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You are here: Home / Pre-Physician Assistant / Can the PA-CAT® Exam Predict PA School Success?

Can the PA-CAT® Exam Predict PA School Success?

BY Stephen Pasquini PA-C Leave a Comment

Can the PA-Cat Exam Predict PA school Academic success

With over 1115,000 PAs actively working in the US and a projected increase of 37% through 2025, it is fair to say that the PA profession is growing.

Along with a burgeoning clinician demand for PAs, there is an even more significant burden placed on PA academic programs to recognize those individuals best prepared for the rigors of a graduate PA program.

It is, therefore, increasingly important that academic institutions can identify student characteristics associated with success in PA school.

Despite a rigorous screening process, PA programs still experience a 5.2% attrition rate (the percent of students forced to drop out), which counteracts their most considerable efforts and harms students and the economic stability of the program.

In addition to completing the academic and clinical requirements, PA students must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). As we all know, PANCE pass rates are a big part of the accreditation process and can influence the character and quantity of future applicants.

Developing a screening standard will be a win-win. Assuring programs accept students who will be able to complete the program and providing students a fair and reasonable metric by which to gauge their competencies.

What do you think about the PA-CAT?

Predictors of PA School Success

The current research on predictors of PA school success is inconstant and, at times, contradictory.

About half of PA schools require the GRE. At the same time, most consider overall and science GPA minimum, volunteer hours, shadowing hours, direct patient care hours, and specific coursework, in addition to many other factors such as the personal interview, supplemental applications, and the forever dreaded PA school personal statement.

We do not require standardized testing as part of our admission requirement and do not plan to do so moving forward in the near future. - Elissa Love, BCM PA Program in Houston

What Defines PA School Success?

To answer the question of whether a particular metric can predict academic success, we must first ask the question of what it means to succeed in PA school.

The quality of your PA school experience is something that everyone defines a little differently. For you, PA school success might mean getting good grades, preparing well for future practice, having meaningful clinical experience, or making connections that will help you to achieve your goals, among many other options.

Many of these definitions are subjective, personal, or unquantifiable. For this discussion, we will consider two variables used by the majority of PA school admissions teams — successful completion of the PA program from start to finish and passing your PANCE/high PANCE test scores.

Does the GRE Predict PA School Success?

There have been few studies to determine the relationship between GRE scores and PA student success.

The studies that do exist are self-contradictory and have demonstrated a weak (if any) association between GRE scores and PA school performance.

Based on the existing research, "GRE scores have been determined inadequate and inconsistent predictive measures of PA school success." 

Also, there is no convincing evidence of a relationship between GRE scores and graduate student success for most graduate school programs. GRE scores turned out to be only “moderate predictors of first semester grades” and “weak to moderate predictors of graduate GPA.”

Despite this existing data, the GRE is a required prerequisite by over 1/2 of PA schools nationally. Ugh!

Does Undergraduate GPA Predict PA School Success?

Most (if not all) PA schools use overall undergraduate GPA and science GPA as criteria for PA school student selection even though recent research studies have had surprisingly contradictory results.

Two studies reported GPA among the most reliable predictors of success on the PANCE, while another showed that higher admission GPA was positively associated with first attempt PANCE scores.

In contrast, a different study examining 119 PA students failed to identify a correlation between undergraduate GPA and performance on the PANCE, nor was science prerequisite GPA associated with PANCE performance. 

What was the most reliable predictor of PANCE success? Performance on foundational coursework taken during PA school, which, of course, is useless when it comes to identifying successful Pre-PA school applicants.

Can the MCAT predict PA School Success?

Each year, some 90,000 aspiring doctors take the MCAT® exam, and scores of admissions teams comb through the results as part of their search for talented future physicians. Does that mean the test must do its job well?

Researchers have spent years studying thousands of students to assess the MCAT® exam. The researchers suggest a strong relationship between MCAT scores and students’ success in the first year of medical school.

Research has found "that, on average, students with higher MCAT scores perform better in their first-year courses. Also, "they found these results at a range of schools that vary in many ways, including their academic missions, applicant pools, teaching practices, and approaches to grading."

What’s more, numbers crunched indicate that the MCAT predicts how well students perform in second-year courses as well as on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination, significant milestones in moving toward on-time graduation from medical school.

Researchers also wanted to know whether MCAT scores added value beyond what undergraduate GPAs offer in predicting medical school success. The data showed that both measures predicted well — but that using the two metrics together worked much better. “Admissions committees can be reassured that it makes sense to continue using both the MCAT and GPA.”

