*Everything HPAT and Medicine 2013*

daithioc

Anybody know whats the story with the ME cork dates?

Slow Show

Med-entry raise the expected percentile because they say that the fact that you're preparing and most people aren't sets you well above them...which sounds fairly dodgy tbf, like there are people out there that only need to do the ACER practice tests and they do really well, not to mention the fact that there are other courses out there, both good and bad. I'll take every other percentile bar the one I get in June with a pinch of salt.

My S1 timing has become pretty good, I finished the last two exams just under the seventy-minute mark and did very well in both. I definitely think it's something that comes with time. My timing was horrendous for the ME mock though, guessed at least 10.

Just Like Heaven

Slow Show wrote: »

Med-entry raise the expected percentile because they say that the fact that you're preparing and most people aren't sets you well above them...

Yeah saw that at the bottom of the email when I read it properly this morning, absolutely ridiculous, why don't they just give us our actual percentile from the mock.

Going to the prep course doesn't really mean you're any more motivated, plenty of lazy people going too assuming it'll instantly make them better at the hpat.

Eurovisionmad

daithioc wrote: »

Anybody know whats the story with the ME cork dates?

I've heard nothing so far, I'm getting fairly anxious though as, I want to know soon (and I want to do it during the Christmas holidays as if I've to do it in January it'll be a disaster cause I'll be preparing for the pres also!) cause if it doesn't suit I want to do the Galway one but I'm worried that will fill up!

FairytaleGirl

Where do you all manage to get the cash for these prep courses when the exam is already €155??

Just Like Heaven

FairytaleGirl wrote: »

Where do you all manage to get the cash for these prep courses when the exam is already €155??

I work full time during the Summer and now that I've dropped out of college I'm trying to go back to work. I've done ME and I'm gonna do CS after Christmas, so that's €580 I hate paying for them, but I don't wanna do anything else so I've found myself just throwing money at it desperately.

It's what I hate about the hpat more than anything, I was sat beside 4 different people at the ME course over the 2 days, 3 of them were lucky enough to have parents who could obviously afford it cause they also went to Yeats (the grinds school in Galway) and the other person was the same as me and had done her leaving cert the year before, was just repeating her hpat and was lucky enough to have a job herself.

Regardless if you think hpat courses work or not it's still become the norm to take one and it's not fair on families.

weirdspider

I'll be getting the online Med Entry course in a few days, do you think it's very late to be starting practice? And also how long on average would you advise practising?

KristineKJ

This is how I see it all: you cannot really drill questions for the hpat. Even if I could I wouldn't do the prep courses, they seem like just money gribbs. I think doing the two tests hpat gives out is enough. It is to be familiar with the questions and to try to see if you can manage to do them on time. You'll face other questions on the actual test anyways.

I do however see the hpat test as a positive thing (even though I know people are mostly negative towards it). In Norway where I'm from, they look at all your grades from your leaving cert. and for me that does not do a person justice. I was only one point short to get into medicine here in Norway (with our point system), and my grade in french blew it for me. It's just not right. I know people who got in, and they lack everything that is considered social understanding. So pissed at the system. And it doesn't even help waiting for next year and apply again, cause then I'm 20, and then the point score is much higher, and there's nowhere to get those points that quickly. It'll take 3-4 years no matter what I do.

Okay, enough of my rambling, oh, and if any weid spellings came out of this, I do blame my tiredness and listening to norwegian tv in the back ground at the same time.

Just Like Heaven

This is how I see it all: you cannot really drill questions for the hpat. Even if I could I wouldn't do the prep courses, they seem like just money gribbs. I think doing the two tests hpat gives out is enough. It is to be familiar with the questions and to try to see if you can manage to do them on time. You'll face other questions on the actual test anyways.

I agree that the hpat courses are rip-off, and that working through the two acer booklets is the most important part of prep. However I believe drilling over a long period of time trains your brain and helps with timing. The way I see it is, you have nothing to lose by drilling.

I do however see the hpat test as a positive thing (even though I know people are mostly negative towards it). In Norway where I'm from, they look at all your grades from your leaving cert. and for me that does not do a person justice. I was only one point short to get into medicine here in Norway (with our point system), and my grade in french blew it for me. It's just not right. I know people who got in, and they lack everything that is considered social understanding. So pissed at the system. And it doesn't even help waiting for next year and apply again, cause then I'm 20, and then the point score is much higher, and there's nowhere to get those points that quickly. It'll take 3-4 years no matter what I do.

