How to ace the HPAT

Saermegil

Hello everyone - I 'm creating this thread because loads of people on the boards have been asking for tips in the HPAT. I'm doing it now for next year, as I probably won't remember anything about it in a few months, or will hopefully be too busy with medicine.

I got 213 in the HPAT, and this was my first time doing it.

My tips are just what helped me, and how I thought about the test. I will talk broadly about the skills that helped me get a good grade, and specifically about the HPAT exam itself.

I came to the HPAT with some skills already mastered, and this was one of my greatest advantage.

General Strategy:

Unknowingly, I had been preparing for it for years now. How?By being a skeptic. What's a skeptic? Read about it here. What section one is testing is basically your logic skills, and your ability to detect logical fallacies. Logical Fallacies are explained here. A very easy way to increase your score in section one is to familiarize yourself with purely logical thinking, and detecting logical fallacies. You can do this by reading blogs such as this or this, or even get the information in audio form by podcasts such as this or this. An added bonus is that in this way you also keep on top of scientific news and controversies, e.g. vaccines, that are likely to crop up in the HPAT. If you get the hang of thinking things through in a purely logical way, you'll find section one a walk in the park.

Now, when faced with section two, I was really worried. How could I work out people's emotions? One thing that helped was thinking about it in a logical way - e.g. most times doctors are positively depicted - makes sense! Patients are also positively depicted - eg, they are most often confused, rather than stupid. Think about what a board of education experts would like you to come away with. It's not going to be terribly unconventional. What I also found was that when going with my first instinct I was correct more than if thinking about the question for a long time. Try both ways, and compare results! One thing that did help me, I think, was the amount of books I read. I devour all kinds of novels and audiobooks, and I also write. Use your skills from English to think about the author and their intentions. Read more books, books with emotional characters. Think about how emotions are conveyed using the written word.

The third section was the worst for me. The only strategy I had here was practice - but not just HPAT practice. I looked at a lot of puzzles, sudoku, optical illusions, but not as extensively as I could, perhaps costing me a few points in this section.

Practice :

Some people say you can't practice for this. I completely disagree. I took a course about it in the Institute on Leeson Street, but most importantly, I ordered the Acer booklets as e-books. Whatever you do, really go through those. I did the first one very slowly, going through each question painstakingly, taking it apart, trying to find popular types of questions, in all three sections. The second one I did timed, within the HPAT timing. Really, really pay attention. The questions change but the types of question are the same. Really understand all of them before you go on the next one. Go through the test twice or thrice even. Get to grips with all the questions until you feel really confident. I think the course I took was minimally helpfull, it might help you if you're feeling lost, but if you've got a fair idea of what you're doing, you should be ok without it. Avoid internet sites that offer thousands of questions that have nothing to do with HPAT questions - only really focus on the Acer questions - all other ones are useless, except perhaps for some mind-training.

Timing :

You should now focus on building skills. Think logically and skeptically, read and analyze novels and write short stories, and try out non-verbal I.Q. tests and solve puzzles. As the time gets closer though, focus only on the Acer booklets and your mental state.

Work out time for each question and then monitor your time. I did it by time allowed for ten questions. I bought a nice big sports timer from Argos and had it on my desk. I checked it every ten questions, and sped up or allowed myself a bit more time accordingly. At the end, if I had time, I rested for three minutes or went to the toilet to clear my head and then went over the section again. ( I had 10-15 minutes left over for sections one and two, while I just finished section three on time.)

Confidence:

Look, we all get nervous. But if you follow my advice you'll be really confident. Everything there is to know, you do know. You're really comfortable with the sample papers, and that's important as well. If the questions seem really hard on the day, pay no attention. They did to me as well, and look at my result. It's very important that you keep it going for 3 hours without falling behind. Keep thinking - just a few more minutes of extra-hard work, and this could change my life. Don't give stop until after you give the paper in. Get pumped up before and during the exam - I hear the Rocky theme inside my head - and you'll do great.

Well-being:

All the old cliches as well - keep well hydrated ( you can go to the toilet, it takes one minute, don't worry - if you're dehydrated the cost is much higher ) Have a good breakfast and all that. Have a nice day off the day before the exam - I went out for dinner,watched a film, stuff like that. I didn't study, but had a look at 2-3 questions from each section before I went to bed. This got my confidence up - I knew how to solve these questions because I had done all the work. I had 8-9 hours of sleep. All of this meant that I was well rested and could do my best on the day.

Well, that's it. I'll be happy to answer any questions, I hope you all do well in your HPAT !

Chuchoter

Great tips! Do you think having a history of a lot of debating would be helpful for part one?

Saermegil

crayolastereo wrote: »

Great tips! Do you think having a history of a lot of debating would be helpful for part one?