Some PA programs accept the MCAT as a PA school admission prerequisite, though to date, there is no conclusive evidence as to the MCAT's utility as a predictor of PA school success. 

Can the SAT or ACT Predict PA School Success?

Currently, no studies exist to determine the usefulness of other standardized tests such as the ACT or SAT in relation to PA school success.

But due to the weak association between GRE and PANCE performance, it has been predicted that "ACT and SAT scores would likely show a weak or no association with PA school success."

Can Empathy, Communication Skills, and Teamwork Predict PA School Success?

Research has demonstrated that certain personality types may provide insight as to how a student will perform in PA school.

Specifically, conscientiousness and emotional intelligence are moderately predictive of success in the early years and much more predictive of academic achievement in the later years of education.

Many institutions either use a rating for high school extracurricular involvement in their admission process or subsume it within a broader “personal qualities” rating. Several institutions investigated the relationship of extracurricular activities to college academic achievement. One college found no correlation on a widespread basis, but that some of these students did less well than predicted. Another college found a small positive correlation between the extracurricular rating and college grades.

Are Aptitude Tests a Good Measure of College Completion and Academic Success in Undergraduate Programs?

Most studies find that the correlation between SAT scores and first-year undergraduate college grades is not overwhelming and that SAT scores explain only 10 percent to 20 percent of the variation in first-year GPA.

Generally, higher standardized test scores do show a correlation with college success as it's usually defined. ... In other words, a student who gets a higher score on the ACT or SAT is slightly more likely to be more successful in college, but only slightly.

In a report published by the American Enterprise Institute, researchers calculated a student’s likelihood of graduation based on both her high school GPA and her SAT or ACT score. While better marks on both measures predict a better chance of completion, "the relationship between high school GPA and graduation rates was by far the strongest."

What Happened to Evidence-Based Medicine?

In a recent survey conducted by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, they found only 51 percent of the colleges surveyed conduct predictive validity studies to discover whether aptitude tests tell them anything helpful. Yet, nearly 8 out of 10 undergraduate colleges require aptitude exams.

In other words, schools are quick to adopt standardized test scores as a standard without testing to see if these test scores predict academic or future success.

Among that 51 percent that do crunch the numbers, 59 percent conduct validity studies annually; 24 percent every other year. Colleges have their own study protocols for gauging, whether SAT or ACT scores mean anything.

Can the PA-CAT Exam Predict PA School Success?

In full disclosure, my initial feelings regarding the PA-CAT were that it was a money grab.

Exam Master, the privately owned company that has created and marketed The PA-CAT (along with PANCE preparation tools, and test prep for nursing, dental and medical schools), has a substantial financial incentive to bring another assessment tool to market amid a frantic search by PA school administrators desperately seeking reliable metrics for PA school admissions. The market is significant, and there is a lot of money to be made by those hoping to generate a tidy profit.

Not to mention an exam company such as Exam Master can "double-dip." Meaning they can not only market an exam to PA programs, but they can also make and sell resources to prepare for the PA-CAT exam to pre-PA students. Cha-Ching!!

Let us not forget the "triple-dip" where Exam Master charges Pre-PAs to release those exam results to PA programs as part of their CASPA application!

In theory, if a test is well designed, then it only asks questions that target useful skills. If all the items on the test are important, then somebody who can answer 100 percent of the items would have a better chance of succeeding than somebody who can only answer 80 percent or 50 percent?

But we know the GRE is virtually useless in predicting PA school success. Still, just like prescriptions for Lipitor, it has been adopted quickly and without evidence by the majority of PA programs.

Data from the MCAT and medical school performance gives me some hope. But the most recent iteration of the MCAT was developed by an advisory committee, and survey respondents made up of medical school deans, administrators, basic and clinical science faculty, pre-health advisors, medical students, medical residents, and medical school faculty. Not a private company such as Exam Master.

Still, it is unlikely that any standardized test can ever adequately measure competencies beyond medical knowledge.

In studies that demonstrate a strong correlation between test scores and academic achievement, it is only true for the average; there are always some people who do terribly on a test, then excel later.  An overreliance on just one measure of performance, such as the PA-CAT, risks missing a pool of candidates with other valuable attributes to contribute to the health care system.

My final thought is that no school should adopt a requirement such as the PA-CAT until there is evidence that it actually works. We should be especially mindful of the profit motive behind exams such as the PA-CAT, and guard against its influence on our next generation of passionate, driven, and compassionate PA professionals. And most of all, we as PAs, Pre-PAs, and PA students should question the metrics being used in the PA school admissions process and harness the power of "big data" to help identify evidence-based admissions practices.

