The Truth about the PANCE

I can’t believe that we have come to the end of another blog series! Time flies when you’re talking about testing…and when you’re taking a test, too! That’s why prep is critical.

I’ve enjoyed sharing some of the best advice I give the students in my PANCE Master Class on preparing for this critical examination. Most of us have taken enough standardized tests to know that preparation is key, not just for “getting the right answers” but also for all the physical and mental stresses that can make testing all that much harder.

In this final blog, I want to dispel a myth of the PANCE that tends to float around year after year. This kind of speculation isn’t uncommon for a difficult test with a lot riding on the results. Here it is:

MYTH: “Some versions of the PANCE are more difficult than others.”

Each test-taker receives a unique version of the PANCE, as is true for most modern computer-based standardized exams. This ensures that test-takers can’t share answers and that the tests remain fair and honest.

So, yes, versions will vary and questions are frequently rotated in and out of use. All versions are designed from the same blueprint, however, and equivalent in difficulty and coverage. Fixed-form testing is specifically balanced for difficulty, so that everyone’s version meets the same requirements of competencies, learning objectives, and skill domains.

Scores are adjusted using psychometric techniques (like Item Response Theory, or IRT) to ensure that although the questions differ, everyone’s score reflects the same underlying ability level. Every version is statistically analyzed to ensure that the version’s makeup did not impact the score received. One may have to get 74% of the items correct to get a 350 in one PANCE version, but may only have to get 73% correct to get a 350 in another version, but the test corrects itself for that. Test-takers are never penalized for taking a “different” exam version.

Also, unlike “adaptive” exams, the PANCE is not a reactive test, and there is no pattern of increasing question difficulty. The PANCE is based on completing all items: 300 questions, and every question counts the same.

It is probably no surprise that I believe many of these rumors start with students who take the PANCE early and then begin sharing “horror stories,” skewing the perceptions of students who have yet to try. I recommend that PANCE-preppers not listen to PANCE stories from other students, especially those who may have failed. Skepticism and projection can add to the fears of preppers who already have quite enough to deal with.

Conclusion

Over the past several months, I’ve taken you readers on a condensed journey through my PANCE preparation master class. I’ve enjoyed sharing this information with you, first, because you might wish to share it with your own students, and second, because this is fascinating stuff! Almost all of us must at some point take standardized tests (or know people who are about to do the same), and a great deal of the information I share is applicable and beneficial to preparing for any test.

To summarize quickly, my PANCE Masterclass includes a carefully constructed ten-week study plan that preppers (as I’ve been calling them in the blogs) should adhere to to ensure that they are well prepared for the PANCE blueprint subject matter. But as I’ve tried to clarify, knowing the material is only half the battle. I ensure that my Master Class includes other facets of standardized test-taking that cannot be underestimated in importance.

The first facet is to teach test preppers how best to comprehend the various types of test questions, and how to cope with the stems and the possible answers. During the PANCE, one has approximately one minute to answer each question, so there is little time for re-reading or spending excessive seconds trying to decide between answers. Knowing how to deconstruct and permeate the meaning of test questions is a key point that we discussed in Parts 2 and 3 of this blog series.

In Parts 4 and 5, we discussed the importance of testing practice using test banks.I really can’t emphasize strongly enough the importance of practice testing; it is the best way to prepare oneself for the rigors of six mentally exhausting hours. With practice testing, our test preppers learn the stamina, pacing, and stress relief that can make the difference between passing and failing the PANCE.

Finally, in Part 6 last week, we discussed the final stages of prepping for the PANCE, from two to three weeks before the exam. This is, of course, with the caveat that they have been sticking to the ten-week study program up until then! At that point, the “major” studying should be done. Those final weeks are spent on housekeeping, optimizing last-minute preparations and focusing the review process. Remember the Swiss Cheese Method? I encourage students to fill in the holes in their knowledge that will benefit them the most in their final score. And of course, this is also the time for the prepper to decide whether they are truly ready to take the PANCE, through a combination of practice test results and introspection.

And that’s that. I’ll see you all next week when we’ll embark on another adventure in PA Education!