I'm Sitting HPAT 2027 – What Do the Changes Mean for Me?
3 days ago by Chris
If you're planning to apply for undergraduate medicine in Ireland, you've probably heard that the medical entry system is changing. You might be wondering what it all means in practice – do you still need to prepare for HPAT? Will HPAT still matter? And what should you do to ensure your place in medicine?
What are the Changes for HPAT 2027?
From 2027, the way HPAT and Leaving Certificate results are combined will change:
- The maximum achievable HPAT score will reduce from 300 to 150
- Leaving Certificate points will no longer be adjusted, your full Leaving Cert score (up to 625) will count
- The maximum combined HPAT and Leaving Certificate score will reduce from 865 to 775
For more details of the changes and why they're being made, see our blog Changes to Medical Entry from 2027.
What Do These Changes Actually Mean?
To put the changes in context, under the new system, HPAT accounts for up to 150 out of 775 total points, roughly 20% of your combined score, compared to about 35% (300 out of 865) in previous years.
This shift means your Leaving Certificate performance carries greater weight in the admissions process. Strong academic performers will benefit, as LC results will now be rewarded fully without the points adjustment that previously capped the LC contribution.
That said, with most competitive applicants likely to achieve similar LC scores at the top end, HPAT remains a critical differentiator. A strong HPAT result continues to carry significance in admissions under the new system.
Does HPAT Still Matter?
The HPAT remains a compulsory part of medicine entry in Ireland. Every Irish university offering undergraduate medicine requires you to sit the exam. With around 3,000 students sitting HPAT each year competing for only 500-600 undergraduate places, your HPAT score remains an important differentiator in the admissions process. Notably, the number of students obtaining 625 points in the Leaving Cert each year is close to 1000, so HPAT will remain as the crucial differentiator.
From 2027, the HPAT will constitute a slightly smaller proportion of your total score. However, that doesn't mean a mediocre result in HPAT will secure you a place in medicine. Those applying for medicine are high achievers, and many will have very strong Leaving Cert results. Therefore, your HPAT score will make the difference between securing an offer and missing out. Even those achieving 625 points in the Leaving Cert will not be able to receive an offer for medicine without a solid HPAT score.
Realistically, to be competitive for a place in medicine, most students will need to achieve around the 70-80th percentile or higher in HPAT. That is, you need to be in the top right tail of the bell curve in both the Leaving Cert and the HPAT.
It's also worth keeping in mind that HPAT can only be sat once per year. For students who don't achieve the score they need, that means waiting a full 12 months before they can sit HPAT again and reapply to medicine. For anyone set on medicine, it is well worth putting in the preparation now rather than repeating the process twelve months later.
Should I Still Prepare for HPAT?
Ye! The HPAT is an incredibly time-pressured and challenging exam which is unlike anything you have sat before. It is not a test you can walk into unprepared and expect to perform well. HPAT assesses skills in logical reasoning and problem solving, interpersonal understanding, and non-verbal reasoning – areas where targeted preparation makes a difference to your score and your percentile ranking.
There's another reason to prepare for HPAT, one that's easy to overlook: the skills the HPAT tests are those that will help you in your Leaving Certificate and beyond. The skills assessed in the HPAT as well as the test taking and stress management strategies you will learn are not just useful in the admissions test – they're foundational skills for secondary school, college, and for life. It is for this reason that those who obtain the highest Leaving Cert score also tend to be those who prepared for HPAT.
The time you invest in HPAT preparation is time invested in developing skills that will help you in your future: both during your university study and beyond, irrespective of the career you later choose to pursue.
The Bottom Line
The system used to rank applicants applying for medicine in Ireland is changing, but the level of competition for medicine places is not. The students who succeed will be the ones who take both their Leaving Cert and their HPAT preparation seriously.