Have a thought? Please share them in the comments section!

Stephen Pasquini PA-C

Resources:

  • How well does the MCAT® exam predict success in medical school?
  • If GPA is the best predictor of college success, why do colleges cling to ACT and SAT?
  • Can Aptitude Tests Really Predict Your Performance?
  • College Vine: How Good is the SAT/ACT at Predicting College Success?**
  • Forbes: What Predicts College Completion? High School GPA Beats SAT Score
  • Does the MCAT predict medical school and PGY-1 performance?
  • Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT)
  • Factors Associated with Academic Performance in Physician Assistant Graduate Programs and National Certification Examination Scores. A Literature Review***

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About Stephen Pasquini PA-C

A PA since 2004 and creator of The PA Life and Smarty PANCE Board Review websites. A National Health Service Corps Scholar and a graduate of The University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (Rutgers) PA Program and the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Stephen's goal is to provide one-of-a-kind online resources for those interested in or practicing in the PA profession, to promote better access to healthcare for all and foster universal recognition/awareness of the PA profession. Read more about Stephen.

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Amanda, Pre-PA

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping me with my personal statement. I have been accepted at Cornell, and will most likely be entering their program in March 2017. I have also received interview offers from Wake Forest, Duke, Pitt, Quinnipiac, Oregon Health Sciences, and Chatham so far. I am happy to share my success up to this point, because I would not be in this position without your guidance, wisdom, and talent.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with you, and I am profoundly grateful for your help. I wish you all the best in the future.

Stephanie Dwyer, PA-S

Sue was very quick to edit my essay and give feedback. Any questions were answered very promptly. I am very pleased with the service provided.

Brandon, Pre-PA

Sarah Schultz was a great editor and was easy to communicate with. She answered my emails very promptly and made great suggestions while also helping me cut down and condense my essay to be in the character limit. She made me feel more confident in my work and helped me develop an essay that I am proud of. I would definitely use this service again!

Katie, Pre-PA

I am very happy with your service and would highly recommend it to any PA applicant. Duke helped me to put my thoughts in order and to make significant changes. My personal statement sounds great and seems easy and interesting to read now.  He took a lot of time to explain his way of thinking and to understand what I am trying to say. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate what you are doing for others.

Olga N. Pre-PA

Sarah is an amazing writer. She helped clarify my thoughts and encouraged me on this journey. When/ if I get an interview, it will be because of her amazing writing skills.

Araceli, Pre-PA

Sue did an amazing job editing my personal statement. She included all the aspects that I wanted in the statement and made it flow so much better. Thank You! Thank You!

Kendra Perkey, Pre-PA

I was very pleased working with Duke on my personal statement. I’m currently in the middle of applying to PA school, so I haven’t heard back from the programs. I’m looking forward to the experience though.

John R. Pre-PA

I felt our mock interview was an absolute necessity to prepare for the Academic and Personal interviews from Yale School of Medicine PA Program Online. I felt the calibre of questions you had asked me, in addition to the coaching and post-question feedback, really helped me understand what an ideal response looks like and gave me time to reflect and prepare my responses for the formal interview just two days later.

During my interviews I was asked plenty of questions I didn’t have a prepared response to (and I had combed through tons especially in the days following our mock interview!) I can say that I answered each question genuinely, authentically, and showed both interviewers the best version of myself. I didn’t stammer or lose my place, and I felt confident in my words and expressions. I don’t think I would have been as comfortable, calm, or confident without having accepted your guidance and feedback and learned from our time together.

Gratitude for your words, encouragement, and support is an understatement. Thank you, Sarah!

Best Regards,
Jacob

Jacob, PRE-PA

Sarah Morris Schultz was my PA statement editor and she was absolutely fabulous! She helped to shave my original 4-page long, winding PA statement down to a 2 page impactful, poignant, moving statement that lead me to get accepted to a Doctor of Medical Science program in Physician Assistant Studies. She has such a gift for writing and knowing how to say things in just the right way and use the right words! One of the DMS PA program committee members started off my video conference online interview by stating that my PA statement was the best he ever read, not “one of the best” but THE BEST statement. My heart leapt. My PA statement years ago had caused me NOT to get accepted to the school that I had hoped. I did get accepted to a good PA school, got my degree, and started practicing in this field that I love. However, this time I decided to humble myself and get help writing a good statement. Praise God, it paid off. I am so grateful for the PA Life service and fee for the one-on-one service is worth every penny! I recommend everyone get Sarah Morris Schultz. She’s the bomb.com! I love you, Sarah 🙂

Sonja D. PA-S

I just wanted to email you and let you know that 3 weeks post-interview with Gannon, I was accepted into the class of 2023! I am so excited and thrilled and I know that your help, helped me. So, thank you!

