Medicine is tough, really tough but you’ve made it this far so you’re tougher. First year is a whirlwind and at times can seem overwhelming, but having made it through to the other side of those first few full-on months, I can hand on heart say that everyone is telling the truth when they say college will be the best time of your life. You’ll have ups and downs, I can guarantee that, but overall the ups will far outweigh the downs. Here’s ten tips to help you power past those downs and navigate your way through the minefield that is...
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Keeping the Balance
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Keeping the balance is something we all struggle with in our final year of schooling, myself included. At the commencement of the year, I jumped into everything. Then, at the end of term one, I crashed, and in term two I tried to do nothing. Neither of these worked for me, and over the remainder of the year I learnt some important lessons about keeping the balance. Not only was I happier and more well-rounded as a result, I was also able to succeed in both HPAT and in my final exams. The golden rule for staying well-rounded is that...
As the leader in Medical Entry in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, MedEntry is pleased to announce that we are now offering UCAT preparation for Irish students wishing to study medicine in the United Kingdom. UCAT, previously known as UKCAT, is a 2 hour long computer-based test which is used to select students into medicine in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. It comprises five subtests: UCAT Verbal Reasoning, UCAT Decision Making, UCAT Quantitative Reasoning, UCAT Abstract Reasoning and UCAT Situational Judgement. Most medical courses in the United Kingdom require students to sit UCAT (a minority require BMAT). Note that...
There are 5 universities in Ireland that offer undergraduate medical degrees: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) The Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) University College Dublin (UCD) University College Cork (UCC) National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). TCD and UCC offer a five year course, UCD offers a six year course and both NUIG and RCSI offer a 6 or 5 year course. The entry requirements for each of the courses varies slightly, but all applicants are required to sit the HPAT exam and receive a minimum of 480 points in their leaving certificate. TCD has 121 places, UCD offers 90 places,...
When transitioning from 5th year to 6th year, the holidays can sometimes generate a bit of anxiety – how should I study, when should I start studying, will I get the grades I need to make it into my course…? This is completely natural and the fact that some of these questions pop into your mind shows that you are already becoming mentally primed for the big year. Yet, at the same time, there are numerous preparation strategies you can employ during the holidays to improve your performance and secure an amazing Leaving Certificate. English subjects can be particularly stressful for...
Sixth year is a busy year – we all know that. However, it can get a whole lot busier if you’re studying for the HPAT as well. It can be like taking an extra subject – one that has no teacher, and there are no deadlines (aside from the exam). In addition, it is an exam for which you cannot cram (sorry to burst your bubble). So how do you manage the meticulous balancing act between not letting your school grades drop, whilst also keeping yourselves in good stead for the HPAT? Planning. Yes, you’ve probably heard it all before, but if...
With the release of HPAT scores recently, some students may be wondering what other options they have for getting into medicine. Irish students are fortunate – there are many options for studying medicine both in Ireland and abroad. This blog describes them in detail. 1. Undergraduate medicine Entry into undergraduate medicine is based on a combination of adjusted leaving certificate points and HPAT (please visit https://www.medentry-hpat.ie/resources/university-admissions for more information). If a student does not achieve the minimum required points for entry into undergraduate medicine, there are several options. These include: Low HPAT + high Leaving Cert: repeat HPAT, using this...
HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR HPAT RESULTS
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This blog contains information for how to interpret your HPAT statement of results. What do the numbers on the Statement of Results mean? Your HPAT Statement of Results will display two measures of your performance: HPAT score and HPAT percentile. Your overall HPAT score is a weighted sum of your three section scores. Sections 1 and 2 are each weighted at 40%, and section 3 is weighted at 20%. For the mathematically inclined, the formula for calculating the overall HPAT score is 0.4 x (Section 1 + Section 2) + 0.2 x Section 3. The section scores are derived (scaled)...
Why study Medicine?
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There are only two things people seem ask you about in sixth year: those big exams in June and what you want to do when they’re over. It’s a stressful and busy year with plenty of studying to be done. The constant questioning can be annoying, but it’s really important that you take the time to really look at what it is you are going to do next year. For anyone considering applying to sit the HPAT and putting medicine down on your CAO, here are just a few of the reasons why you should study medicine. Unlike a lot of...
Deciding what to put on your CAO can be extremely daunting. Personally, it took me months and lots of research and thought to finally make that decision. Here are a few of the ways I went about deciding whether medicine was right for me or not: 1. Talk to those in the know I was lucky to be given the phone numbers of friends of friends and colleagues of relatives who had just recently completed med school and were beginning to embark on various careers in medicine. Listening to their first hand experiences and being able to ask questions about...
