Course price: $399.99
Access: 30 months
CME: 100 hours of Category 1 AAPA credit through the PANRE Review course
Included: 2,500+ board-style questions, 3 full-length mock exams, teaching explanations, and expert-led review content
Preparing for the PANRE is easier when your study plan and CME plan support the same goal. A common problem is paying separately for exam preparation, Category 1 CME, and additional review resources. That approach can consume both your available study time and your employer-provided CME budget.
The PANRE Review Course from CME Review Courses combines PANRE preparation with 100 hours of Category 1 AAPA credit. You can also select an optional paid Amazon or Apple Gift Card add-on between $100 and $1,500. These are not free gifts or discounts. You pay for the gift card you select as an add-on to the course purchase, allowing you to direct more of your CME budget toward education and receive the selected gift card by email.
Mistake 1: Using PANCE prep courses as your primary PANRE strategy
PANCE prep courses can be useful for new graduates, but they are not automatically the right preparation for a practicing PA approaching recertification. The PANRE assesses broad core medical knowledge, including systems and conditions that may not appear regularly in your current clinical setting.
If you work in orthopedics, emergency medicine, dermatology, or another focused specialty, your day-to-day experience will not necessarily cover the full range of PANRE content. Relying on specialty familiarity can leave gaps in cardiology, pulmonary medicine, infectious disease, endocrinology, psychiatry, renal medicine, and other areas.
Choose preparation written specifically for the PANRE and organized around the current NCCPA PANRE/PANRE-LA Content Blueprint. The purpose is not to relearn every detail of medicine. It is to identify the high-yield gaps that are most likely to cost you questions.
Mistake 2: Spending most of your time on passive review
Reading notes, highlighting slides, and watching lectures can create a sense of familiarity without proving that you can retrieve the information under exam conditions. Recognition is not the same as recall.
A more efficient strategy is to use active recall from the beginning:
- Answer questions before reviewing the explanation.
- Record missed concepts by organ system.
- Revisit missed questions after a delay.
- Explain why each distractor is incorrect.
- Repeat weak topics until performance improves.
This approach turns each question into a short diagnostic assessment. You learn what you know, what you do not know, and which topics deserve another study block.
The PANRE Review Course includes 2,500+ questions with teaching explanations, allowing you to use practice questions as the center of your study plan rather than as a final-week activity.
Mistake 3: Ignoring exam pacing and full-length practice
Knowing the material is only one part of exam preparation. You must also manage time across a long, 240-question assessment. Candidates who complete only short quizzes may recognize content but still struggle with pacing, fatigue, and decision-making late in the examination.
Schedule full-length simulations before your test date. Use them to evaluate:
- Average time per question
- Performance during the final third of the exam
- Frequency of changing correct answers
- Time lost on unfamiliar questions
- Organ systems that repeatedly produce errors
The PANRE Review Course includes 3 full-length mock exams. Completing one early establishes a baseline. Completing the next two after targeted review shows whether your strategy is improving.
A separate option is the PANRE/PANRE-LA Review Exams Bundle, which includes 720 questions across three 240-question practice exams. It is a question-focused resource and should not be confused with the PANRE Review Course that provides 100 hours of Category 1 AAPA credit.
Mistake 4: Studying every topic equally
The PANRE does not distribute questions equally across all medical subjects. Treating every topic as if it carries the same weight can produce an inefficient schedule.
Start with the NCCPA Content Blueprint. Then compare it with your baseline performance. A high-weight system where you are consistently missing questions deserves priority over a low-weight topic where you already perform well.
For example, if your cardiovascular and pulmonary scores are weak, spending several hours reviewing minor dermatologic conditions is unlikely to produce the same improvement. This does not mean you should ignore lower-weight categories. It means your time should reflect both exam distribution and your individual knowledge gaps.
Use a simple process:
- Complete a diagnostic block of questions.
- Sort missed questions by organ system.