Cailin, PA-S

I just wanted to let you know that the majority of my interviews have gone really well! So far, I’ve received six interview invites and have interviewed for five schools. Midwestern (AZ) just got back to me a bit ago, and they sent me an acceptance email! I am beyond thrilled! I just wanted to thank you so much for your help! Your mock interview gave me a lot of confidence that I was able to carry into my interviews! I appreciated having the opportunity to practice my interview skills with you. I wanted to let you know just how much you’ve helped me with my application process (with my interviews, personal statement, and just my confidence in general)! Thank you so much for all of the advice over the past few months!

Sneh, PA-S

I was at a point where I kept reading my essay over and over again and not knowing what to change. After Sue looked over and thoroughly edited the essay, I had a completely new focus! I knew exactly what to tweak and her service really cleared up any uncertainty I had with my essay. I’m now much more confident as I finish up my CASPA applications!

Julia Spalding, Pre-PA

This is my third time applying to PA programs. With my first two attempts, I only had close friends, family, and peers help me with my personal statement. I never even thought about going through a professional personal statement review service until after I had failed to get into PA programs my second time around. My prerequisites are expiring soon and the thought of going through the entire process of applying a fourth time terrifies me. I was hesitant to purchase the one-on-one service but after going through it, I am so glad that I did. Sarah was my editor and she is incredible. She genuinely understands how frustrating yet exciting this process is. I submitted my initial personal statement to her and within a day, she had already gotten back to me with detailed feedback. She even goes as far as telling you how many characters she wants you to add in different parts of your essay – this was extremely helpful for me because I tend to be a little wordy sometimes rather than succinct. Sarah helped me to highlight my strengths, experiences, and reasons for why I have spent so many years pursuing the PA career. This is an incredible service and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it! I am still in the process of completing my supplemental applications but I am more confident now than I have been with my first two attempts!

Christian S. Pre-PA

I’m so happy with the amount of time and attention that Duke and Sue put into helping perfect my essay. I’m extremely fortunate to have come across Stephen’s page and this opportunity- I would have sent in an essay that unknown to me at the time, had issues and needed many improvements. I’m almost to the point where I’m going to submit my application, and will definitely update the team on prospective interviews. I cannot thank you guys enough for having this essay review service available, you definitely make it worth every dollar and more.

Tiffany Ly, Pre-PA

My editor did an amazing job of quickly getting my rough draft back to me. I paid for your service very late in the game, yet The PA Life worked with my timeline and was very thorough in the editing process. I am very impressed with how eloquent I sound in the personal statement. I can not recommend your service enough!!

Katie, Pre-PA

This is my second time using this editing service and I am highly satisfied with the results! Sarah Schultz worked with me on both my personal statement and a supplemental essay, both times providing excellent advice and editing on my papers. It was a pleasure working with her, and I look forward to hearing back from programs soon to see if I receive an invitation for an interview.

Sarah, Pre-PA

It was an absolute pleasure working with Sarah. She was prompt to respond, professional, and kind. Sarah is an excellent writer. I was consistently impressed with her edits and suggestions for my personal statement. After working with Sarah I feel confident that my final essay will be well-received schools and help me stand out as a candidate.

Leah, Pre-PA

Carly did more than help revise my grammatical errors and flow. She was able to show me the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts of my essay. She was able to tell me what it was missing as well as praise me for what I did correctly. It gave me confidence in my writing, and I truly believe it will make an impact on the way PA programs view me.

Sherry, Pre-PA

I finally have amazing news. So first of all, in total, I was offered 13 interviews. I was just offered a seat at Nova Orlando! I am finally going to be a PA and a big part of that was from all of your help with my personal statement. So thank you very much for helping me succeed during this round.

Jennifer, PA-S

My editor was Beth, and she blew my expectations out of the water. She got back to me within 24 hours of submitting my request for edits and helped me so much with the edits she made. If I receive an interview, I am excited to use PA Life to help me with mock interviews.

Haley, Pre-PA

Sarah helped to condense my detailed thoughts into a powerful essay. Over the phone, she was careful to collaborate with me before making any changes so that the piece remained under my control and in my voice. She served as a guide and insured the essay brought out my strengths and reasons for pursuing the PA profession. Overall, I’m incredibly happy with the service!

