Completely free
No account walls, no upsell
Free exam prep for every test — 20,000+ exam pages and 2.4M+ practice questions.
Open free PA-CAT prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT)
The Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) is Exam Master Corporation's specialized standardized admissions exam for U.S. physician assistant program applicants: a four-hour, 240-item single-best-answer multiple-choice computer-based assessment (200 scored items plus 40 unscored pretest items) across nine prerequisite science subjects, delivered at 5,000+ Pearson VUE test centers or via remote proctoring within a 4.5-hour total exam window for USD 257; it has no passing score — scaled scores (200–800) are reported with percentile/quintile rankings and are valid for 2 years.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions240 single-best-answer multiple-choice test items, of which 40 are unscored pretest questions (200 scored); presented across nine subjects in random order
Testing timeFour-hour standardized assessment within a 4.5-hour total exam window that includes mandatory pre-exam questions, a break between exam sections, and a post-exam survey; candidates arrive 30 minutes early and get 15 minutes to review the testing system
ScoringNo passing score — the PA-CAT does not have a passing score; candidate scaled scores are ranked against all other examinees (percentile ranks, quintile/decile groupings) and programs set their own requirements
Exam feeUSD 257, which includes the test center fee for standard administration; late registration incurs additional fees; needs-based full/partial fee waivers available; USD 25 cancellation fee for test-center cancellations more than 48 hours but less than 30 days before the appointment
Prep options
Study resources for PA-CAT
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- Exam Master
- Category
- Health Professions Admissions
- Current version
- Current specification; Bulletin of Information dated August 15, 2024 (20240815); the content outline is reviewed annually with no separately versioned public blueprint label
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Scaled scores 200–800 (similar to the PANCE); composite score plus sub-scores for the three largest components (Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry)
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE (test centers and online proctoring)
- Format
- Computer-based (CBT) at test centers or via live remote proctoring
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment at 5,000+ test centers or via remote proctoring; candidates must register at least 30 days prior to their desired test date (late registration incurs additional fees), seating is first-come, first-served, and appointments may be made up to one business day in advance
- Results
- Scores are processed on the 20th of each month and posted by the 1st of the following month; the official score report is available online within 6 weeks of the exam, and transcripts are sent to designated PA programs
- Score validity
- Scores are valid for 2 years; the official score report is available online for two years from the test administration date
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One computer-based exam of 240 single-best-answer multiple-choice items (200 scored, 40 pretest) across nine subjects presented randomly, with a typical-form allocation of: Anatomy 16% (39 items), Physiology 16% (39), Chemistry 16% (38), General Biology 11% (26), Microbiology 11% (26), Genetics 11% (26), Biochemistry 5% (12), Behavioral Sciences 9% (22), Statistics 5% (12); items map to Bloom's taxonomy cognitive levels (Knowledge 12%, Comprehension 25%, Application 54%, Analysis 9%)
Where rules vary
A U.S. national admissions exam used by U.S. physician assistant program admissions departments; the Bulletin describes Exam Master 'providing a national exam' for PA program admissions
Eligibility
None — there are no prerequisites to take the PA-CAT (any PA-school applicant may register)
Retake policy
The PA-CAT can be retaken every 6 weeks, with a maximum of 3 attempts over any 12-month period; program transcripts show candidate scores for up to four previous attempts within the past five years