HPAT Non-Verbal Reasoning: 5 HPAT Tips for Success

Non-Verbal Reasoning has long been considered one of the most challenging and frustrating HPAT sections, and it has a reputation with students for causing confusion and consuming time. The section can be intimidating at first as it can look quite different to traditional exam questions you’ve faced before, but do not let this turn you away from tackling the section.

This section, like all the others, can be perfected. It takes some well-structured practice and insight into the structure behind the HPAT exam questions. The untrained eye may be confused initially, but only a limited number of question types can appear in this section. You will need specific techniques for each question type.

1. Understand the Section Structure Before Starting the Preparation

The Non-Verbal Reasoning section of the HPAT exam differs from the other two sections in that it is only worth 20% of your score, and the other two are equally weighted, representing 40% of your final score each. Research completed by Higher Education Authority found HPAT exam repeat students disproportionately improved their performance in this section, making the scoring unfair on first-time exam candidates.  

Section 3 consists of 30 questions with a time limit of 40 minutes. Candidates have approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds to answer each question. 

3 question types make up the majority of Section 3: 

• Pick the middle
• Complete the sequence 
• Missing segment

Your preparation should focus on viewing these three different question types as separate areas of study. You can learn specific techniques for each genre of questions, and it is best to try to cover all three equally as there tends to be an equal number of each type on the HPAT exam. 

Once you see that only three different types of questions appear on the exam, preparation becomes far less daunting.

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2. Approach the Questions With a Strategy

Even though you will use different techniques for the three types of questions, you will find that a similar high-level approach will be transferable. For questions in section three, you should follow two steps. 

1. Quickly guess the rules/patterns that might be present in a sequence. Identify the different parts in a question, for example, a black circle, grey shaded segment etc. and see if you can quickly identify a logical pattern one component follows. 
2. You need to use the pattern you identify on the other components of the sequence. Try another potential pattern if the pattern does not hold for the different elements in the sequence.

Iterating through the most likely options for a pattern followed by one component will save you time trying to tackle all the components together. 

You can also combine this approach with the process of elimination to rule out patterns that are not possible and avoid wasting time. 

3. Don’t Overcomplicate! 

For nonverbal reasoning questions, you should find the most logical answer. 

It may feel as if the questions are designed to catch you. Often the simple pattern is the correct pattern, and being conscious of this will allow you to formulate a strategy. For example, look for whichever item displays the most straightforward pattern if you have a question with multiple items. 

You can then try to apply this pattern to the other elements to see if it is logically sound. 

Let’s take a very elementary example of a pattern that could be presented in a “Pick the Middle” question.

The first thing that becomes apparent is how the black dot alternates between the two corners. Another way of looking at this is to think of the black dot moving two spaces clockwise on each step. 

We can see from just examining the black dot in isolation that we have the logical pattern ABCDE form. 

Verifying our pattern, we see the white dot moving half a diameter clockwise around the circle, also following the pattern ABCDE. Therefore we can be sure that C would be in the middle if this were a pick-the-middle question.

3. Choose Appropriate Resources

With HPAT Non-Verbal reasoning, practice and becoming familiar with question types is critical. You will need high-quality resources, and the ACER Practice Tests are an excellent resource you can use to your advantage for section three. The HPAT is a rebranded version of an exam called the UMAT, which was previously used in Australia for medical school admissions. It is also worth searching for older UMAT practice material to gain more exposure to section three questions. 

If you’re struggling with resources or HPAT Non-Verbal Reasoning, you may benefit from MedicMind’s one-to-one tutoring. MedicMind tutors can help you work through different techniques for the question types in section three and help you with practice material, which can be helpful as the techniques for section three. Many students wonder what the best HPAT preparation course is, but personal tutoring can often be more effective than any weekend course as it’s personalised to the student’s needs.

4. Timing Tips For Section Three 

For many students, one difficult question can cause them to waste a lot of time and end up not completing the section. You can avoid this pitfall by sticking to the time limit of 80 seconds per question. If you are struggling to find the answer, it is best to move on instead of missing out on several other questions you might be able to solve more quickly. If you are very weak at a particular question type, it may be best to focus on the ones you are strong at and leave your weakest question type until the end of the exam. Given how long the HPAT exam is, this section can be one of trickiest in terms of timing. 

Try to answer each question. The software used to administer the exam allows you to flag a question to come back later. If you have to skip a question, flag it, guess an answer and move on. You have a 20% chance of getting a question correct through guessing, which is better than 0% if you skip it altogether.

5. Take Advantage of the Mapping Technique

Mapping is a powerful technique you can use to identify a pattern in a complicated sequence. This technique will massively improve how you prepare for the HPAT.

It’s easier to understand mapping if you learn how to do it using an example. Let’s take the sample sequence from earlier.

We see that two shapes are moving around in each step of the sequence against the backdrop of a square which remains constant. 

If we work on the assumption that the circles are two separate entities and the colours aren’t swapping between each step, we can create a different map for each circle as it moves around the square.

It is now much clearer how the white and black circles move. Eventually, with enough practice, you will begin to recognise different maps for different shapes and their corresponding patterns.