Julie, Pre-PA

I am extremely pleased with this service. It is exactly the kind of constructive criticism I was hoping to receive. I had my essay reviewed by “myparesources” and was not very satisfied with their general comments. Sue put a lot of time and effort and gave me concrete examples of how to change my essay for the better. I WILL recommend this service over all others. Thank you so much!

Joe, Pre-PA

This was a very quick service and the attention to detail and response time was amazing. I thank you for having a service like this and am so happy I decided to go with the PA Life!!

Rachel, Pre-PA

I must say, I originally thought I had a fairly strong statement. But after reading Sue’s comments/revision. The quality, structure, and overall flow of my statement was in fact leaps and bounds better than my original.

George, Pre-PA

Sarah was absolutely wonderful. She not only helped take my personal statement to the best level, but she also made it easy to understand why certain changes were better. In the end, she went through and used a highlighting method to show how we connected things to PA and skills that were good. This made it easier to visualize everything. I’d recommend Sarah to anyone applying to PA school that needs that extra push on their personal statements.

Taylor, Pre-PA

The service provided was excellent. I really appreciate Duke taking the time and reviewing my essay multiple times and at that same time, making sure I am comfortable with the wording. Thank you for all your help!

Foram Patel, Pre-PA

Carly from The PA Life was amazing as I knew she would be based on her bio! She touched base with me when she received my personal statement and gave me a turnaround timeframe that she stuck to. In fact, she completed it earlier than expected. I am beyond satisfied!!!! Thank you, Carly, and The PA Life!

Pamela, Pre-PA

I really appreciated Carly’s attentiveness to my writing style and working to keep my message and content but working it in a way that reads easier. I appreciate her turnaround time, as well as priority deadlines for programs, are quickly approaching!

Jacob, Pre-PA

I used the personal statement editing service through The PA Life, and I worked with Sarah. She was AMAZING and made such a difference in both the quality of my personal statement and in my confidence as an applicant. That said, I’m so grateful to say I’ve been accepted into two out of the three programs I applied to and have an interview with the third on Friday of this week. I couldn’t be more excited!

Nikki, PA-S

I thought that the service was very helpful in helping me with my personal statement. Duke was always prompt with responding to emails and made himself very available throughout the process. He was also good and helping, but also making sure that I was the one doing the writing. I think that the structure of the service helped me put in enough time to come out with a very good finished product.

David H. Pre-PA

I had a great experience with The PA Life essay revision service. They were very professional and made revisions in a timely manner. My editor was very understanding about my schedule and when it would take me longer to reply to emails. I would recommend this service to any new grad PAs!

Sandy, Pre-PA

Sarah was amazing to work with. I love that she is able to take what I am trying to say and form concise sentences that flow together so effortlessly. Every time I read a paragraph that she ‘cleans’ up for me, my immediate response is “WOAH!”. Simply put, she was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend The PA Life personal statement editing service with her to anyone!

Jamee, Pre-PA

I was very pleased with this service. Writing has never been my strongest area. While I had the ideas that I wanted to convey I wasn’t able to articulate them as well as I’d hoped. Carly provided comments and suggestions without altering my central thesis. Any questions that I had were answered quickly and thoroughly. Any grammatical mistakes were also addressed which put my mind at ease. I would recommend The PA Life personal statement essay revision service to anyone applying.

Keith G, Pre-PA

I just wanted to send you a quick email, letting you know that I finally got accepted into PA school! I will be attending Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and will be starting this fall. I could not have made it this far without your help! This was my third time applying and during my first two cycles, I didn’t think that I needed outside help. But this time around, I decided that I needed to change my tactic and I am so freaking happy that I did. Your guidance and advice on my personal statement absolutely made a difference. I had 6 interviews and got accepted into 4! You have helped changed my life and I am forever grateful. I have several friends who will be applying this cycle so I will be referring them to you!

Christian, Pre-PA

Sarah is the best! She gets me and puts all her efforts for my message to come across in a clear and concise way. Obviously, her editing skills are superb! But she also has a very sweet and pleasant way of being. I highly recommend Sarah and the PA Life Personal Statement Collaborative. I have not yet received an interview, but keeping my fingers crossed!

Raquel Poliwoda Pre-PA

Holy cow! I wanted to let you know I have been accepted to PA school.  I will be attending the Franklin Pierce Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2019 in West Lebanon, NH. I cannot thank you enough for being part of my journey.