I too agree that the hpat is better than nothing, but it's still a pretty crap system. You can practise and and subsequently score better in the hpat, so anybody can, if they're gonna make a good doctor or not. Also, it's a massive proportion of the your score, as much as 3 honours LC subjects in one two and a half hour exam is a bit much, people do get nervous, they do get sick and they do make stupid mistakes under pressure which they don't deserve to be penalised as heavily for as they do in the hpat. (Obviously working under pressure itself is an important part in Medicine, but do people really deserve to lose a place in Medicine for ticking the wrong box, misreading a graph or giving a wrong answer cause they skipped a word in probably the most fast paced test they'll ever sit?). Also the majority of people who repeat the hpat seem to do better, so if you're absolutely socially retarded, an illogical thinker ie. bad doctor material, you can just sit it the following year anyway and you've got a head start.

That being said, I still agree, having the hpat is better than nothing, without it the points would probably be 605/610, and again people make stupid mistakes in the leaving cert too, at least this gives everybody a chance who can score between 540-625. And also the leaving cert itself isn't a great system, the odds are somebody who scores 550 is just as likely to make a good doctor as somebody who scores 625. But, it still isn't a totally fair system and families are getting ripped off by the prep courses.

There needs to be (and probably soon will be, as there is in Australia, UK etc.) additional entrance exams. An interview, work experience, a biomedical exam etc. Whilst you can still prepare for all these things too, the more entrance procedures there are, the fairer the entire system is likely to be, assuming they can find out a way to do it so that it doesn't require parents spending a fortune on prep.

Glitt_123

Section 1 is improving for me,I was ok at section 2 but it's getting worse,it's so frustrating to be going down in section 2,section 3 was always my best. Any tips on how to improve and maintain my performance in section 2 would be of great help :-)

0mega

I know HPAT should be the last thing on my mind on Christmas Day, but I really need to get back into the routine of doing some HPAT. I feel like I'm behind compared to the rest of you.

Just Like Heaven

0mega wrote: »

I know HPAT should be the last thing on my mind on Christmas Day, but I really need to get back into the routine of doing some HPAT. I feel like I'm behind compared to the rest of you.

Ahh that's just Skinhead Kane trying to scare us. Whilst you weren't looking he sat ME 3 more times and scored 260 in the real hpat, he then went onto beat his own record in 2014 with a perfect 300.

Have a happy whatever doesn't offend you hpaters! :P

Skinhead Kane

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

Ahh that's just Skinhead Kane trying to scare us. Whilst you weren't looking he sat ME 3 more times and scored 260 in the real hpat, he then went onto beat his own record in 2014 with a perfect 300.

Have a happy whatever doesn't offend you hpaters! :P

That's crazy talk! Speaking of ME, I got a good few hours in today since I don't celebrate Jesus's birthday!

Just Like Heaven

Skinhead Kane wrote: »

Speaking of ME, I got a good few hours in today

You're breaking my heart How many of the drills/mocks have you guys got done then?

I've done about 6 mocks and 'bout 30 drills I think.

0mega

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

You're breaking my heart How many of the drills/mocks have you guys got done then?

I've done about 6 mocks and 'bout 30 drills I think.

I've done over 40 drills but just 2 mocks, I was trying to get all the drills finished before I started doing exams but I think now I'll just forget about them and move on..

Just Like Heaven

0mega wrote: »

I've done over 40 drills but just 2 mocks, I was trying to get all the drills finished before I started doing exams but I think now I'll just forget about them and move on..

Yeah that was my plan too originally, don't really know what happened. Haven't done a mock in a while starting to try and work through the drills myself first again.

Slow Show

I've done five mocks and fifteen-ish drills maybe? I dunno, I don't do that much tbh, looking at the sheer amount of resources available on ME I feel horribly inadequate but I'll just say 'different strokes for different folks' and plod on >.> I think you're probably better off doing practice exams than drills tbh, unless you're poor at S3, in that case the more practice the better I reckon (need to start taking my own advice...).

