What Is the PA-CAT? Inside the PA Admissions Exam

The PA-CAT is a centralized admissions test built specifically for physician assistant programs. Dr. Scott Massey, a PA for 36 years and a PA educator for 29, was one of the principal investigators on the project after Exam Master approached him to help develop and launch it alongside Dr. Johnna Yealy.

His research has long focused on predictive factors for success in PA education. The exam launched in a research phase in 2018 and has been administered to over 2,000 students, both first-year matriculants and applicants in the interview phase. Because the study is approved by an Institutional Review Board, the exam could not ethically be used for real admissions decisions during that research period. The big idea is to give programs a stronger, more PA-specific tool than the metrics they have leaned on so far.

Programs have long leaned heavily on science GPA, even though Dr. Massey says the research does not support it as a strong predictor. In their own data looking at several hundred students, the relationship between prerequisite science grades and first-year PA performance was very weak. He has even seen a negative relationship between science GPA and PANCE performance in some assessments.

There is also the GRE. As of the year before this interview, about 51 percent of PA programs were using it, often plugging a score into a formula for points. Dr. Massey points out that no admissions tool is an exact science. Programs also weigh qualitative factors like personal statements and interviews, including MMIs and group interviews, which he considers some of the more important pieces. [VERIFY] the 51 percent GRE figure against current PAEA data.

The exam has 225 questions. During the launch year described in this interview, 25 of those were field-test questions, leaving 200 scored questions, on a roughly one-minute-per-question framework. [VERIFY] current question count and timing.

It tests basic science and social science knowledge drawn from the typical undergraduate prerequisites PA applicants already take. It does not assume advanced biology coursework. Of the existing exams, it is most closely aligned with the pharmacy PCAT. Scoring uses a scaled, percentile-based model similar to the PACKRAT, built on the Rasch psychometric model. Students get total scaled percentile scores plus subscores that combine biological science, chemistry, and social sciences. Scores are compared against other applicants within a specific testing window, not against everyone who has ever taken it.

Not exactly. No admissions exam can be mandated unless a program decides to require it, and PAEA stays neutral, neither endorsing the PA-CAT nor the GRE. At the time of this interview, an estimated dozen programs were using it, with the possibility of growing to 25 to 30. [VERIFY] current number of programs requiring the PA-CAT.

The exam itself cost $149 at the time, plus a Prometric testing center fee, which made the total comparable to the GRE. [VERIFY] current PA-CAT fees. Exam Master was developing a support program for economically disadvantaged students. Scores articulate with CASPA much like the GRE, using a school code and a downloadable transcript. Most educators Dr. Massey had spoken with were choosing the PA-CAT instead of the GRE rather than requiring both, since requiring both raises costs for applicants.

Preparation looks different from GRE prep. Because the PA-CAT is based on standard undergraduate coursework, Exam Master released a detailed downloadable outline of the exam so students can review using their own textbooks and notes. If it has been a few years since you took a subject like organic chemistry, you may need to spend extra time refreshing it, though chemistry is weighted less heavily than biology and physiology.

With the exam registration, students also get access to a free practice exam that estimates a scaled score. If you score low on the practice test, that is a signal to study more before the real thing. Because the test is so new, there is no set target score yet. Like the PACKRAT before it, it will take years of data for programs to figure out how scores relate to their own outcomes.

The PA-CAT is one more tool programs may use to predict who will thrive in PA school, and its footprint is still evolving. The best move is to check each program's current requirements early so a new test does not surprise you mid-cycle. If you want help building an application timeline that accounts for testing, our coaching team can walk you through it.