HPAT Preparation Courses - Did they help you?

jumpguy

First of all, well done to everyone who got their HPAT results today. I'll be doing the ole HPAT in 2011, and I was wondering how many of ye did HPAT preparation courses, and did you feel they were worth it? Did people who scored very highly do preparation courses? Did you feel they helped? Where did you do your HPAT preparation course?

blubloblu

I think practicing the section 3 type questions can help you improve. I only did the practice paper that ACER sell you, I did significantly worse in section three than in the other two.

sheep-go-baa

I didn't do any course and I got 182 (91st percentile)
Unless you think you need the confidence I don't think it's necessary. I did get a book on psychometric testing (in any book shop) and did a few minutes every evening in the months leading up to it.
It was helpful for section three especially to see what ideas they use to test you. Best of luck!

jumpguy

sheep-go-baa wrote: »

I didn't do any course and I got 182 (91st percentile)
Unless you think you need the confidence I don't think it's necessary. I did get a book on psychometric testing (in any book shop) and did a few minutes every evening in the months leading up to it.
It was helpful for section three especially to see what ideas they use to test you. Best of luck!

Thanks for the reply, could you please give me a title and author for that book?

sheep-go-baa

jumpguy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, could you please give me a title and author for that book?

Ultimate Pschmetric Tests by Michael Byron. Not all the the sections are examined in the HPAT but I still found it very good. It's nicely laid out and gives explantions in the answers section why something in the correct anwswer.

clartharlear

I'd be really interested in knowing a bit more about this. In my prep course, one repeat went up 20 points (in the 190s), another went down 4 points (in the 160s), another stayed the same in the 140s.

I wonder does the possibility of change have any correlation with the original result, if you follow.

Shortsighted

I did a course (Med-Entry), and found it great, gave you lots of online practice and whatnot. Got in the 87th percentile, which I was delighted with. Found the main thing that the course gave me was material to study and confidence, as I'm a bit of an 'iffy' personality. My sister did it last year by herself and got in the 86th percentile, although she's a bit more self-confident and not as angsty as me.
Think it just all depends on the individual, best of luck though

HOBO123

I am hoping for vet-med rather than medicine itself but i did the hpat as i thought at 1st that med was what i wanted to do .. i also did a prep course but i dont think my score reflects what the course can do for someone of average intelligence (almost the whole country) .. my score was not bad but it was perfectly average at 147 just under half the total marks .. i felt the course was good at focusing your attention on the wording of the question etc .. i also got to do a mock hpat test and scored way above average in section 2 but not so well in the other sections... in the real hpat though i scored really well in sections 1 and 3 and bad in section 2 ... so i guess there is no great answer there but that it really depends on the person and on the day ... ( i found the real hpat much more difficult)

wouldbedoc

Shortsighted wrote: »

I did a course (Med-Entry), and found it great, gave you lots of online practice and whatnot. Got in the 87th percentile, which I was delighted with. Found the main thing that the course gave me was material to study and confidence, as I'm a bit of an 'iffy' personality. My sister did it last year by herself and got in the 86th percentile, although she's a bit more self-confident and not as angsty as me.
Think it just all depends on the individual, best of luck though

Same I used Med-Entry and got the 86th percentile. Really chuffed. The practise questions and timed exams were a great help. Also there's a Eureka button with an unlimited supply of abstract reasoning questions:D.
Definitely well worth it.

jumpguy

Is this the Med-Entry website? Is it an online-only thing or are there courses you have to attend?

Towel Boii

I did the HPAT last year and got 150 points (50%ile) with no study and just showing up on the date. This year i did a preparation course online and got 223 points (100%ile). I found it very helpful for all the sections as it showed you what the lay out to questions are, the answers they look for and how to spend your time evenly. And i guess if it really did anything to help it was increasing my confidence as i knew what to expect what was coming.

wouldbedoc

jumpguy wrote: »

Is this the Med-Entry website? Is it an online-only thing or are there courses you have to attend?

I'm pretty sure that there is an option to attend the course at a pre-selected venue as well as doing the course on-line. There are a couple of different packages as far as I remember.

jumpguy

wouldbedoc wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that there is an option to attend the course at a pre-selected venue as well as doing the course on-line. There are a couple of different packages as far as I remember.

Yeah, the "platinum" one is very pricey....395€ single, but there's a significant discount for group. Unfortunately I know nobody but me atm that's interested in doing medicine. The "distance" one seems more reasonable at 200€. What'd everyone else do?

Aoibheann

Towel Boii wrote: »

I did the HPAT last year and got 150 points (50%ile) with no study and just showing up on the date. This year i did a preparation course online and got 223 points (100%ile). I found it very helpful for all the sections as it showed you what the lay out to questions are, the answers they look for and how to spend your time evenly. And i guess if it really did anything to help it was increasing my confidence as i knew what to expect what was coming.

I just want to point out that the 100th percentile doesn't exist for all intents and purposes. Yes, it technically exists but is at +infinity on standard deviation scale. The percentile given is the percentage of people who got a lower score than you did, and as I said to a friend before - you can hardly be better than yourself like. You can't be better than 100% of people when you yourself are counted among those people! You can be at the 99.99999(recurring)th percentile but never 100, and I'm fairly sure they still won't round it to 100%.

