To operate a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) at a maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) operation point, the exact values of machine parameters such as inductances and back-EMF constant, which are sensitive to motor phase currents and temperature respectively, should be blown. An adaptive estimation method for on-line estimation of the machine parameters is not suitable for practical applications since it has difficulties in estimating exact values and requires complex mathematical calculations. The purpose of this paper is to present a simple MTPA operation point tracking control strategy for vector controlled PMSM drives with slow dynamic loads. The proposed method searches MTPA operation points by modulating current phase angle and observing the variation in command power. The current angle modulation strategy is designed to sense the effect of load variations in the command power. Therefore, the proposed method can track the MTPA operation points of the PMSM regardless of load variations. Computer simulation and experimental study is also presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.