PANCE format, scoring, fees and pass rates
Last checked October 16, 2026 · Sources: NCCPA Become Certified page and Maintain Certification; national pass rates from NCCPA’s Exam Performance Summary and Five Year First Time Taker reports as published by PA programs, such as Drexel University. Scoring details are from prep-company summaries, so confirm at nccpa.net.
PANCE format and scoring in brief: NCCPA’s certifying exam for new physician assistants has 300 multiple-choice questions in five 60-minute blocks, costs $550, and is passed at a scaled 350 on a 200 to 800 scale. NCCPA’s reports put the 2025 national first-time pass rate at 91% (cited as 91.5% in NCCPA’s detailed 2025 table), with a five-year average of 92%.
Format
- Five blocks of 60 questions, with 60 minutes each and 45 minutes of break time that you manage yourself, per NCCPA.
- Pretest items. NCCPA says every exam includes scored and pretest items and you cannot tell them apart. A prep blog says 240 count toward your score and 60 are experimental.
- Delivery. NCCPA says the PANCE runs year-round at over 300 Pearson VUE testing centers, within a 180-day window set from your graduation date.
- Results. NCCPA says it emails you when results are posted to your NCCPA Portal, approximately two weeks after your exam.
Scoring
Scores run from 200 to 800 and 350 passes. A prep blog says the passing score is set by expert review of questions and approved by NCCPA’s board, and that the number of correct answers needed to reach 350 can vary slightly between exam versions.
Pass rates
| Calendar year | National first-time pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 95% |
| 2021 | 93% |
| 2022 | 92% |
| 2023 | 92% |
| 2024 | 92% |
| 2025 | 91% |
National first-time pass rates from NCCPA’s Exam Performance Summary Report. NCCPA’s 2025 table is cited as 91.5% on 13,145 first-time takers. Five-year average: 92%.
Retakes
Under NCCPA’s six-years/six-attempts rule, as cited consistently by several sources, you can take the PANCE up to six times within six years of completing your PA program, at most once in any 90 days and three times in a calendar year. After that, NCCPA requires completing a PA program again to regain eligibility. Confirm the current policy at nccpa.net.
Common questions
What happens after I pass the PANCE?
NCCPA issues your certification and you can use PA-C. Certification runs in two-year periods: each one you log 100 CME credits and pay a maintenance fee, and over a 10-year cycle you must also pass the PANRE or PANRE-LA by the end of year 10.
How long do PANCE results take?
NCCPA says results are posted to your NCCPA Portal about two weeks after your exam, and it emails you when they’re ready.
How many questions are on the PANCE?
300 multiple-choice questions in five blocks of 60, with 60 minutes per block, according to NCCPA. Some are unscored pretest items you can’t identify.
What is the PANCE pass rate?
91% for first-time takers in 2025, per NCCPA’s report, and a five-year national average of 92%.
See our PA exam guide. We first checked these sources on October 12, 2026 and rechecked them on October 16, 2026. MockTestPrep is independent and is not affiliated with NCCPA.