Towel Boii

Aoibheann wrote: »

I just want to point out that the 100th percentile doesn't exist for all intents and purposes. Yes, it technically exists but is at +infinity on standard deviation scale. The percentile given is the percentage of people who got a lower score than you did, and as I said to a friend before - you can hardly be better than yourself like. You can't be better than 100% of people when you yourself are counted among those people! You can be at the 99.99999(recurring)th percentile but never 100, and I'm fairly sure they still won't round it to 100%.

Yeah i get what your saying but check it out dude =].

Aoibheann

Towel Boii wrote: »

Yeah i get what your saying but check it out dude =].

If that's the case methinks the HPAT people shouldn't be giving these tests if they don't know basic statistics and common sense.

HPAT, I am disappoint. :pac:

randylonghorn

Aoibheann wrote: »

If that's the case methinks the HPAT people shouldn't be giving these tests if they don't know basic statistics and common sense.

HPAT, I am disappoint. :pac:

In fairness, it's probably more likely that their computer system automatically rounds up to the nearest whole number ....

Aoibheann

randylonghorn wrote: »

In fairness, it's probably more likely that their computer system automatically rounds up to the nearest whole number ....

But they should ensure it doesn't! It's entirely inaccurate to say someone is at the 100th percentile when it doesn't exist. It causes a lot of confusion in arguments like this - and I saw the same argument on a similar thread here last year IIRC! People wonder why we all suck at statistics - telling us the 100th percentile exists may give some indication as to why.. :P

randylonghorn

Aoibheann wrote: »

But they should ensure it doesn't! It's entirely inaccurate to say someone is at the 100th percentile when it doesn't exist. It causes a lot of confusion in arguments like this - and I saw the same argument on a similar thread here last year IIRC! People wonder why we all suck at statistics - telling us the 100th percentile exists may give some indication as to why.. :P

I know, querida!!

But as someone who has spent several years sporadically attacking a univ. records / exams system (with the help of two programmers who actually know what they're doing) in an effort to get it to NOT print one line on the bottom of the judgement sheets for one particular group of students to whom it does not apply, and who therefore become very confused by it, I have some modicum of sympathy for such trials.

We have not succeeded.

We have managed to send the system into near-terminal apoplexy on a couple of occasions.

But it *still* prints that line on every damn sheet!

Besides, they're Ozzies!

It's fair dinkum, mate! :cool:

Mr Cawley

Towel Boii wrote: »

I did the HPAT last year and got 150 points (50%ile) with no study and just showing up on the date. This year i did a preparation course online and got 223 points (100%ile). I found it very helpful for all the sections as it showed you what the lay out to questions are, the answers they look for and how to spend your time evenly. And i guess if it really did anything to help it was increasing my confidence as i knew what to expect what was coming.

Would you care to share the name of the course, o wise one?

*crosses fingers and hopes flattery works*

i like pie

i did a course and got 170, not an amazing result but i wasn't expecting much higher, hoping for pharmacy in ucc anyway!!

Patsypooky

Fad: Spam that link again and you'll be permabanned......

james5001

Patsypooky wrote: »

<snip>

I have read the info in the above link but still i believe that a course i did was very, very good. i increased my percentile by nearly two-fold. I know some may be expensive, but I believe that the course i did helped me.

starry nights

i found the hpat prep course real good. it definitely helped me with section c.

Patsypooky

jumpguy wrote: »

Is the Med-Entry website? Is it an online-only thing or are there courses you have to attend?

Save your Euros is our best advice!:cool:

lallychops

jumpguy wrote: »

First of all, well done to everyone who got their HPAT results today. I'll be doing the ole HPAT in 2011, and I was wondering how many of ye did HPAT preparation courses, and did you feel they were worth it? Did people who scored very highly do preparation courses? Did you feel they helped? Where did you do your HPAT preparation course?

Pfffft did they hell.....i was explicitly told not to do one. was told that it was an apptitude test and not to be studied etc etc etc.....i did a practice paper...that was it. and i got royally turned over with my results. then i read the article in the paper about a girl who studied etc and she got in the high scorer range. its a joke tbh. whole entry to medicein although its just been revised is still as difficult as it was to get in. just leave it at points is what i say. >:(

Mr Cawley

Does the **** course included 'middle of the sequence' and 'missing segment' questions?

pfannkuchen

I did the Institute course and felt like it really helped me confidence wise. I felt like I was completely prepared on the day and we also got about 5 extra practice tests that came in really handy after finishing the UMAT material. I got 84th percentile, 174.

jumpguy

Patsypooky wrote: »

Save your Euros is our best advice!:cool:

Our? Who are you representing?

unknown13

I have heard off friends who did the HPAT test and they said they were asked some wacky questions. TBH, I also saw on Boards people who went to the IOE preparation course and they said it was a waste of money.

lctake2

some people dont need prep courses but for anyone who does the med entry one is the best. i went to the institute so went to their one for free and it was a waste of time. i know that courses arent meant to change scores but that's bs, they do