Family Medicine EOR exam prep
Family Medicine is the broadest EOR — outpatient primary care across every age and organ system. Breadth beats depth: you're tested on recognizing and initially managing common presentations, screening, and health maintenance.
PAEA's updated End of Rotation exams are effective as of July 27, 2026 (legacy versions run through July 2027). The Family Medicine exam adds a Professional Practice task area (6%), leans harder into diagnostic studies and prevention, and drops the standalone Urgent Care topic.
What topics does the Family Medicine EOR exam cover?
Health maintenance & screening
Age-appropriate screening (lipids, colon, cervical, mammography, AAA), immunization schedules, and USPSTF-style prevention.
Chronic disease management
Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, COPD/asthma, hypothyroidism, and depression — diagnosis, first-line therapy, and monitoring.
Common acute outpatient complaints
URIs, otitis media, pharyngitis, UTIs, low back pain, conjunctivitis, and skin complaints.
Cardiopulmonary
Stable angina vs ACS triage, heart failure basics, asthma/COPD step-up therapy, and community-acquired pneumonia.
Dermatology & MSK
Common rashes, skin cancer recognition, sprains/strains, osteoarthritis, and the acutely painful joint.
Women's & men's health
Contraception counseling, abnormal uterine bleeding basics, BPH, and prostate screening discussion.
Pediatrics in primary care
Well-child checks, developmental milestones, and common pediatric infections.
Behavioral & geriatrics
Depression/anxiety screening, substance use, dementia screening, and polypharmacy/falls in older adults.
The official PAEA Family Medicine EOR blueprint
PAEA builds each End of Rotation exam as a 100-question grid: every question sits in one clinical content area and one task area. These are PAEA's published weights (effective July 2026), and FirstPassPA's Family Medicine question sets are drawn to match them.
| Content area | Share of the exam |
|---|---|
| Cardiovascular | 14% |
| Eyes, Ears, Nose, Oral Cavity, and Throat (EENOT) | 10% |
| Gastrointestinal | 10% |
| Pulmonary | 10% |
| Dermatologic | 7% |
| Endocrine | 7% |
| Psychiatric/Behavioral Health | 7% |
| Rheumatologic/Musculoskeletal | 7% |
| Gynecologic/Reproductive Health | 6% |
| Neurologic | 6% |
| Renal/Genitourinary | 6% |
| Hematologic | 5% |
| Infectious Diseases | 5% |
Task areas: History & Physical 16% · Diagnostic Studies 14% · Diagnosis 20% · Health Maintenance 12% · Clinical Intervention 8% · Clinical Therapeutics 18% · Scientific Concepts 6% · Professional Practice 6%.
PAEA's Family Medicine blueprint (PDF) · topic list (PDF) · what changed for 2026
Which topics show up most on the Family Medicine EOR?
- 2025 AHA/ACC hypertension targets (<130/80) and first-line agents
- Diabetes diagnosis criteria and person-centered first-line therapy
- USPSTF screening ages (colon, cervical, AAA)
- Otitis media vs otitis externa management
- Stable angina workup vs ACS red flags
- Statin indications
- Contraindications to combined oral contraceptives
- Pneumonia site of care: clinical judgment plus PSI (ATS/IDSA-preferred) or CURB-65
How should you study for the Family Medicine EOR?
- Prioritize breadth, not depth — the FM EOR rewards recognizing common outpatient presentations across every system, so don't rabbit-hole on rare zebras.
- Front-load health maintenance and screening (USPSTF ages, vaccine schedules). They're heavily tested and are easy points many students skip.
- Drill first-line management of the big chronic diseases — hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, asthma/COPD, and depression.
- Then run it on FirstPassPA. Work the Family Medicine question set by topic, read every explanation, and let spaced repetition resurface your misses as your exam date nears — then simulate with timed, mixed blocks in the final week.
What are common Family Medicine EOR mistakes?
- Over-ordering imaging for uncomplicated low back pain without red flags
- Confusing screening intervals between guidelines
- Missing health-maintenance/vaccination items that are heavily tested
- Treating viral URIs with antibiotics
- Forgetting first-line is often lifestyle + a single named drug
Study Family Medicine on FirstPassPA
EOR rotation mode gives you a focused Family Medicine question set with an AI tutor on every answer, spaced repetition, and analytics that show your weak spots. Free to start — no credit card.
Start studying free → Try free Family Medicine questions →Educational use only. This outline is a study aid for PA students and is not medical advice or a substitute for clinical judgment. FirstPassPA is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCCPA or PAEA. PANCE® and PANRE® are registered trademarks of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants; End of Rotation™ is a program of the Physician Assistant Education Association.