The PANCE blueprint, explained
The current PANCE blueprint took effect in January 2025. Medical content makes up 94% of the exam, organized by content area and clinical task. The remaining 6% is Professional Practice, a separate category rather than an organ-system task. The allocations below were checked October 3, 2026 against the official NCCPA blueprint. Actual exam allocations may vary slightly.
Medical content areas — 94% of the exam
Cardiovascular is 11% and pulmonary is 9% of the whole exam. NCCPA lists genitourinary (4%) and renal (5%) separately. PA BoardLab currently combines their practice into one GU/Renal group, representing 9% in total; this does not establish separate coverage of each area.
Clinical tasks and Professional Practice
A medical question can test a task such as diagnosis, intervention, or drug choice. The seven medical tasks below total 94%; Professional Practice contributes the other 6%. Its appearance in both blueprint summaries describes the same 6%, not an additional allocation.
How to use the blueprint
- Weight your reps, not just your reading. Use the exam allocations alongside your own missed topics when choosing practice.
- Track practice by area and task. "I'm weak in MSK" is less useful than "I miss MSK pharmacotherapy questions."
- Let the blueprint set your final month. High-weight, low-mastery cells first; low-weight, high-mastery cells last.
PA BoardLab tracks your answered questions by its practice groups and task tags.
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