Course price: $399.99
Access: 30 months
PANRE Review Course credit: 100 hours of AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME
Included preparation: 2,500+ board-style questions, three full-length mock exams, and comprehensive PANRE review content
Optional add-ons: Amazon or Apple Gift Cards from $100 to $1,500
The gift cards are optional paid add-ons, not free gifts. The selected gift card amount is added to the course purchase price. Amazon and Apple Gift Cards are processed by email, generally within 2–3 business days. Gift card packages are nonrefundable.
The traditional PANRE and PANRE-LA use the same general clinical content framework and question style, but the testing experience is different.
| Feature | Traditional PANRE | PANRE-LA |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Single-day, proctored exam | Longitudinal quarterly assessment |
| Location | Pearson VUE testing center | Online from a compatible device |
| References | Closed book | Open book; outside references are allowed |
| Timing | Years 9–10 of the certification cycle | Application in year 6; assessment during years 7–9 |
| Questions | 240 questions in one exam | 25 questions per quarter |
| Time pressure | Approximately 1 minute per question | Approximately 5 minutes per question |
| Testing pattern | One high-stakes score | Cumulative performance across quarters |
The traditional PANRE requires rapid recall under time pressure. You must work through 240 questions in a single proctored examination. Preparation should include full-length simulations, pacing practice, and review of incorrect answers.
The PANRE-LA distributes the assessment over multiple quarters. It allows reference use, but that does not eliminate the need for preparation. Searching every question from the beginning can consume the available time and may indicate that the underlying knowledge base is not sufficiently developed.
Both pathways require preparation across the NCCPA PANRE/PANRE-LA Content Blueprint. Check the NCCPA PANRE-LA page and Key Dates for current eligibility and registration details.
A well-selected PANRE review course can serve two purposes:
The CME Review Courses PANRE Review Course is designated for 100 hours of AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME upon completion of the required course work and evaluation. This 100-hour designation applies to the PANRE Review Course.
The separate Pharmacology Review Course carries its own 12 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME. Do not combine or attribute the pharmacology course’s credit to the PANRE Review Course.
Under NCCPA requirements, PAs must earn and log 100 CME credits during each two-year cycle, including at least 50 Category 1 credits. NCCPA applies a 50% additional weighting to qualifying AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME when it is logged for national certification maintenance. A 100-credit self-assessment activity may therefore receive additional NCCPA weighting, but you should log the activity exactly as documented and verify the current rules through NCCPA and AAPA CME guidance.
State licensing rules may differ. The additional NCCPA weighting does not necessarily apply to state license renewal. Nurse practitioners should confirm whether their state accepts AAPA Category 1 credit. Physicians may use the clinical content, but the activity generally does not represent Category 1 physician CME; it may be applicable as Category 2 depending on the physician’s requirements.
Searches for cme gift cards often create confusion about how these offers work. The practical distinction is simple:
For example, if your employer provides a $1,000 CME allowance and you purchase the $399.99 PANRE Review Course with a $500 Amazon Gift Card add-on, the transaction total is approximately $899.99 before any applicable taxes or fees. The educational value remains the course and its 100 AAPA Category 1 credits. The gift card is a separate budget-use option.
Before ordering, confirm that your employer’s CME policy allows board review courses, digital educational content, and gift card add-ons. Policies vary by employer. Use the add-on only when the full purchase is eligible under your organization’s rules.
A practical approach is to review your remaining CME balance before the end of the budget year. If unused funds expire, applying them to a qualifying PANRE review course and an optional add-on may be more useful than allowing the balance to lapse. You still need to confirm reimbursement rules in advance.
Traditional PANRE preparation requires timed, closed-book practice. PANRE-LA preparation should include deliberate use of references without becoming dependent on them.
Correction: Complete some questions under traditional exam conditions, even if you plan to take PANRE-LA. This exposes knowledge gaps and improves retrieval speed.
Reading explanations without committing to an answer creates familiarity, not reliable recall.
Correction: Hide the explanation, select an answer, and identify your reasoning before reviewing the rationale. Then record why each distractor was incorrect.
The NCCPA content distribution is not equal across organ systems. A study schedule that assigns identical time to every category may underprepare you for higher-weight areas such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal medicine.
Correction: Use the NCCPA Blueprint to organize study time. Spend additional time on high-weight systems and on topics where your practice exposure is limited.
Your local practice patterns may differ from the nationally accepted first-best answer. Cost, specialist availability, institutional protocols, and access to imaging can change what you do clinically.
Correction: Separate the board-standard answer from the action you might take in a resource-limited setting. Pay attention to the specific wording: initial test, next best step, definitive test, or most appropriate treatment.
PAtopia is designed for PA students preparing for PACKRAT, EOR, EOC, and PANCE examinations. It is not a substitute for the CME Review Courses PANRE Review Course and is not the source of the 100 AAPA Category 1 PANRE credit.
You can access PAtopia through the web version, the iOS app, or the Android app. It is useful for PA-school exam preparation, but keep the purpose of each resource clear.
Your patient is a 64-year-old man with hypertension and tobacco use who presents with sudden, tearing chest pain radiating to the interscapular region. BP is 190/110 mmHg in the right arm and 160/95 mmHg in the left arm. A new diastolic murmur is heard at the right sternal border. HR is 112/min. SaO₂ is 97% on room air.
What is the most appropriate initial diagnostic study?
A. Exercise stress test
B. Transthoracic echocardiography
C. CT angiography of the chest and abdomen
D. Coronary CT calcium score
E. Routine chest radiograph
Correct answer: C. CT angiography of the chest and abdomen.
This presentation is concerning for acute aortic dissection. CT angiography is rapidly available and provides detailed visualization of the thoracic and abdominal aorta in a hemodynamically stable patient.
Transthoracic echocardiography may not adequately visualize the entire aorta. A transesophageal echocardiogram is an alternative when the patient is unstable or CTA is contraindicated. An exercise stress test and coronary calcium score are inappropriate in suspected dissection. A chest radiograph may show a widened mediastinum but cannot establish the diagnosis.
Your PANRE-LA quarter opens on Monday. You recognize the clinical scenario but cannot recall the recommended antibiotic regimen. You have access to institutional guidelines and a current reference source.
What is the best approach?
A. Select an answer immediately based on a vague memory
B. Ask a colleague to choose the answer
C. Use a reliable reference efficiently, then answer independently
D. Skip every question requiring a reference
E. Search multiple sources until the answer is certain
Correct answer: C. Use a reliable reference efficiently, then answer independently.
PANRE-LA permits reference use, but consulting other individuals is not permitted. Use a reliable source efficiently, confirm the relevant recommendation, and apply it to the vignette. Excessive searching wastes time, while guessing without reviewing an available reference undermines the advantage of the format.
A 30-month access period allows you to divide the work into manageable phases:
Do not wait until the final months of your certification cycle. The purpose of a long access period is to support deliberate review while you continue clinical practice.
Before purchasing or beginning a course, confirm:
The PANRE Review Course with Gift Card options combines structured recertification preparation with 100 hours of AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME, 30 months of access, and optional Amazon or Apple Gift Card add-ons. Use the course for the education and credit; use the add-on only as a transparent way to allocate an eligible CME budget.
About the Author : Jeremy Boroff, PA-C
Jeremy Boroff is an emergency medicine physician assistant with 24 years of clinical emergency medicine experience as a PA-C and seven additional years of experience as a Registered Respiratory Therapist. He is an author, PA educator, and CME developer who created the PANRE, PANCE, EOR, and specialty review courses at CME Review Courses.
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