MedEntry Blog

Many students use the holidays to finally relax after a several months of hard work. For those sitting the HPAT next year, the road ahead can look especially challenging and instil feelings of anxiety. However, after taking a long-deserved rest, the holidays can actually be used efficiently and effectively to get ahead in the HPAT and obtain the score you need to get into your dream course. With the HPAT exam fast approaching in February, students often use the holidays as an opportunity to start practicing full length exams under timed conditions. Enormous amounts of mental energy, determination and positivity...

In life, we are told that ‘practice makes perfect’. The more you practice a particular skill, whether it be playing the piano, swimming or writing essays, the better you become at it. So, in theory, it should be the same in HPAT – the more practice questions you do, the better you are at HPAT – right? Not necessarily. Just like any skill, to do well in HPAT you first need a basic understanding of what it is, what it tests and how to approach the various types of questions. Without this understanding, you may still be able to improve...

In addition to viewing your exam results by section (Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving, Understanding People or Non-verbal Reasoning), you can now view more detailed results by specific question types. There are 2 ways to view your feedback: 1. Go to the  Check Progress  page to see a summary containing all of your drill/exam question attempts:   2. On each exam page, you will now see a more detailed explanation of your responses to each question type:   We have also revamped our exam page, to include:   A fresh, more interactive design  Up to 4 retries of incorrectly answered...

Are you all aboard the express train to Procrastination station? Are you experiencing a motivation crisis? Are you just about ready to give up?   Well you’re not going to give in to the internet, not this time. I am here to remind you WHY you should be studying for the HPAT right now.   1.     The HPAT is one test. If you do well in the HPAT, you will have significant leeway with your leaving cert results, which is not one test but a result based on a series of assessments and a number of different subjects over...

So you’re going into your final year of schooling, and you’re super duper set on being a doctor. There are lots of ways you can keep hold of medicine as a big picture throughout this long and sometimes arduous year. By putting some of these points into action now, you will increase your chances of getting straight into med, pump up your motivation over the year, and be an awesome doctor in the future!   ·          People – get amongst them! Medicine is all about the people. In your career you will interact with others from diverse backgrounds, and...

  We have recently added a series of new features to the LMS! Some of these are outlined below.   Favourite Questions/Guides You can now bookmark any practice question on the LMS (in exams, drills or the Eureka! Question Bank) for quick access in the future! Simply click on the "Add to favourites" button found next to each question, as shown below: Drills/Exams:   Eureka! Question Bank:   Guides: You can also bookmark any of our guides, by clicking on the button at the top of each guide:   How to view your bookmarked favourites: To view your bookmarked questions...

Preparation is key for any exam, and UMAT preparation is no different. But we’ve all had that horrible experience when the nerves hit, and all that preparation is thrown out the window because your brain is more interested in stressing itself out than answering the exam questions. But you can, of course, prepare for that too. 1.    Practice Since I’m supposed to be telling you what to do when it feels like preparation isn’t working, you might not expect a synonym for “preparation” to be the top tip. But it is, so hear me out. Nothing is as reassuring...

There are many different approaches to problem-solving that have been established in psychology. Firstly, there’s the Thorndike paradigm, which involves blind trial and error 1 . More purposeful approaches are the Gestalt approach, and the cognitive approach. The Gestalt approach involves solving problems as a whole 2 . You see the problem, you see what you have, and then you try to see how everything fits together. If the question is routine, it’s very easy to figure it out. If it isn’t, well, sometimes you gain insight, but sometimes you come up with an idea based on what you’ve encountered...

Amidst the stress of preparing for the HPAT and studying for your other exams, it may be tempting to not spend time on extra-curricular activities, so that you can focus on getting the marks you need to get into medicine. After all, they won’t contribute directly to your score, right?    However, participating in extra-curricular activities, whether it be joining your local cricket team, volunteering for a soup kitchen or being captain of the chess club, will help you not only be a better person, but be a better candidate for medical entry. Don’t believe me? Here are three reasons...