If you are reading this you might have been like me skeptical and trying to find a way to write a stellar essay for your PA application.  I want to share with you my exceptional experience using this service.  First, do yourself a favor and BUY the eBook, “How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement.”  I read it twice. Once before I started my essay draft and then again during.  I cannot stress how helpful the book was in clearly stating what the Admissions Directors are looking for in an application essay.  Next, the book reviews how to formulate a proper essay with clear instructions, easy reminders of the writing process, and excellent examples of good and bad writing choices.  After several drafts of my essay, I made an appointment to work with Duke Pasquini, one of the authors of the guide, through the internet and via phone to help with editing and my length issue.  Duke’s professional experience and kind and straight forward demeanor allowed me to create a winning essay that was an authentic representation of me.  Not only did I receive an interview from my top choice of PA school I was accepted a week later into their Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2019.  Thank you, “PA Life” for being a part of my journey.

Michele Williams, PA-S

The ease, frequency, and promptness of communication were some of the best aspects of this service. I found the review and revisions to be very thoughtful and explained in a way where I knew exactly how to apply them to my essay. I would 100% recommend the PA Life PS review to any applicant, and especially enjoyed working with Carly. I am hopeful my personal statement will gain the attention of PA programs I am applying to.

Charlie, Pre-PA

I really appreciated Duke and his way of cutting out the unnecessary fluff in my essay. He was extremely helpful and helped steer me in the right direction to better my writing and make me a more competitive applicant. I am currently still applying to programs and will notify you guys once I get an invitation!

Ani S. Pre-PA

Sarah was a joy to work with! She was extremely helpful and patient with any questions I had for her! 10/10 recommend using this service!

Lori, Pre-PA

Sue was great! She edited my essay in a short time frame and the comments and feedback were very informative. She helped link all of my main ideas and gave great advice regarding appropriate information for the essay. I highly recommend this service.

Michelle, Pre-PA

This past June, you helped me formulate my personal statement for my PA school applications. After our video chat and countless hours editing my CASPA information, I submitted my application and was then given the opportunity to interview at five PA programs. To prepare for my interviews, I would read my personal statement over and over again to remind myself of why I wanted to be a PA. This helped me succeed in my interviews. I was accepted to a few schools, but have I have made my final decision to matriculate into the University of Texas Medical Branch PA program in July! I wanted to follow up after I made my final decision to thank you for helping me with an important step to achieve this amazing life goal. Several of my friends are applying this upcoming cycle, and I will definitely be passing along your information. Again, thank you so much!

Kylie, Pre-PA

Your services have eased the stress and anxiety that results from guessing whether or not your essay contains the content that many PA programs are looking for. Your services were prompt and genuine. It is clear that you have the applicant’s success at heart. Thank you!

Madison Pre-PA

Susan did a fantastic job of editing my essay! She guided me and gave me suggestions for strengthening certain sections and equally took out weak parts. After I followed her recommendations, I really felt like I had an essay where every sentence mattered and reflected who I was. Thank you so much Susan for your help. I feel that I have a stronger essay because of your honest feedback and your help!

Patrick, Pre-PA

I just wanted to let you know that I was accepted into PA school.  I start at Albany Medical College in January!  Thank you again for doing such an amazing job helping me with my essay…I think in the end it really carried my application.

Lindsey Porubcan PA-S

My reviewer was Deanna Matzen who was incredible. I reached out to The PA Life’s editing service after being disappointed by myparesource, whom I was referred to initially. Deanna composed two alternate ways to structure my journey and allowed me to find a novel way to present my personal statement. After revision, I was able to flip my lens, utilize my introduction as my conclusion, and the rest of the paper began to fall into place. Very satisfied with the quality of her work, thank you so much, Deanna!

Steven, Pre-PA

Sue was very attentive to details and her comments and edits made a perfect sense. Thank you for your help!

Margaryta, Pre-PA

It’s very clear that Deanna, my editor, put a good amount of time and thought into this. She FAR exceeded my expectations, even providing me with two different possible drafts (my original copy was 1500 characters too long). After paying for two separate editing services, I was initially disappointed to find that the first had not provided anywhere close to the level of feedback/review/editing that I had hoped for. I thought I was on my own again with my personal statement and did not have high hopes for any additional edits at the time that I’d received the review from Deanna, of thePAlife. The first service I’d used provided reviews that were neither thoughtful, in-depth, nor helpful, but Deanna’s edits were each of those! My hopes had been shot down by the first service but were immediately uplifted after I received Deanna’s edits. Her feedback was timely, thorough, thoughtful, critical, and even supportive! She provided an exceptional service, and I would highly recommend her to anyone

Cierra, Pre-PA

Really helpful! Makes me feel confident.