I think so, it would mean improved vocabulary and maybe logic. However, you cannot have any opinions in the HPAT, you need to be really open-minded and interpret the evidence.

Leah6

Saermegil, congrats on your HPAT results (though there are first timers who achieved higher scores). Your advice is excellent and will be very helpful come September.

Now, time to get out, socialize, enjoy the summer with friends and forget about the HPAT...

clartharlear

Congrats on a great score. Thanks for putting up such excellent advice. For those on summer holidays before going into 6th year, this best thing you can do, even if only for a few months rather than years!

Saermegil wrote:

Unknowingly, I had been preparing for it for years now. How?By being a skeptic. What's a skeptic? Read about it here. What section one is testing is basically your logic skills, and your ability to detect logical fallacies. Logical Fallacies are explained here. A very easy way to increase your score in section one is to familiarize yourself with purely logical thinking, and detecting logical fallacies. You can do this by reading blogs such as this or this, or even get the information in audio form by podcasts such as this or this. An added bonus is that in this way you also keep on top of scientific news and controversies, e.g. vaccines, that are likely to crop up in the HPAT. If you get the hang of thinking things through in a purely logical way, you'll find section one a walk in the park.

jumpguy

The "ACER booklets" you're talking about are practice UMAT papers as well as practice HPAT papers too?

Saermegil

There were two booklets all together, I found the links to download them in the irish HPAT site.

Alaa

How long before did you start practicing for the HPAT? Im thinking of starting in November.. is that too late? When do you think i should start? I've heard sucess stories about people improving from 0-20 to the 85th-90th percentile.. I got 0-20 myself and im hoping to improve so tell me when i should start practising.. Thanks

Saermegil

Alaa wrote: »

How long before did you start practicing for the HPAT? Im thinking of starting in November.. is that too late? When do you think i should start? I've heard sucess stories about people improving from 0-20 to the 85th-90th percentile.. I got 0-20 myself and im hoping to improve so tell me when i should start practising.. Thanks

You should start now, by doing the things I recommended. Read the links I provided. Also start doing other IQ tests and puzzles irregularly, when you have a bit of spare time. November would be a good time for doing the actual practice papers. For someone like you, that needs a big push for next year, I'd also recommend a course such as the one in the institute.

thetonynator

I heard that 214 was the highest score this year, OP were you the second highest??? :eek:

well done . . .!!!

Saermegil

Thanks! I heard someone got 221 ... In any case, I feel anyone should be able to get grades near this, with enough clever thinking in preparation to the test...

Leah6

I heard that 214 was the highest score this year, OP were you the second highest???

well done . . .!!!

No it wasn't, heard thatthe guy who got the 9A1s in the Leaving Cert got 216.

justniamh

i think the main thing anyone can do is just practice the timing. sit down with the booklet and do the questions with the timer and see if you're able to finish it in the amount of time you'll have. if you can't, you'll know you hafta work on answering them quicker. i wouldn't recommend the courses in the institute and all of them, really you can't study for the hpat like that, its just a money making scheme. there was no significant difference between people who did the course and people who didnt results-wise.
i didn't get anywhere near this guy, well done by the way that's amazing..! but i just got into medicine in galway so i'm delighted:)

shwagga

What are your thoughts on the Med-Entry course? I sat the Hpat in 2009 and got 155 with no prep, but this year I used **** and got 156 (Then again, I only used it the night before - my own fault)

The funny thing is, I applied for the UK as well and sat the UKCAT (which is somewhat similar to Hpat) and got a score of 767.5 (which is around the top 5 - 10 % in all of the UK) My breakdown in the Hpat didn't reflect my breakdown in the UKCAT, as I scored 820/900 in the abstract reasoning in UKCAT and only 63/100 in Hpat. I also knew nothing about the UKCAT until the day I sat it. Students are mislead into thinking it's an "aptitude test" that requires no preperation, when really it depends on so many factors such as the students vocabulary, ability to keep time, critical thinking, logical reasoning - all aspects that someone can improve on. It's not as if some people are born with a good vocabulary, or a logical mind. They are skills that are developed over the course of a lifetime and just because a particular person hasn't fully developed them by the time of the Hpat, doesn't mean they won't have them when they finish their degree. The Hpat is an inaccurate reflection of a persons suitability to a medical profession and should be reformed. Honestly, the UKCAT is a better system (not because I did better in it) - it's electronic, you can sit it at a time that suits you, not one day of the year, it has 4 sections which also examine a persons ability to make decisions, and you sit it in a room on your own, without the added pressure of hundreds other students flicking pages faster etc. (Rant over.)

Other than that, thanks OP for the great advice and maybe it will be 3rd time lucky for me..:rolleyes: This time I think I should actually put some effort into preparing for the Hpat, something I have neglected to do before.

Saermegil

I don't even know what Med-entry is!