Organisations such as the ACER like to promote the myth that HPAT courses are a waste of money. This is because ACER has a hidden agenda. Newspapers like to run stories with headlines such as: “HPAT prep courses declared waste of money”, or “HPAT courses a waste of money”, or “Are HPAT preparatory courses time well spent or a waste of money?”, or “Private courses branded PreMed are a waste of money” etc. Such articles create apprehension, doubt and fear among students and parents, so newspapers publish them to sell more newspapers. Furthermore, those who have vested interests rally and...

HPAT preparation courses are run throughout Ireland leading up to the HPAT each February. A typical HPAT course will include: HPAT focused lectures, advice tips and strategies to ace the HPAT, a practice EXAM exam with results and feedback, as well as many additional resources for HPAT preparation such as trial HPAT papers, practice HPAT questions, HPAT guides and HPAT drills. Studying Medicine or Health Sciences in Ireland has become extremely competitive, particularly at institutions like the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI GALWAY), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Cork (UCC) and...

As a student it is very difficult to choose between the various HPAT prep course providers. It is even more difficult to do so when you are bombarded with hype, myths and misinformation through slick and deceptive marketing strategies. You are only going to be able to improve your HPAT results if you prepare using questions that simulate the real HPAT. Students are too often mislead by purchasing HPAT practice tests and HPAT questions that show little, if any resemblance to the HPAT itself. An example of this is HPAT prep courses that include LSAT questions. The HPAT does not...

HPAT preparation courses are run throughout Ireland leading up to the HPAT. A typical HPAT Course Galway will include: HPAT focused lectures, advice tips and strategies to ace the HPAT, a practice HPAT exam with results and feedback as well as many additional resources for HPAT preparation such as trial HPAT papers, practice HPAT questions, HPAT guides and HPAT drills accessible for Irish students. Studying Medicine in Ireland has become extremely competitive. The competition for places in Medicine courses is fierce which makes the HPAT score particularly important in addition to students’ LC Points. The HPAT makes up about one...

Isn't the HPAT an aptitude test, so what's the point in preparing? The HPAT  may be an 'aptitude' test, but there can be no doubt that having seen HPAT style questions before, and understanding how to answer them, will increase your chances of succeeding in the HPAT. While practice may not always make perfect, practice does increase your ability to perform in the HPAT exam because you can hone those  thinking skills required to answer HPAT questions.  Further, there is some evidence to suggest that in non-verbal reasoning section of the HPAT, repetition and practice can increase this HPAT section...

Top tips for multiple choice in the HPAT The HPAT consists of only multiple choice questions. While multiple choice means they give you the correct answer as one of the options, choosing it is not as easy as it seems. Here are some useful tips for answering multiple choice questions for the HPAT   ·           Answer all questions.  For Logical reasoning, problem solving and understanding people questions in the HPAT you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting the right answer. In Non-Verbal Reasoning questions, a 1 in 5 chance, so why not go for it, even if...

Everyone has their own concept of the world, of how they interpret and predict stimuli. This “concept” is underpinned by their philosophical approach to life. Whilst philosophy may seem to be a branch of knowledge best left for academics, the truth is we all utilize some form of it. It surprises some people when they are told they use philosophy in just about everything they do – even science. The way we gain knowledge and enquire about it is greatly impacted by how we view the world.  In the HPAT, you will encounter questions that require you to evaluate a...

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...

Below are a few useful tips as to how to stay in control during the HPAT.  Distractions: One of the things you'll probably have to deal with during the HPAT is distractions. This may be someone sniffling, or coughing, or tapping a pencil. In fact there have even been stories of distractions ranging from pile drivers at a nearby construction site to the school's symphonic band practicing outside!  The most important thing is to not let these distractions get to you, use them as a reminder to get back to the HPAT in front of you.  Keep moving while the clock is...