- Compare your results with the NCCPA Content Blueprint.
- Assign more study time to high-weight, low-performance areas.
- Reassess after one to two weeks.
This method is more precise than studying based only on what feels familiar or interesting.
Mistake 5: Buying exam preparation and CME as separate purchases
One of the most expensive mistakes is treating PANRE preparation and CME compliance as unrelated obligations. You may purchase a review product that does not provide Category 1 credit and later pay for another course to complete your CME requirements.
The PANRE Review Course provides 100 hours of Category 1 AAPA credit while you prepare for recertification. This can consolidate a substantial portion of your CME planning into one purchase. Confirm your individual NCCPA requirements and your employer’s reimbursement policy before enrolling.
The course is listed at $399.99 with 30 months of access. If you have an employer CME allowance, an optional paid gift card add-on may be selected at checkout:
- Amazon Gift Card options from $100 to $1,500
- Apple Gift Card options from $100 to $1,500
- The gift card amount is added to the course price
- The add-on is not free and is not included automatically
- Gift cards are processed separately and sent by email
This structure can help you use available CME money for a resource that supports both exam preparation and Category 1 credit. It does not replace your responsibility to verify whether your employer permits gift card add-ons or whether the course meets your specific documentation requirements.
PANRE Practice Question
Your patient is a 68-year-old man with a history of COPD and hypertension who presents with fever, productive cough, and progressive dyspnea. He is confused and appears acutely ill. Vital signs are: T 39.2°C, HR 124/min, RR 30/min, BP 84/50 mmHg, and SaO2 88% on room air. Chest radiograph shows a right lower-lobe infiltrate. Blood cultures are obtained, broad-spectrum antibiotics are administered, and 30 mL/kg of IV crystalloid is given. His MAP remains 58 mmHg.
Which of the following is the most appropriate next step?
A. Administer IV furosemide
B. Begin norepinephrine infusion
C. Administer IV sodium bicarbonate
D. Start dopamine as first-line vasopressor therapy
E. Order CT angiography of the chest before further treatment
Correct answer: B. Begin norepinephrine infusion
Norepinephrine is the first-line vasopressor for septic shock with persistent hypotension after adequate initial fluid resuscitation. This patient has presumed pneumonia-associated septic shock, altered mental status, hypotension, and inadequate MAP despite fluids.
Furosemide could worsen intravascular depletion. Sodium bicarbonate is not routine treatment for septic shock-related lactic acidosis. Dopamine is associated with more arrhythmias and is not preferred when norepinephrine is available. CT angiography would delay treatment and is not indicated when the clinical picture already supports septic shock.
The practical point is to recognize the sequence: obtain cultures when this does not delay care, administer appropriate antibiotics, provide initial crystalloid, and initiate norepinephrine when hypotension persists. PANRE questions often test both diagnosis and the next management step.
A smarter way to use your study time and CME budget
A focused PANRE plan should accomplish three things:
- Cover the full range of NCCPA core medical content.
- Force active recall through realistic questions and explanations.
- Apply eligible study activity toward your CME requirements when possible.
The PANRE Review Course with 100 hours of Category 1 AAPA CME is designed around that combination. It includes broad review content, more than 2,500 questions, three full-length mock exams, and 30 months of access.
The optional Amazon and Apple Gift Card add-ons can be selected from $100 to $1,500. Because these are paid add-ons: not free gifts: review your employer’s CME policy before purchase and select only an amount that fits your approved budget.
For additional planning guidance, see CME Review Courses’ PANRE recertification resources, FAQ, and related article on common PANRE preparation mistakes.
About the Author
Jeremy Boroff, PA-C, is a practicing Emergency Medicine physician assistant with 24 years of clinical experience. He is an author, PA educator, and CME developer who creates PANRE, PANCE, EOR, and specialty review courses for CME Review Courses. His clinical and educational work focuses on practical exam preparation and the application of core medical knowledge in patient care.