PA-CAT and GRE Test Preparation

The GRE is just under 2 hours (1 hour and 58 minutes)

The GRE comprises three sections:

• Quantitative Reasoning (QR): Two sections – 27 questions
• Verbal Reasoning (VR): Two sections – 27 Questions
• Analytical Writing: One thirty-minute writing exercise

The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections of the GRE are each scored out of 170 while the analytical writing is scored out of 6. A perfect three-digit score on the GRE is 340, 170 for VR, and 170 for QR.

Many PA programs have minimum cutoff scores for the VR and QR sections of the GRE. These cutoffs can vary from a three-digit score of 290 to 300 or a percentile score of approximately 50%. Each program is different, however, and it is important for students to check the requirements of individual schools.

The average GRE score for getting accepted to PA school is in the low 150s. However, the percentile score and three-digit score for the GRE are not exactly the same for the VR and QR sections. According to data from ETS collected between 2019 and 2022, a score of 156 – 157 on the QR section corresponds approximately to the 50^th percentile while for the VR section, the 50^th percentile score is 152. The average score on the Analytical writing section of the GRE for students accepted to PA school is 3.5 – 4. This figure also varies for each PA school as some schools have cutoffs or different averages.

There are several advantages to taking the GRE when you apply to PA school. These include the following:

• By taking the GRE, you will have more options as you will be able to apply to the many programs that require this test
• At some PA schools, a strong performance on the GRE can help to partly make up for a lower GPA or poor academic performance during the pre-PA years at schools that require the test.
• Given that not every applicant takes the GRE, PA programs that require the GRE tend to have fewer applicants than those that don’t require the GRE. As a result, the level of competition at these programs may be lower and the chances of acceptance could potentially be higher.

The PA-CAT is only required by a handful of schools but more PA schools are adopting it as a requirement and some are recommending it.

The PA-CAT comprises the following sections:

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• General Biology
• Microbiology
• Genetics
• General Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Statistics
• Behavioral Science

There are more questions on some sections of the PA-CAT than others. As a result, the different sections are weighed differently into the final score:

• Anatomy and physiology comprise 32% of questions on the PA-CAT
• General chemistry and organic chemistry constitute 16% together
• General biology, microbiology, and genetics each comprise 11% of the test
• Biochemistry and statistics each make up 5% of the exam
• The remaining 9% of the exam is behavioral science

The PA-CAT is made of up 240 multiple-choice questions.

Applicants will have 4 hours and 30 minutes to take the test but there are breaks between sections.

There are a few considerations for applicants with regards to taking the PA-CAT:

• Individuals aiming to apply to one of the programs that require the PA-CAT will need to take the test to be eligible to apply to those programs
• Taking the PA-CAT will make you a more competitive candidate at schools that recommend but do not require this test
• A strong performance on the PA-CAT may partly make up for weak academic performance in the prerequisite courses for PA school or in college at the schools that require or recommend this test