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What is the HPAT?
Joseph Ribbon
HPAT at a Glance
The HPAT, or Health Professions Admission Test – Ireland, is an admissions test mainly used to provide an extra assessment component for prospective medical students in Ireland. Entrants to two postgraduate allied health courses – MSc Occupational Therapy and MSc Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Limerick must also sit the HPAT. The results of the HPAT are combined with the grades achieved in second-level education, e.g. your International Baccalaureate, Irish Leaving Certificate, or A-levels.
The HPAT endeavours to test your verbal logical reasoning, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and nonverbal reasoning. The body responsible for issuing the test, Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), claims that the test does not test academic knowledge or require an understanding of any discipline. However, with required HPAT scores rising yearly, practicing question types has never been more vital to the serious medicine candidate.
The HPAT is:
- 150 minutes long
- Made up of three sections
- 110 Questions in total
It is split into three sections, each weighted as the following:
- Logical Reasoning (40%)
- Emotional Reasoning (40%)
- Non-verbal reasoning (20%)
Question types in Section 1 generally include logic games, graphs, experiments, statistics, data interpretation, and spotting logical fallacies.
Questions in Section 2 involve responding to different forms of written stimulus involving interpersonal interaction and reflection, and drawing accurate conclusions from these interactions.
In Section 3, you are asked to assess different types of visual patterns and puzzles, and decide which of the presented options is most logically suited to solving the problem.
HPAT preparation will be absolutely key to success in scoring high enough in the HPAT to get into medical school.
When Do I Register for the HPAT?
You must apply for Medical School in Ireland via the CAO or Central Applications Office. The CAO opens in November every year, and you are assigned a student number. The application cost is between €30 and €45 depending on how early you register.
After applying via the CAO and listing the Medicine courses you wish to apply to in the Republic of Ireland in order of preference, you must then register via the portal on ACER’s website. In 2023, taking the HPAT exam cost €152.80.
You must complete this process well before the 20th of January every year. If you are late, registering may still be possible but will incur a financial penalty.
When Will I Sit the HPAT?
The HPAT generally takes place over the third weekend of February every year. Before the pandemic, the exam was held in various exam centres across the Republic of Ireland and ACER automatically assigned you to a test centre based on proximity. However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam has changed to the form of a computer exam taken at home with a proctor. Online proctoring involves allowing a person to observe you while you take the exam using your computer’s webcam.
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How is the HPAT Scored, and How Well Do I Need to Do?
The HPAT is scored out of 300. Generally, the highest HPAT score every year is approximately around 220.
Unfortunately there is no HPAT score calculator as the algorithm for calculating the score is kept private by ACER.
When grades are converted to the Irish Leaving Certificate system for the Central Applications Office, 625 represents the highest score possible. This is 6H1s in the Irish Leaving Certificate with bonus points for Higher level Mathematics included. The conversion from A-Level Grades to Irish Leaving Certificate points can be found on the CAO website. However, for Medicine, every 5 points over 550 are counted as 1 point. This means that the maximum points achievable from academic qualifications for Medicine is 565.
For Medicine, the points from academic qualifications are combined with the HPAT score. The maximum attainable HPAT score is 300. The HPAT 2023 will take place in February so results have not yet been released. The highest HPAT score achieved in 2022 was 217 according to ACER’s end of year analysis.
How Much Preparation Do I Require?
HPAT preparation must kick-off for most students in November at the latest. It is a highly competitive exam, due to Ireland’s shortage of medical spaces and the currently inflated Leaving Certificate grades profile following COVID-19.
The style of HPAT exam questions can be quite problematic if you’ve never encountered it before. It is highly advised that you get familiar with the types of questions so that you are not taken by surprise on the day. It is an exam that can be successfully studied and prepared for. This is evident in the significant increase in points achieved by students when they re-sit the exam after a first attempt without studying. See this Irish Times Article to read more about this.
A plan, lots of sample questions, and perfecting skills such as speed-reading, vocabulary, logic and problem-solving are required to succeed in the HPAT. Candidates can optimise their timing by completing questions under controlled exam conditions. It would be best if candidates practiced extensively to be quick enough to cope with the time pressure on the exam day.
Frequently Asked Question
→What is the HPAT?
The HPAT (Health Professions Admissions Test) is an aptitude test used in the admissions process for health profession courses in universities in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It is designed to assess the problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills of candidates seeking admission to medical and other health-related programs.
→What is the purpose of the HPAT?
The purpose of the HPAT is to help universities and colleges evaluate the suitability of candidates for health profession courses. The test provides an objective measure of skills that are important for success in these programs and helps to ensure that candidates who are admitted have the necessary aptitude and abilities.
→Who is required to take the HPAT?
Students who are applying for undergraduate courses in medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and other health-related fields in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are typically required to take the HPAT.
→How can I prepare for the HPAT?
There are several resources available for candidates who wish to prepare for the HPAT, including official practice tests, study guides, and courses. It is important to familiarize yourself with the format of the test and practice your problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
→What is the format of the HPAT?
The HPAT is a two-hour computer-based test that consists of three sections: Section 1 – Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving, Section 2 – Interpersonal Understanding, and Section 3 – Non-Verbal Reasoning. The test does not require any specific knowledge or preparation in any particular subject area.
→Can I take the HPAT more than once?
Yes, candidates are allowed to take the HPAT more than once, and universities will typically consider the highest score achieved. However, it is important to note that some universities may have restrictions on the number of times a candidate can take the test.
→How important is the HPAT in the admissions process?
The importance of the HPAT in the admissions process varies by university and program. Some universities place a significant emphasis on the HPAT score, while others consider it as just one factor among many in the admissions decision. It is important to check with the specific universities and programs you are interested in to understand their policies and requirements regarding the HPAT.
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