at the end of it, is unlikely to make enough progress to matter once class starts.
Is it okay to do nothing before PA school?
The alternative, doing nothing and hanging out with your friends, isn’t a bad one. PA school is going to take a lot out of you, and you’re about to see those people a lot less.
But if I had it to do over again, that’s not what I would do either. Well, maybe a little.
Knowing what I know now, I’d spend that time working on yourself. Not finding yourself, but building yourself. big difference
What building yourself looks like
Think about getting ready for a long hike, the Oregon Trail or something really long. Everybody starts by asking what to buy. What gear do you need? New boots, a backpack, a tent. Yes, you’ll need all that stuff. But buying the gear doesn’t make you ready.
So you buy a book on hiking and you read it. That’s better than not reading it, but it doesn’t make you ready either. That’s the category studying ahead falls into, by the way. Reading about the hike. It might not be, but it probably is.
So what makes you ready?
- Going for long walks. Really long walks.
- Sleeping in the tent in the backyard.
- Long walks on back-to-back days, with a night in the tent in between.
- A short overnight hike.
You get the picture.
The gear and the book are the easy part. The reps are what get you ready.
What that looks like for PA school
Everyone will tell you the same thing, and you’ve probably read it all by now: PA school is grueling, you don’t get much sleep, and the volume of content is insane. All of that is true. So that’s what you use.
1 Sleep
Make sure you’re very good at sleep. Figure out what time you’ll have to get up for PA school, start getting up at that time now, and go to bed at the same time every night. Put yourself into a solid routine here.
Sleep helps with cognitive function, energy, memory, and everything else you’ll need for PA school. If you don’t know where to begin, Andrew Huberman has a great podcast where he goes deep into sleep, and he just came out with a book, Protocols. The whole first chapter is on sleep.
2 Exercise
Right after sleep, I’d choose exercise. Exercise is directly linked to brain function, and you’re going to need your brain functioning at peak capacity.
This isn’t about running a marathon or powerlifting. Well, I guess it could be, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s about consistency. Exercise every day. I’d recommend 45 minutes, and I don’t really care what that looks like: walking, lifting, running. You could spend a lot of time getting into the details, but it’s more important that you get started.
And since exercise helps with cognition, this isn’t time away from studying. This is sharpening the saw.
When I say 45 minutes a day, I mean 45 minutes a day. every day That’s the part that builds the grit you’ll need for PA school. Doing it when it sucks is a skill you’re going to need, and it’s a skill you can start working on right now.
Why now and not on day one
These two would be a great place to start. It’s the place I wish I’d started. I wish I had And it’s hard to set these once you hit your first day of PA school. They should be foundations you can build on, not new habits you’re trying to put in place while you’re getting pushed in a thousand different directions.
Get one of these every day
I send a short lesson like this one every day, plus a 5 Question Friday quiz to test yourself. It’s free, and you get my Test-Taking Rescue Kit when you sign up.
Where this goes next
The routine you’re building right now is the same one that carries students through the PANCE a couple of years from now. In 33 Days to Pass the PANCE we call them the dailies: small daily habits for your body and your head that carry you into test day. Sleep. Movement. The same wake-up every morning.
You don’t need 33 Days today. But if you’re the kind of person who’d rather train the skills and build the habits on purpose, that’s what 33 Days is, and it’ll be here when you get to clinical year and the PANCE.
When you’re ready for the full program, here’s when the next cohort starts.
Questions incoming PA students ask me
Should I study anatomy before PA school?
You can, and it might help a little. It’s probably not the best use of the time. You don’t know what your program opens with, and the routine will carry you further than a head start on one system.
What should I buy before PA school?
Whatever your program tells you to buy. The gear is the easy part, and it isn’t what makes you ready.
How do I get on a sleep schedule before PA school?
Figure out what time PA school will need you up, start getting up at that time now, and go to bed at the same time every night. Two months is enough to make it a routine. Huberman’s Protocols, first chapter, if you want a deeper walkthrough.
Do I need to exercise in PA school?
You need to move every day, and you want the habit in place before you start. 45 minutes, whatever that looks like for you. It helps your brain, and doing it when it sucks is a skill you’ll use all through PA school.
Want more?
If you’re looking to learn more, the podcast is a great free place to start.
Best of luck. Don’t let everyone scare you. You’re here because you can do it.
