Blogs

Options for Pursuing Medicine in Ireland

9th September 2025

Options for Pursuing Medicine in Ireland

With the release of Leaving Cert scores recently, some students may be wondering what 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 c ...

 

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Considering Repeating HPAT/Leaving Cert? Here’s Some Advice From Someone Who Has Done It Before

9th September 2025

Considering Repeating HPAT/Leaving Cert? Here’s Some Advice From Someone Who Has Done It Before

So you have just received your HPAT and Leaving Certificate results and unfortunately have not been accepted into Medicine this year - what next? This was the situation I, and indeed many other Medicine hopefuls, faced on results day. The first reaction you may have is one of obvious disappointment, followed by the monumental task of considering the myriad of options on what to do next: Sho ...

 

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Planning Time for HPAT Preparation

9th September 2025

Planning Time for HPAT Preparation

A very common question asked by aspiring medical students is "How do you balance your school work and HPAT practice?" Given that the HPAT can be equally or even more important than your leaving cert in the medical school selection process, it is crucial that students devote sufficient time to preparing for the HPAT, without neglecting their 6th year studies. ...

 

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Getting the Most From Your HPAT Practice Exams

9th September 2025

Getting the Most From Your HPAT Practice Exams

With every passing week, the date of your HPAT exam is inching closer.  Perhaps you are working through the MedEntry curriculum modules, QBank and skills trainers. This will all aid your preparation, but an important question is, have you completed a full-length HPAT practice exam yet? Completing a full-length HPAT practice exam can be intimidating and even scary. It is easy to spend t ...

 

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5 Months Until HPAT

2nd September 2025

5 Months Until HPAT

Five months until the HPAT testing period begins! Are you feeling overwhelmed or stressed by your workload this year? Stress is a common problem that affects all of us at some point in our lives, but is stress bad for you? According to Kelly McGonigal stress isn’t the problem, it’s the mind’s negative response to stress that’s the problem. McGonigal ex ...

 

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HPAT Scoring Myths

19th August 2025

HPAT Scoring Myths

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and on forums about how HPAT scores are calculated. This blog will provide clarity and avoid you being misinformed! Myth #1: HPAT scores are based on raw marks Some people 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 a ...

 

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Should I Attend a MedEntry HPAT Workshop?

11th August 2025

Should I Attend a MedEntry HPAT Workshop?

MedEntry workshops have become famous over the years for their engaging, effective and enjoyable nature. You may be wondering whether you should attend a MedEntry HPAT workshop. The answer is a resounding yes! Here are three reasons why:   1. MedEntry HPAT Workshops are Comprehensive MedEntry HPAT workshops cover everything you need to know for HPAT success, including: ...

 

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Attention Parents: 5 Ways to Help Your Son or Daughter Get Into Medicine

7th August 2025

Attention Parents: 5 Ways to Help Your Son or Daughter Get Into Medicine

Great things never come easy. Medicine is an incredibly rewarding, secure, well paid and respected profession in Ireland. It's also the hardest course to get into. Furthermore, the final years of secondary school are a stressful and demanding time for your son or daughter, and the need to sit HPAT places additional pressure on them during this time. Thankfully there are ways ...

 

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Why Is HPAT So Hard?

24th July 2025

Why Is HPAT So Hard?

Most current medical students and doctors would agree that HPAT is probably the hardest and single most important test they ever sat in their career. Many students, especially those who do not prepare effectively, are shocked by the difficulty of HPAT. Some who do prepare become disillusioned by the difficulty of HPAT. So why is HPAT so hard? And what can you do about it? Read on!   ...

 

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Making Time for HPAT: Eat That Frog!

13th July 2025

Making Time for HPAT: Eat That Frog!

Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. – Mark Twain   Brian Tracy’s 5 minute YouTube video discusses a time management strategy that has changed many people’s lives (including mine!). This strategy involves organising your tasks by priority. It discusses time management in the context of t ...

 

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