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<p>The PA score is essentially based on a survey of deans and department heads from peer institutions. Schools that have a large number of alumni in academic positions are favored because their alumni are statistically surveyed more often, and tend naturally to rank their alma mater higher when included in the survey. Conversely, the likelihood of graduates of a smaller school being surveyed is comparatively low given their smaller numbers, even when the smaller school sends a relatively high percentage of its graduates to academia.</p>