Top ten tips for the last 24 hours
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So the big day is nearly here and you’ve been working up to it consistently for the goods of a year and now it’s time to put everything MedEntry has taught you into practice. Here’s some advice to help you be at your prime in the last 24 hours leading up to the HPAT. Spend the day before doing something you enjoy, something relaxing, something fun and something that will keep your mind off the HPAT. You NEED some time to let your brain and body relax the day before so that you are in perfect condition. It can be anything so...
HPAT Nutrition
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Napoleon Bonaparte once famously said “an army marches on its stomach”, and that is as relevant for HPAT as it was for the French Armies that Bonaparte commanded. Making sure you put the right things into your body in the lead up to HPAT is vital to making sure that you perform well on the day of the test. I’m sure you are well aware of what a quality diet consists, so in this post I’ll serve up a couple of key tips for the immediate lead up to test day. The Night Before: As you would expect, the night before...
So with all things going well you’ve arrived at the HPAT exam venue with plenty of time and well rested, ready to put all the knowledge you’ve gained from MedEntry to use. However, now you have to make it through the last short while before you sit down and start the HPAT test. Here’s five tips to help you survive. Go to the bathroom. Make sure you head to the loo not long before you are due to start the HPAT because the last thing you need is to have to take a bathroom break in an already time constraining...
5 Tips for the last fortnight
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HPAT is well and truly close now and it’s time to streamline your study and buckle down! Here are five ways to make sure you’re using the next two weeks to set you up for success on HPAT day. 1. Use your practice exams wisely A practice exam is only a practice exam if you’re doing it in exam conditions. HPAT is a marathon and your MedEntry and ACER exams are your trial runs so use them to recreate HPAT as much as you possibly can. HPAT isn’t just about the questions, it’s about building your stamina, working on your time...
Achieving Perfect HPAT Time Management
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One thing I found extremely useful on the days coming up to, and the day of the HPAT was the knowledge that I was confident with my exam timing. Whilst you have no control over the questions that will appear on the HPAT on the day, you have complete control over your timing. This sense of control can help to ease your nerves on the day of the exam, and prove extremely useful in keeping calm throughout the HPAT. Time management also increases the chance of you finishing the HPAT exam… remember, if you do not attempt a question you have...
Putting the HPAT in perspective
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6th year - exams littered throughout the semester, assignments that pile up, and extra-curricular activities that take up chunks of time. When you throw HPAT preparation into the mix, it’s easy to see why your senior year can often seem like a very stressful time of your life. In amongst all this, its easy to lose track of what is going on and to blow things out of proportion. If you are reading this, you probably realise that HPAT is a significant test, however it’s important to understand that HPAT is not a be all and end all. Often you hear of...
HPAT Scoring Myths
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Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and on forums about how HPAT scores are calculated. Some people and companies claim that your HPAT score or percentile ranking can be calculated from your raw score (the number of questions you got right). This is naïve, simplistic and demonstrates ignorance. Not to mention it is irresponsible to provide students with incorrect information. ACER uses a complex computer program to calculate HPAT scores. Even if you buy it (it costs a few thousand dollars), you cannot replicate the results since the assumptions ACER uses to run the program is kept...
ACER Practice Test 4
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ACER released a new practice exam, called 'HPAT Practice Test 4'. Like some other HPAT practice tests released by ACER, they do not include solutions. Therefore, it is difficult for students to know why they may have got a question wrong, and how to arrive at the correct answer efficiently and accurately. MedEntry has recently made available to students high quality, fully worked solutions to all 110 questions in the new HPAT Practice Test. Furthermore, students can compare their performance against others (which is how HPAT results are calculated). Simply enter in your scores to obtain feedback and percentile rankings!
The HPAT – A Test of Endurance
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The HPAT is so commonly viewed as a test of intelligence and aptitude, that we forget how crucial it is to improve our mental endurance for this exam. In fact, the endurance required for the HPAT is much greater than that required for any end of year school exam. Not only is the HPAT as long as or longer than any school exam (2.5 hours), but the nature of each individual question requires much greater focus. This need for enhanced application to each question is due to our inability to draw upon a year’s worth of content and knowledge, as is...
Does the thought of HPAT day make you cringe and consider hiding in your room? That's how I felt in the weeks that led up to HPAT. Being a student in my final year of high school I had rarely been in a position where I was sitting an exam which was so important for determining my future career pathway. Sure I had been through many school exams and academic competitions, but I felt that no test or assignment I had previously completed could compare to the importance of the HPAT. In my fresh teenage eyes the HPAT was the be...
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