These practice questions are similar to the actual questions you may see on the Physician Assistant Exam (PANCE) exam that have to do with preventive medicine, epidemiology, domestic violence, and ethics.
Example PANCE Questions
You’re seeing a 19-year-old woman who has been sexually active for the past two years. You spend much of the office visit convincing her to practice safe sex. What kind of prevention is this an example of?
(A) Primary prevention
(B) Secondary prevention
(C) Tertiary prevention
Your patient is a 19-year-old woman who has been sexually active for the past two years. At what age would you recommend that she receive a Pap smear?
(A) 19
(B) 20
(C) 21
(D) 22
(E) 23
Which of the following has the lowest evidence of study bias?
(A) Retrospective study
(B) Case-control study
(C) Cross-sectional study
(D) Randomized controlled study
(E) Cohort study
Which condition does the Haemophilus influenzae B vaccine prevent?
(A) Croup
(B) Legionella pneumonia
(C) Epiglottitis
(D) Influenza
(E) Rhinovirus
You have been studying Condition X for five years. You have identified a number of people who have Condition X. You have also identified a blood test that can identify that Condition X is present when the blood test is positive. What term describes the ability of the blood test to detect those in the population who indeed have Condition X?
(A) Sensitivity
(B) Specificity
(C) Incidence
(D) Prevalence
(E) Statistical significance
A 25-year-old woman presents wearing sunglasses. She’s sporting a huge black eye. When you question her, she states that she “ran into a door.” You suspect spousal abuse. What do you do next?
(A) Call the police.
(B) Call Child Protective Services.
(C) Keep quiet and just treat that shiner.
(D) Lecture her and tell her to move out.
(E) Assure her of confidentiality and remind her about counseling services and shelters.
Example PANCE Answers and Explanations
Use this answer key to score the practice questions. The answer explanations give you insight into why the correct answer is better than the other choices.
1. A. The use of safe sexual practices to prevent the spread of disease is an example of primary prevention. Remember that with primary prevention, the goal is to use measures that prevent disease or illness from occurring in the first place.
2. B. A young woman should obtain a Pap smear either at age 21 or 3 years after the onset of sexual intercourse, whichever is earlier. With this patient, sexual relations began at the age of 17, so she is due at the age of 20 to get a Pap smear.
3. D. The randomized controlled study has the lowest incidence of study bias because both the subject and the experimenter are double-blinded. The experimenter doesn’t know who has been assigned a certain medication or test, and the subject doesn’t know which treatment has been rendered.
4. C. Haemophilus influenzae B vaccine is used to prevent (or reduce the risk of) getting epiglottitis. It’s usually recommended to give this vaccine to children starting at 2 months of age.
5. A. The sensitivity of a test is its ability to correctly identify those who have Condition X through a positive test. Specificity focuses more on whether the blood test is negative in people who don’t have Condition X. Incidence refers to the number of new people in whom Condition X was detected in a certain time period, such as the past month. Prevalence is the number of people diagnosed with Condition X in a population, such as the elderly.
6. E. It’s important to build trust with the person, or she may not share future incidents. At the same time, she should be aware of counseling services (often anonymous hotlines) and the availability of shelters. Otherwise, your intervention is limited.