Qui T. Pre-PA

Mr. Pasquini was very patient, accommodating and direct in his editing/advice. He was honest, in a way that I needed due to the importance of the letter. I even picked up a few tips to enhance my writing from our meetings. Great experience and will definitely recommend him to others!

Alana P. Pre-PA

Working with Sarah was a wonderful experience. She was prompt, attentive, and incredibly supportive throughout the process. Sarah never deviated from the authenticity of my essay. Even after she made vast changes, the essay still felt true to what I wanted to express. Thank you, Sarah! I would recommend this service to anyone applying to PA school.

Ashley, Pre-PA

I have been accepted to my first-choice program!! UC Denver, I don’t have to move! I have also received three other interviews so far. Thank you so much for your help with my personal statement. You eloquently helped me state my desires and strengths for the career. I am beyond thrilled and thankful.

Nika (Future PA)

Even at the busiest time of the year for applications, they got me my edit in a matter of days. They did a great job with grammar, punctuation and suggestions. I am very satisfied with the draft I got back from Sue.

Andrew, Pre-PA

My editor was quick and responsive with her emails. Her explanations on how to improve my personal statement were detailed and organized. I’m very glad I chose The PA Life to help me with my personal statement and point me in the right direction. Thank you very much!

Phillip, Pre-PA

Kelly M. provided an exceptional experience with detailed recommendations. I am upset that I did not find The PA Life editing service sooner! I will be referring anyone I know applying to pa school to this platform!

Manny, Pre-PA

Oh my gosh thank you SOO much!!! I have been so busy with school so I haven’t been able to edit my personal statement, but I want to thank you soo much for making my statement look a heck of a lot better!!! I will be editing it over my spring break since that is the only free time I have, and I most likely will do a re-edit if I can (its $35 ish right?). Anyways thank you so much again!! Sorry for the late reply but I will get back to you again during my spring break if I need a second edit, thank you so much again for all your help!! I can already see how much of a difference you’ve made! Totally worth my money!

Melat Ashagre, Pre-PA

Carly did a tremendous job of helping edit my personal statement. Her suggestions and hints have taken my personal statement to the next level!

Austin, Pre-PA

Carly did a fantastic job helping my personal statement create fluid and concise writing to help convey my experience! I highly recommend using this service even if you think your statement is solid because they will help make it better than you could have imagined! Thank you for everything.

Kelsey, Pre-PA

My editor with The PA Life was amazing! I will definitely suggest these services to anyone else applying to PA school. Thank you for everything!

Margarita, Pre-PA

Working with Sarah felt like working with an old friend. Her thoughtful insight made the revision process easy. She had great advice for improvements to make while remaining within that difficult 5,000 character limit. Thanks, Sarah, you helped a ton!

Ryan, Pre-PA

Sarah is amaaaaaaaaaaazing!! She is super kind and helpful. My original essay was very long at about 9,000 characters and I had no idea how to trim it down. Sarah helped me decide what to include and eliminate from my personal statement while correcting many of my grammatical errors. She was a complete professional and very easy to work with. I would recommend Sarah and The PA Life personal statement revision service to everyone, they are absolutely wonderful!

Fariha, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for helping me with my physician assistant program application essays and interview! I am so excited to let you know that I received multiple PA school acceptances and have decided that I will be attending Cornell University’s PA Program in New York City. The program begins in February 2019 and I cannot wait to begin!  I truly appreciate all your help and encouragement throughout my PA application process.

Christine Chen, PA-S

Sarah was so helpful, accommodating my needs, and I would highly recommend her to a friend/peer. I love this company and the people that work here!

Erin Felter, Pre-PA

I wanted to give you an update and thank you. I just received my first acceptance and at the interview, they commented on how well written my personal statement was. I appreciate your hard work and working with me to create such an awesome piece! Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we talk- maybe our paths will cross again one day!

Janne Kim, Pre-PA

I worked with Duke to edit and complete my essay. It was a terrific experience that I would recommend to everyone! Duke has an amazing ability to help you move things around and change it a little, while still making it feel like 100% your own work. We talked out every change we made, and we both conceded to each other in different places. He made extra time for me when I got stressed out about the deadline, and worked with me for a while each time we sat down. I paid $199 for this service, and I think that was the best bargain I ever got! I have been invited back to submit supplemental applications to some schools, and I will keep the team updated about my interviews. Thanks Duke!!!

