Pre-Physician Assistant/Associate

Completion of pre-requisite courses: Use the advising sheet below as a general guide to required coursework for PA school. Check with your preferred schools for more specifics.

GPA: Most want 3.0 to apply, but 3.5 + is average for admission. Check each school’s websites for their minimums.

Entrance Exams: PA schools may require applicants to report recent GRE, PA-CAT, and/or Casper scores. Some PA schools do not require an entrance exam of any kind.

Letters of Evaluation: Check with your preferred schools to learn who should write your letters and how many letters you need to submit. In general, you may expect to need at least one letter from a science professor, at least one letter from a healthcare professional who can evaluate your patient skills, and at least one person who knows you well, like a work or volunteer supervisor.

Experience: Evidence of compassion and empathy for the sick, elderly, injured, or disabled, which may include: Between 1,000 – 4,000 paid hours of healthcare experience. Check each school for specific requirements. Time spent shadowing physician assistants and physicians vary. Provide evidence of leadership experience and volunteerism.

Personal statement: Why are you the best candidate? Incorporate why you want to be a PA, the steps you have taken to accomplish this goal as well as any background information and/or special circumstances that are relevant to your journey. Describe where you see yourself in the future.

Personal interview: Evaluation of students may include several 30-60 minute personal interviews or MMI used to assess the applicant’s maturity, motivation, communication skills, knowledge of the profession, and desire to contribute to society through medicine.

• Prerequisite Guide

U.S. Dept. of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook
Learn about the job outlook for PAs, including average salary and expected job growth over the next decade.

American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
The national organization open to enrolled PA students; provides in-depth info on the profession.

Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
Includes a map of physician assistant programs in the United States and links to each program’s website.

Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
A centralized, web-based application service provided by PAEA to help simplify the application process for prospective PA students.

The PA Life
A resource-packed and inspirational website for pre-PA students, PA students, and PA professionals. Learn about the PA profession, sort through PA programs around the country, read sample personal statements and interview questions for your PA school application, find online tools to make studying easier, and more.