Predictors of student success on the physician assistant national certifying examination

This study examined the association between academic performance in undergraduate science courses - chemistry I, pathophysiology, and biochemistry - and student scores on the PANCE. Covariates gender, age, and admission GPA were included in the analysis to identify factors predicting student passage of the PANCE.

A retrospective cohort study of student records of first-attempt chemistry I, pathophysiology, and biochemistry course grades and first-attempt PANCE scores for PA graduates from D'Youville College (n = 155) from 2006-2010 were included, along with age, gender, and admission GPA.

Pathophysiology (P < .001) and biochemistry (P = .01) had significant positive regression coefficients, predicting higher PANCE scores of 62.13 points and 33.82 points, respectively, for every one unit increase in pathophysiology and biochemistry course grade (ie, B to A) after controlling for age, gender, and admission GPA. Admission GPA had a significant (P = .02) positive regression coefficient, suggesting that for every unit increase in admission GPA, PANCE score will increase 50.48 points when controlling for age and gender.

Higher first-attempt PANCE scores were predicted by higher admission GPA and first-attempt grades achieved in pathophysiology and biochemistry. Identifying predicting factors of PANCE passage may help to identify a student's ability to pass the PANCE early in the curriculum, as well as improve program quality and graduate success.