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...

Contingency plans for medicine in Ireland (yes, there are more options than just repeating) It’s something that anyone who wishes to pursue a medical degree in Ireland - or elsewhere - will have (or should have!) considered. What do I do if I don’t get in? My plan throughout the final two years of secondary school was that if I didn’t get the grades and points that I needed, I would repeat the Leaving Cert and the HPAT - hopefully at most once - until I got those points. But I hadn’t factored in the Leaving Cert itself. The feeling...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 as the ATAR in the medical school selection process, it is crucial that students devote sufficient time in preparing for the HPAT, without neglecting their 6 th year studies. The key to finding this balance is planning your time. Many students attempt to fit in HPAT study in their ‘spare time’, which is hard to find in 6 th year. It is more productive to set aside blocks of...

As many of you would have noticed, HPAT preparation takes time. And I mean a LOT of time! It’s often overwhelming trying to get those HPAT practice exams you’d promised yourself to get done as well as study for that first chemistry quiz if you’re in 6th year, or keep up with your GAA training.    In many cases, students often lose time, confidence and their interest in HPAT since it simply adds to their already overwhelming workload. So before you start stressing about the upcoming HPAT exam, let’s just take a quick look at how you can manage studying...

Some students who are preparing for HPAT wonder if they should get a private tutor for HPAT or attend weekly HPAT classes. Often this is because that is what they are used to doing in high school. But HPAT is very different to school and therefore requires a different approach. Here we suggest a much more effective (and much cheaper) way of preparing for HPAT: group study. The benefits of group study are well known: it is more social, more enjoyable and more effective, particularly for tests such as HPAT.  Extensive pedagogical research has shown that group study is far...

Congratulations on your decision to pursue medicine as a career! Medicine is an interesting, valued and rewarding profession. The process of getting into medicine can be confusing, so here’s an introduction. Criteria for getting into medicine The minimum points required to get into medicine varies from year to year and between universities, but a total of at least 720 points is generally required. This is the addition of: Your adjusted Leaving Certificate points and Your overall HPAT score Let’s consider each of these in turn.   Adjusted Leaving Certificate Points In determining entry into medicine, Leaving Certificate Examination points are...

A common question that aspiring medical students ask is whether they should combine their medical degree with another degree, such as arts or music. It is important to think carefully about this. You will be spending 3–4 years of your life and as well as a lot of money if you pursue a double degree. Will a degree such as English, history, philosophy, music or literature actually benefit you? Some argue that these degrees are worthwhile, may point to all the things you can learn, and perhaps even point out a few successful people that achieved a lot with such...

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...

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...

At MedEntry, we are committed to continuous improvement and constantly strive to improve the services we offer our hard working students. Our Learning Management System is all about  you  and this feature is another way we personalise your HPAT training.   Retry your incorrect exam questions   Once you have completed a practice exam on the LMS, you can now re-attempt any questions that you answered incorrectly!   To retry an exam:   1. Click on the Practice Exams icon in the HPAT course (accessible by clicking the HPAT link in the menu on the top of each page):   2....

  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...

This impending Saturday is without a doubt one of the most terrifying – yet unusual days of the year. Throughout the past years, I have uttered the phrase “The HPAT is a game” innumerous times, and now, on the brink of becoming an actual doctor (finally!) and exiting the world of HPAT, I thought I’d pass on my suggestions for this game. Suggestion 1: Your mood is your top priority. The HPAT is designed in such a way that your mood greatly impacts your performance. Why? Because it’s an exam of emotions, of empathy and of understanding. Feeling stressed/anxious/overwhelmed will...

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...