In this episode of the Physician Assistant Exam Review Podcast, we walk through gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy the way they actually show up on exams: key risk factors, universal screening windows, the 1‑hour vs 3‑hour glucose tests, and must‑know numbers for preeclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP, and magnesium toxicity.

You'll hear "exam keys" for what to write on your wall, plus a study tip on why your score is really content × skills (how you study, test‑taking, and anxiety management), not content alone.

I also share details about a free live class, Unlock Your Potential as a Student, and the August 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort if you want structured help turning effort into points on EORs and the PANCE.

Links: physicianassistantexamreview.com/masterclass and physicianassistantexamreview.com/33

If you keep mixing up placenta previa and abruption under pressure, you're not alone. In this episode of the Physician Assistant Exam Review Podcast, we break down four high‑yield pregnancy complications in a way you can actually remember on exam day:

• Placenta previa
• Placental abruption
• Cervical insufficiency
• Rh incompatibility

You'll learn:

• The painless vs painful bleeding pattern that instantly separates placenta previa from abruption
• Why uterine tone and fetal distress matter so much in third‑trimester bleeding questions
• When a digital exam can be catastrophic (and what to do instead)
• The classic second‑trimester, painless cervical insufficiency presentation you're expected to recognize
• How Rh incompatibility really works (sensitization, hydrops, kernicterus) so it finally "clicks" instead of being random vocab

We start with priming questions to get your brain engaged, then circle back at the end so you can test recall and see what actually stuck.

If you're studying hard but still failing EORs/EOCs or you're worried about the PANCE, this podcast is built for you. We focus on how you think, study, and test so your effort shows up as points.

👉 Get help beyond the podcast:

• 33 Days to Pass the PANCE (33‑day system for at‑risk or struggling PA students):
https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/33

• Free PA school / PANCE success training (six key focus areas):
https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/masterclass

• More articles, episodes, and resources:
https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com

In episode 167 of the Physician Assistant Exam Review Podcast, we dive into early pregnancy complications – a tough but essential topic for PA school, EORs, and the PANCE.

We cover:

• Ectopic pregnancy: risk factors, classic presentation, key diagnostics (beta‑HCG + transvaginal ultrasound), and when to choose methotrexate versus surgery.
• Abortion classifications: threatened, inevitable, incomplete, complete, missed, septic, and recurrent abortion, with a focus on what's happening at the cervical os and how that drives the diagnosis.
• Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD): "snowstorm" ultrasound appearance, beta‑HCG out of proportion to dates, and key red flags like preeclampsia before 20 weeks.

Then we pull it all together with one simple mental model to sort most question stems:

• Low beta‑HCG → think ectopic
• Falling beta‑HCG → think abortion
• Very high beta‑HCG → think molar pregnancy (GTD)

This episode isn't about memorizing random lists. It's about learning how to organize the information so you can make better clinical decisions and pick the right answer under pressure.

Full episode notes:
physicianassistantexamreview.com/167

Free masterclass (6 skill areas PA students need to win):
physicianassistantexamreview.com/masterclass

Join the early wait list for the next 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort:
physicianassistantexamreview.com/masterclass/33

Last night's workshop was so poweful I wanted to share it with you.

We cover the 6 aras where you can either lose or pick up points on your exam you can watch the replay here if you'd like that better.

<< Click here for the replay >>​

Isabella failed her first PANCE attempt by 9 points after cruising through PA school, doing well on her EOC, and grinding through PANCE Prep Pearls and question banks.

On her second attempt, she walked into the Pearson center calm, focused, and prepared with a game plan. She didn't just pass. She jumped from a 341 to a 474.

In this conversation we walk through:

• Failing an EOR and then the PANCE, and what that does to your identity
• Why more content and more question banks weren't moving Isabella's score
• How she used the 33 Days to Pass the PANCE content calendar, dailies, and community
• Building a test‑day "game plan" (visualizations, breaks, confidence cues) so you don't spiral
• How the habits she built now carry into her first ortho PA job

If you're struggling with EORs, sitting on a borderline PANCE score, or trying to come back from a fail, this episode is for you.

