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...

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 overall HPAT score is 0.4 x (Section 1 + Section 2) + 0.2 x Section 3.  The section scores are derived (scaled) from your raw score (the number of questions you got right) using statistical methods that...

Be under no illusions: the HPAT is the single hardest and most important test you will ever sit. This is a scary (and for some maybe terrifying) thought. So what can you do to make it less daunting? The answer may seem counter-intuitive: the best way to make HPAT seem do-able is to face it over, and over, and over again. How? By completing high quality, full length trial exams under timed conditions. HPAT is scary because it is so different to any other test you have done in school – it is much harder, much longer and much more time-pressured,...

The final school year is a stressful time. Add in HPAT and the pressures of getting into medicine, and stress levels can rapidly sky rocket. As a parent it is easy to succumb to feelings of powerless as you watch your son or daughter struggle to prepare for such an important and difficult exam. However, there are many things you can do to boost their performance and have a positive impact on their wellbeing.  1. Provide a sound working environment  HPAT is a two and a half-hour test requiring extreme concentration. The best way to prepare is to complete full length trial...

You may have heard that stress negatively impacts on performance. You may have been told that if you are too stressed in the lead up to an important exam such as HPAT, you won’t do well. You may have been advised to look for ways to relieve your stress. While this may be true, in some cases trying to get rid of stress can actually cause you to become more stressed. A different approach, which might sound crazy at first, is to embrace your stress. The following three strategies will not only help you manage stress, but will also boost your...

HPAT is probably the hardest test you will ever have to sit. Many students, especially those who do not prepare, are shocked by the difficulty of HPAT. Some who do prepare become disillusioned. So why is HPAT so hard? And what can you do about it? Read on!  1. HPAT is very different to every other type of test you have sat Why?  School and university exams test your knowledge and your ability to apply that knowledge. HPAT is not a test of knowledge; it is a test of your generic skills. You most likely have never sat a test of...

Your venue for the HPAT can become a very scary place very quickly. While being academically prepared is extremely important for HPAT, it is also useful to know what to expect when you get to the venue. Firstly, you’ll see a range of different students at the HPAT venue – while some are great to have a conversation with before the exam commences; others, not so much: 1. The Downplayer – This is a student who will consistently talk about how they have not done any practice for the HPAT, keep reinforcing that they’re going to fail and claim to have...

Life isn’t the only thing full of surprises. The upcoming HPAT exam could hold a range of new, never-before-seen questions and it is important to know how to deal with these in an exam situation.  The first step is to identify these types of questions in reading time. When looking through your HPAT exam booklet, mentally note these questions and have them simmering away in the back of your mind. By doing so, you’ll be better prepared for these “surprises” and less likely to panic when you go on to attempt these questions. When writing time begins, start doing the questions...

For some people sitting HPAT, those nerves may not hit until the day of or the night before HPAT. We get butterflies in the stomach and perhaps even the need to vomit. These feelings are natural and can even help us to do better. But, for those of us who have difficulty handling the nerves, there are a few simple things to do to minimise them. Make sure you have everything that you need in advance A few days before the HPAT, read through the admission ticket and instructions and make sure that you have everything you need. Print out your...

Most people find sitting the HPAT a nerve racking, stressful experience, but that does not mean you should allow those nerves to get the best of you.  There are some simple ways to help you get through this period and come out feeling great about your chances.  Take some of the pressure off of yourself.  If you’re anything like me, you expect a lot from yourself and that can result in a large amount of unnecessary pressure. That pressure can prove to be your undoing, but there are simple ways in which to take some of that pressure off. Remember that...

Knowing that the HPAT is getting closer may cause you to feel some HPAT anxiety. While a small amount of HPAT anxiety or HPAT nervousness is good for HPAT test takers, too much can hinder your performance in the HPAT test and consequentially bring down your HPAT score. The following list includes all of the typical signs of HPAT anxiety for you to look out for leading up to the HPAT: Mental blank out – eg. knowing the answers before and after the HPAT (or practice tests)   Negative thoughts   Difficulty concentrating – eg. Racing thoughts   Nausea   Sweating...

Pressure, pressure: coping with nerves and stress on the actual HPAT test day. Having done HPAT practice exam, after practice exam, after practice exam, most HPAT candidates will be raring to go come July 31st. Whilst HPAT preparation is key to your HPAT success, it is not the only factor that will affect your HPAT performance on the actual HPAT test day. Being able to cope with the nerves and anxiety that inevitably appear on the day of the HPAT exam will be the key strength that will help you out-perform your fellow HPAT candidates. Perhaps the only thing separating two equally intelligent HPAT...

HPAT test tactics and preparation:   HPAT test tactics and preparation part 1: Avoiding multiple confusions in the multiple choice section of HPAT HPAT test tactics and preparation part 2: Process of Elimination in HPAT multichoice HPAT test tactics and preparation part 3: HPAT questions involving percentages HPAT test tactics and preparation part 4: HPAT probability questions HPAT test tactics and preparation part 5: Counting Problems in HPAT HPAT test tactics and preparation part 6: statistics problems on the HPAT exam HPAT test tactics and preparation part 7: worded mathematical problems HPAT test tactics and preparation part 8: staying cool under...

So you have bought a package and started your practise. Well done! You are on your way to improving your HPAT score already. Now it is time to develop effective revisions skills that prepares you mentally and physically. Practise is no good if your nerves let you down. Even elite athletes at the Olympics who practise for years crumple due to nerves. Don’t let that be you! Don’t save your exams!  The most important thing to remember when doing HPAT practise is – DON’T “save” your practise exams until the last month. Doing that basically leaves you with one month of...

Here are some useful tips MedEntry has for you the morning of the HPAT:  When you wake up on the day of the HPAT, consider taking a shower or doing some brief exercise to get the blood flowing.  If your parent, guardian, friend or relative is taking you to the HPAT, make sure they are up too.  Eat a normal breakfast on the morning of the HPAT, by that we mean eat whatever you eat normally for breakfast. You don't want to eat too much, or something that you don't normally eat as it may upset your stomach or cause you...

Stereotype threat can affect the way students perform in the HPAT.  Some students are vulnerable to “stereotype threat.” This is being aware the group they belong to is often stereotyped as intellectually inferior. The fear of confirming the stereotype by doing poorly on a test actually creates an anxiety. It is this anxiety that poorly affects their performance on a test, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Consider this study conducted at Stanford:  A group of undergraduates — some athletes and some not — was given a test made up of questions from the Graduate Record Examination (G.R.E.), the admissions test for graduate...

To be mentally tough is to resist the urge to give up in the face of failure, to maintain focus and determination in pursuit of your HPAT goals, and to emerge from adversity even stronger than before. Everyone can benefit from strengthening their resilience skills.  Mental toughness comes from thinking like an optimist. People who don’t give up have a habit of interpreting setbacks as temporary, local and changeable. When in the face of adversity, try to say to yourself, “It’s going away quickly; it’s just this one situation, and I can do something about it.” Analyze your beliefs and emotions about...