Odd question but d'you ever feel a bit weird giving advice here, knowing you're gonna be marked in relation to these people? Like I don't mind if I can help out some of the people that post regularly and whatnot and I hope we all do great but it's kinda odd to think you could be helping a nameless faceless lurking stranger (as I'm sure this thread attracts) do better than you...very strange.

Just Like Heaven

Slow Show wrote: »

Odd question but d'you ever feel a bit weird giving advice here, knowing you're gonna be marked in relation to these people? Like I don't mind if I can help out some of the people that post regularly and whatnot and I hope we all do great but it's kinda odd to think you could be helping a nameless faceless lurking stranger (as I'm sure this thread attracts) do better than you...very strange.

Yeah I would overhear people in school last year talking about this thread and the forum in general, they'd read it for hours, print off the sample English essays floating round etc. But never even signed up.

I know exactly how you feel but if the forum wasn't public I would never have found it either!

On that note though if anybody wants to discuss study strategy in a more private setting I'm up always happy to PM people

little sis...

I've done 30-ish drills and 4 mocks........

its not really about how much you do though tbh, its about how you benefit from them.
like someone could have done 100 drills and not benefitted at all from them and just did them so that they could tick another thing off their list,
another person could have only done 10 and have learned so much from them and is improving.

I was feeling guilty a while ago for not practicing much so I did a quick drill, wasnt even concentrating and just did it so I didn't feel bad for not practicing, and guess what I got?
3 out of 15.:rolleyes:

I (finally) realized that its just so important to have a good mindset and a target before you start doing ANY practice.

In saying that....... I REALLY need to stop procrastinating and start getting back into my ME routine. Anyone have some motivating advice?

Slow Show

^^OK seriously, you're in 5th year doing more than your average 6th year (using myself as a yardstick here)...please stop feeling guilty, you're making me feel terrible.

little sis...

Slow Show wrote: »

^^OK seriously, you're in 5th year doing more than your average 6th year (using myself as a yardstick here)...please stop feeling guilty, you're making me feel terrible.

I know that but I also know what this year will fly by and I'll be a 6th year (STILL procrastinating) before I know it!

Don't feel bad, If you saw what I was getting in the drills and mocks you wouldn't be saying that, trust me :rolleyes:

Just Like Heaven

little sis... wrote: »

If you saw what I was getting in the drills and mocks you wouldn't be saying that, trust me :rolleyes:

If you're studying already you should walk into it. I don't think I even knew I wanted to study Medicine when I was in fifth year, nevermind sit ME.

0mega

I wish I started in 5th year now.. I dunno why the hell I didn't, two years of HPAT prep and I could've done so well I could have sat back for the LC! It would've been the life!

Just Like Heaven

I dunno. I'm feeling more nervous and scared about the exam now than I was last year. And I did a prep course and studied last year too.

0mega

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

I dunno. I'm feeling more nervous and scared about the exam now than I was last year. And I did a prep course and studied last year too.

How did you do last year if you don't mind me asking? Were you much off or close to a percentile you needed to be in?

Just Like Heaven

I don't know what percentile I needed exactly, but I scored 181, so I missed by 6 points last year.

0mega

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

I don't know what percentile I needed exactly, but I scored 181, so I missed by 6 points last year.

That's gutting, but you're bound to get it this year as another year of practice of S3 will surely bring you up from familiarity with the patterns alone!

For people who have done the ME day courses, what were they like and what did they consist of? I have mine this week.

little sis...

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

I don't know what percentile I needed exactly, but I scored 181, so I missed by 6 points last year.

wait, so we need to be scoring over 181 (which is actually brilliant IMO) to get medicine?? obviously depending on your LC result but thats crazy.....

weirdspider

little sis... wrote: »

wait, so we need to be scoring over 181 (which is actually brilliant IMO) to get medicine?? obviously depending on your LC result but thats crazy.....

Well a perfect leaving cert last year (565 points) required 172 points in the hpat for the lowest course in NUIG (737 points) so you'd need to be scoring around the 70th percentile.

little sis...

Ok, so I was wondering, say if you were definitely going to get 550 or above in the LC, would you focus more on your LC or the h-pat?
At that point, which would be of more importance?