Registration for the June 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort opens tomorrow. Get the details here: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/33

You can also join me for the upcoming live workshop on test‑taking and performance under pressure: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/workshop

Preconception and prenatal care feels like pure memorization:

• Folic acid doses
• Visit schedules
• Quad screen patterns
• RhoGAM timing
• A pile of week ranges that all blur together

In this episode, Brian strips it down to what actually shows up on your EORs and the PANCE, and how to connect the facts so they stick.

Inside the episode:

• How to think about prenatal care the way the boards test it, not the way the guidelines list it
• Preconception counseling that gets tested: when to give 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid and when to jump to 4 mg
• The medications and conditions that should set off alarm bells: epilepsy on valproate or carbamazepine, warfarin, isotretinoin, lithium, methotrexate, ACE inhibitors, tetracyclines, and how they get hidden inside a question stem
• Screening vs diagnostic: first-trimester screens, cell-free fetal DNA, CVS, amniocentesis, and what the exam is really asking
• Quad screen pattern fingerprints for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, and open neural tube defects
• The timelines you have to know cold: prenatal visit schedule, the one-hour glucose challenge, GBS culture, and exactly when RhoGAM goes in

At the end, Brian breaks down "studying" the way he defines it inside 33 Days: not hours in the chair, but how many points you walk away with from the time you're already working. And how to build a simple system so high-yield facts like RhoGAM timing don't slip through the cracks.

Show notes and full outline: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/165

Learn more about the June 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort starting June 1: https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/33

Pelvic organ prolapse is one of those topics most PA students gloss over in school and then get burned by on exams. In this episode, Brian pulls from 15 years in urogynecology to make uterine prolapse, cystocele, and rectocele simple, visual, and memorable.

Instead of memorizing dense definitions, you'll learn to picture the anatomy, understand what's actually happening, and recognize how these conditions show up in question stems so you can grab easy points on EORs and the PANCE.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What uterine prolapse is, key risk factors, and the first-line non-surgical treatment (pessary)
• How to distinguish cystocele vs rectocele on physical exam using anterior vs posterior vaginal wall bulges
• The pathognomonic symptom for rectocele (splinting) and how patients describe it
• How prolapse creates urinary and bowel symptoms you'll see in real-life clinical practice
• A practical study tip on when to memorize and when to understand and rebuildinformation

This is a short, focused episode designed to turn prolapse into straightforward exam points instead of confusion.

If the show is helping you, please share it with classmates or faculty. And if you're ready to go deeper into how you study, test, and perform under pressure, check out the next 33 Days to Pass the PANCE cohort starting June 1st at:
www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/33

Pelvic pain and pelvic masses show up all over your exams. The challenge is not memorizing four separate chapters, it is knowing what to do with the patient in front of you: watch, work up, or get them to the OR.

In this episode, we walk through four high‑yield causes of pelvic pain and masses in reproductive‑age women: endometriosis, uterine fibroids (leiomyoma), ovarian cysts, and ovarian torsion. What ties them together is the timeline and urgency: chronic versus acute, medical versus surgical, when "more ibuprofen" is fine and when delay means losing an ovary.

You will learn:

• How to recognize endometriosis on exams (cyclic pain, deep dyspareunia, infertility) and why laparoscopy is the definitive diagnosis
• Which fibroids cause heavy bleeding and how location drives symptoms
• How to sort functional cysts from more concerning adnexal masses
• Why normal Doppler flow does not rule out ovarian torsion and why clinical suspicion still controls the decision

We finish with a study tip on how to group related conditions so you think like the test writers (and like a clinician), not like a flashcard deck.

If you are working hard but your scores are not reflecting it, this episode will help you see pelvic pain questions more clearly and avoid the common traps that cost points.