But as you probably realise,there is no quick fix. In order to succeed you have to work hard. That's probably the major flaw of the exam - the way it was pitched. If they told people that a set of skills would be tested and then help them develop those, it would be much closer to the ideal.

Now, about measuring your ability as a Dr. - I think no test can do that. The only thing that the HPAT probably does is get a bigger variety of people in Medicine, as you don't need 600 anymore.

JSK 252

To hell with the HPAT Im all for the GAMSAT in 3 years time!

Saermegil

best of luck with that..I've heard it's a much harder exam!

whadabouchasir

Apparently the exam takes pretty much the whole day to do

greenbetty69

i missed med by 5 points last year so decided to repeat and go for it again this year. Last year i got 154 and 57th percentile, this year i got 187 and 95th percentile.. massive improvement which shows you can study for the Hpat

I think if you really want to do this course, you need to practise practise practise the HPAT questions! I did the **** course which consisted of a load of online material such as drills and full practise tests and there was also a 2 day seminar explaining the finer details.

I can safely say that if i didnt do ****, then i wouldnt be starting med monday week as It's very likely I wouldnt have improved much on last years score.

For anyone interested you can find more details on their website:

http://www.****-hpat.ie/

its definitely worth it if you are any way serious about getting into medicine!

johnmcdnl

isn't studying for the HPAT against the whole principal of an IQ test :S defeats the whole purpose of testing someone's IQ kinda if there just studying for it and getting the improvements that some people are getting here...

wasn't the HPAT introduced because too many people were picking "studyable" subjects in school and getting 600 points and getting into medicine despite not being suitable for medicine - doesn't look like the HPAT is working if people can just study for it

Rossie17

johnmcdnl wrote: »

isn't studying for the HPAT against the whole principal of an IQ test :S defeats the whole purpose of testing someone's IQ kinda if there just studying for it and getting the improvements that some people are getting here...

wasn't the HPAT introduced because too many people were picking "studyable" subjects in school and getting 600 points and getting into medicine despite not being suitable for medicine - doesn't look like the HPAT is working if people can just study for it

It isnt an IQ test but yeah it really defeats the whole purpose.. I got med in ucd this year so Im delighted but its because of repeats coming back with such high hpat increases that is driving up the requirements. I got 590 and 167 in the hpat and its my first time doing the leaving cert. Any other year I would have been offered trinity, even last year. I dont mind at all as I prefer a 6 year course which isnt offered in trinity but the hpat needs to be changed as in my opinion it made the whole thing even harder for 1st timers to get in.

It worked last year, but repeats are vastly improving scores so the whole point is wrong. Where do we go now?

briankirby

Rossie17 wrote: »

It isnt an IQ test but yeah it really defeats the whole purpose.. I got med in ucd this year so Im delighted but its because of repeats coming back with such high hpat increases that is driving up the requirements. I got 590 and 167 in the hpat and its my first time doing the leaving cert. Any other year I would have been offered trinity, even last year. I dont mind at all as I prefer a 6 year course which isnt offered in trinity but the hpat needs to be changed as in my opinion it made the whole thing even harder for 1st timers to get in.

It worked last year, but repeats are vastly improving scores so the whole point is wrong. Where do we go now?

U think they might stop people repeating it?The thing i dont understand are the lies that acer came out with about it being impossible to improve.i got 120 in 2009 and 150 in 2010-still not near enough but shows u can improve.

lctake2

I think that the number of people that improved and the amount some people improved by prove this test is pretty useless

Saermegil

lctake2 wrote: »

I think that the number of people that improved and the amount some people improved by prove this test is pretty useless

To be fair, I think it only proves that this test is a test you can improve on by practicing.

That's where the whole thing's gone wrong, in my opinion. Everyone responsible could have said that:there is a new test, the HPAT. It will test for logic, problem solving, and emotional intelligence. Everyone should practice for this test and ensure they get the best way they can.

In that case, everyone would be pretty clear on what they need to do. I think some things the test checks for (e.g. logic) are very important when screening for doctors.

lctake2

yes well I suppose that's what i mean, it was meant to brought in as a test of natural ability and that isn't what it is. If it was then people that bought tons of practice material wouldn't have an advantage over people that didn't, but they do

briankirby

lctake2 wrote: »

yes well I suppose that's what i mean, it was meant to brought in as a test of natural ability and that isn't what it is. If it was then people that bought tons of practice material wouldn't have an advantage over people that didn't, but they do

This is true.I have a friend who scored 121 in 2009 and 170 in 2010.She got 520 in the leaving in 2009 and 575 in 2010.Its almost like we have the whole repeat thing back again.

KnifeWRENCH

Thank you to the OP for their advice. I hope it's of some benefit for those stiing the HPAT.

However, I'm going to lock this thread because the forum has unfortunately become uinfested with HPAT prep course spammers. Apologies.