Carly Bransky, Pre-PA

Carly did a great job helping my personal statement flow from paragraph to paragraph. She truly helped me show throughout the essay why I wanted to become a PA. What I really appreciated was she explained why each change was made; comments and reasons which not only helped with this one time essay but for all my future essays as well. Definitely was worth it!

Kathleen, Pre-PA

Duke made some important modifications to my essay and offered several helpful suggestions. I appreciated his insight and a keen eye.

Ilina K. Pre-PA

This service was very helpful. My essay was edited and returned to me within a few days of me submitting it. The feedback was thorough and detailed. I am already planning on sending my essay for a second edit!

Sabrina, Pre-PA

Great feedback and turn around time. Utilizing this feature gave me even more confidence that I was trying my best to be the top candidate.

Kristopher, Pre-PA

I just wanted to update you that I got waitlisted for Drexel but accept to Dominican University of California. I still have other interviews coming up. Thank you for your help!

Karmen Wu, Pre-PA

Thank you so much for making the personal statement process less stressful! Although I had been planning and brainstorming for months, the process of writing my journey in 5,000 characters was just daunting and overwhelming. Thank you so much for your kindness, flexibility, and your patience that helped me through this process. I appreciate how you listened and incorporated my feedback to make my personal statement a work of art that is truly representative of ME! I would highly recommend your services to any aspiring PA students who feel lost or overwhelmed by the process. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Cintia, Pre-PA

Testimonials

I had my interview on Wednesday. It was nerve-wracking, but I answered their questions at least and did not get too emotional 😄. You helped me so much through this whole process. Although I am waitlisted, that’s more than I expected already. Again, thank you so much. You are amazing!
Anna, Pre-PA
I received an early acceptance! I just wanted to thank you so much for all your help. You are a pro and I’m so thankful for you! You helped me more than you’ll ever know! I’m so excited! You saved me!!!!
Shelly K. Pre-PA
This was my third time applying to PA school and I wanted it to be my last so I figured getting help with the essay would make a difference in my application. Paying for the one on one service was the best idea I’ve had to date. Sarah was great in that she literally combined three different essays I had written into one phenomenal essay! I literally have no idea how she did it. Sarah helped me focus all of my thoughts and experience down into one concise, yet personal essay. I truly think this will help me get into PA school!
Anna M. PRE-PA
Just letting you know I received an Acceptance call today from ATSU in Mesa, AZ! This is the program I interviewed with this past Monday. I’m so excited and grateful! Thank you again for your support and coaching. I am going to interview with three more programs next month. I’m glad to have one option for sure!
Julia, PA-S
This is fantastic service that gave me valuable feedback and boosted my overall confidence before going into the real interview. I had my first interview two weeks ago and it went very well. I heard back this morning and I was accepted into my top pick PA School.
Lily B. Pre-PA
I am so happy I used your service. It really took all of my frustrations and anxiety about my personal statement away. I am really happy with the final product. While Maura did a great job with editing my grammar and making my essay sound better overall in my first edit, Sue did an amazing job turning my essay into a story that flows in my final edit.
Marissa Pre-PA
Hi Stephen, I just wanted to let you know that I have been a huge fan of your site for a long, long time. I started using your site a couple years ago when I was still struggling between the MD/PA decision. I had your site to go to when I started the CASPA application process. I used your school finder to locate the best schools that were a good personal fit for me. I used your advice as motivation through many personal statement drafts. Finally, I used your 46 most common interview questions to become better prepared for my PA interviews. Today, at 3:04 PM, I was accepted to my first choice PA program. I am beyond excited! Thank you for being my coach through this long journey.
Jax, PA-S
I got accepted into two PA programs and just received the acceptance to my top choice today. Thank you so much for all your help! I’m so glad I did the mock interview with you! I used all the tips you gave me and really believe it made me stand out during my interview. I cannot thank you enough for everything!!!
Khanhi Thai, PA-S
Sue Edmondson was VERY thorough in her editing of my essay, as well as the promptness of her responses to me. She not only took the time to edit the grammar of my essay but helped me remove a large portion of it to focus on the important aspects of it and draw in more details. Overall, a fantastic service!
Megan Hunstad, Pre-PA
I had a mock interview with Sarah and had a wonderful experience. I got accepted to both Emory University and the University of Utah PA Programs. 😀 I will be attending the University of Utah on May 10. I loved this resource. Thank you for creating these amazing resources.
Claire, PA-S

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101 PA School Admission Essays

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