The weeks leading up to the 2020-2021 CASPA cycle have been challenging for physician assistant school applicants. They have been faced with many adversities, such as finishing important pre-requisite courses online, having shadowing and volunteering opportunities canceled and being laid off from their jobs that have been providing them with valuable patient care experience. Unlike any other application cycle, this upcoming cycle has fallen during a worldwide pandemic. CASPA will open on April 30th and is addressing the concerns of applicants surrounding the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Physician Assistant College Admissions Test, PA-CAT, is being introduced as a new standardized test for PA program applicants. The current standardized test required by certain PA programs is the Graduate Record Examination, GRE. The GRE tests on college level English and mathematics skills in verbal and quantitative reasoning sections, as well as tests writing skills through two essay prompts. This exam is very general and “focuses on testing abstract thinking skills.”