Interactive Content Blueprint for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE)
This is a clickable, interactive educational adaptation of the current NCCPA™ PANCE Content Blueprint, which became effective in January 2025 and remains the active blueprint for PANCE candidates certifying in 2026 and 2027.
All PANCE topics are linked to Smarty PANCE Blueprint Lessons and topic-specific Blueprint Exams to support focused, efficient study.
These interactive blueprints are available for online viewing and download in multiple formats 👉 Click Here. Additional study resources are included below, along with links to the official NCCPA publications.
Disclaimer: Smarty PANCE is not sponsored by, endorsed by, affiliated with, or approved by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). The NCCPA does not review or validate third-party study materials.
Smart Blueprints PANCE Search and Sort PANCE Trello Board 8-Week PANCE Study Plan (Trello) Hyperlinked PDF NCCPA Blueprint (official PDF) NCCPA Website (PANCE) PANRE Blueprint| The five-hour PANCE exam includes 300 multiple-choice questions, administered in five blocks of 60 questions, with 60 minutes per block. A total of 45 minutes is allotted for breaks between blocks, and you will be responsible for managing your break time. You have 15 minutes to complete a PANCE tutorial. | |
The current PANCE blueprint has 15 medical content categories — 14 organ systems plus Professional Practice — and 8 task categories. Medical content accounts for 94% of the exam and Professional Practice for the remaining 6%, and every medical content question is also coded to one of the task areas. NCCPA also notes that surgical topics make up 8–10% of the exam and pediatric conditions 12–15%. |
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| Medical Content Categories | Percentage |
| Cardiovascular System | 11% |
| Dermatologic System | 4% |
| Endocrine System | 6% |
| Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat | 6% |
| Gastrointestinal System/Nutrition | 8% |
| Genitourinary System | 4% |
| Hematologic System | 5% |
| Infectious Diseases | 7% |
| Musculoskeletal System | 8% |
| Neurologic System | 7% |
| Psychiatry/Behavioral Science | 7% |
| Pulmonary System | 9% |
| Renal System | 5% |
| Reproductive System | 7% |
| Professional Practice | 6% |
| Task Categories | |
| History Taking and Performing Physical Examination |
16% |
| Using Diagnostic and Laboratory Studies | 10% |
| Formulating the Most Likely Diagnosis | 18% |
| Managing Patients | |
| - Health Maintenance, Patient Education, and Preventive Measures | 11% |
| - Clinical Intervention | 16% |
| - Pharmaceutical Therapeutics | 15% |
| Applying Foundational Scientific Concepts | 8% |
| Professional Practice | 6% |
Medical Content Categories (NCCPA PANCE Blueprint)
| NCCPA™ PANCE Cardiology System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Dermatology System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Endocrine System Content Blueprint |
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| Adrenal disorders | Endocrine System Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat Content Blueprint |
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Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat (6%)
| Eye disorders | Ear disorders
Foreign bodies of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat Trauma of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Gastroenterology and Nutrition System Content Blueprint |
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Gastrointestinal System/Nutrition (8%)
| NCCPA™ PANCE Genitourinary System Content Blueprint |
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| Benign prostatic hyperplasia | Genitourinary System Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Hematology System Content Blueprint |
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| Autoimmune disorders | Hematologic System Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Infectious Disease System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Musculoskeletal System Content Blueprint |
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Chest/rib disorders
We have maintained the following subcategories of lower extremity disorders from the previous blueprint for simplicity:
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Spinal disorders
We have maintained the following subcategories of upper extremity disorders from the previous blueprint for simplicity:
Musculoskeletal System Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Neurology System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Psychiatry and Behavioral Science Content Blueprint |
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Psychiatry/Behavioral Science (7%)
| NCCPA™ PANCE Pulmonary System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Renal System Content Blueprint |
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| Acid-base disorders
Acute kidney injury and acute renal failure Chronic kidney disease/end-stage renal disease |
Renal System Exam Take Exam |
| NCCPA™ PANCE Reproductive System Content Blueprint |
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| NCCPA™ PANCE Professional Practice Content Blueprint |
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Professional practice is the one content category that is not also coded to a task area — NCCPA counts it as its own 6% of the exam, with medical content making up the other 94%. Each heading below links to the Smarty PANCE lesson covering that whole group.
Legal/medical ethics
Patient care and communication (individual patients)
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PA role in professional practice
Public health (population/society)
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Studying on an earlier blueprint? The retired 2019–2024 Interactive PANCE Blueprint is archived separately — its percentages and topics no longer reflect the exam.