Physician Assistant program admission pre-requisite exams and their impact on applicants

Purpose: While Physician Assistant (PA) programs have the autonomy to select admission requirements, certain requirements, including the number and cost of pre-requisite examinations, may be determining factors for applicants’ when deciding what programs to apply to. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the potential influence the number and cost of pre-requisite examinations have on PA school applicants’ decision to apply to specific programs. Methods In this cross-sectional study, PA applicants throughout the United States were invited to complete an anonymous electronic survey to assess the influence of the number and cost of pre-requisite examinations on intent to apply for PA programs. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) were conducted and responses were stratified by geographical location. Results One-hundred seventy-five participants (21.6 ± 22.9 years old) completed the survey. Most were female (89.1%), Caucasian (57.1%), residing throughout the United States, and applying to the 2022–2023 application cycle (56.0%). Respondents reported being influenced by the cost and number of required exams with over half reporting they strongly agreed/agreed that the number ( n  = 93; 53.1%) and cost ( n  = 98; 56%) of pre-requisite examinations negatively influenced their decision to apply to specific PA programs; however, this did not deter them from applying to programs. Additionally, students in the Southeast region may not be as influenced as students in other regions. Conclusions Further research is warranted to determine if PA school applicants apply to programs within their region or to programs in other regions based on pre-requisite examination requirements.