*Everything HPAT and Medicine 2015*

QueenOfLeon

DoctorBae wrote: »

Woah, chill your beans bro! This exam is nothing compared to whats coming. Finals, USMLE.. our life is going to be one big exam from here. Also, its kind of obvious that I don't actually talk like that but coming from someone who is so inbred they're practically a sandwich I would understand why that did get through to you. If this exam is going to leave you in a heap then I honestly feel you need to reassess whether or not you will make it along this career path. Also, ban me for all i care. Im burning this bridge to the ****ing ground and all you **** can burn with it xoxo

Banned for repeated personal abuse, trolling and ignoring mod instructions.

Get back to talking about the HPAT minus the insults, please

Murphy3

This thread has really gone the wrong direction- it's fair enough that people want to vent their frustration but no need to try knock everyone else down. Any chance of steering this back to the actual exam?

iamtheonewho

Was I the only one that thought that the HPAT test was very poorly organised in the O'Reilly hall? The people there seemed like they had no idea what they were supposed to do (- who's in charge of table five...... table five?? *crickets*) except maybe for that 'manager' lady counting the booklets over and over for an hour. And trinity not given the appropriate time to finish their test, seriously??
I don't see how it is a fair test since some venues could begin right away while others spend (or waste) so much time, obviously candidates wouldn't be able to perform as well after an hour of nervous waiting compared to students who came in and did their test right after registration.

Healium

iamtheonewho wrote: »

Was I the only one that thought that the HPAT test was very poorly organised in the O'Reilly hall? The people there seemed like they had no idea what they were supposed to do (- who's in charge of table five...... table five?? *crickets*) except maybe for that 'manager' lady counting the booklets over and over for an hour. And trinity not given the appropriate time to finish their test, seriously??
I don't see how it is a fair test since some venues could begin right away while others spend (or waste) so much time, obviously candidates wouldn't be able to perform as well after an hour of nervous waiting compared to students who came in and did their test right after registration.

I cracked up when she kept shouting about nobody being allowed to leave to go to the jacks, and the girls at the door were still letting people out. Very disorganised. I was tired and nervous after an hour of waiting for something to happen.

fitzyg

GUYS i got a reply from acer

futuremedic19

I think it depends on the test centre.
I flew in from the UK a couple of days ago for the HPAT and didn't expect there to be that many people sitting it in my test centre alone (UCD Blackrock). There must have been 600 + people in there.

The registration que extended outside the building and it seemed to take forever for us to get started.
I think we started S1 at around 10:50.

I thought our inviligilator was very clear and loud about all the instructions etc.. which definitely helped.

asdfrewq

What did they say?

fitzyg

asdfrewq wrote: »

What did they say?

they said theyll be getting the reports from the test centre within the next 7-10 days and theyll contact the supervisor that was in charge to get clarification.
they then said theyll write back to me once theyve reviewed everything and said to rest assured they take these matters seriously

asdfrewq

Good stuff! Let's hope they stay true to their word!

LydiaCatherine

futuremedic19 wrote: »

I think it depends on the test centre.
I flew in from the UK a couple of days ago for the HPAT and didn't expect there to be that many people sitting it in my test centre alone (UCD Blackrock). There must have been 600 + people in there.

The registration que extended outside the building and it seemed to take forever for us to get started.
I think we started S1 at around 10:50.

I thought our inviligilator was very clear and loud about all the instructions etc.. which definitely helped.

I was in Blackrock too but there wasn't more than 300 max. It was orcestrated all very well I have to say. Everyone was in, done and out, no hassle. I knew most of the staff and the invilogilator herself from sitting UCD exams there last year.

AngloIrishMan

fitzyg wrote: »

they said theyll be getting the reports from the test centre within the next 7-10 days and theyll contact the supervisor that was in charge to get clarification.
they then said theyll write back to me once theyve reviewed everything and said to rest assured they take these matters seriously

I'm not sure if the supervisors realise what actually went wrong. The woman seemed to think that she ended the exam at the correct time but that she accidentally left the wrong time on the board. But she actually ended the exam at the wrong time, the time on the board actually being correct. I'm not sure if this would have an influence on how ACER addresses the situation. It should as the supervisor is going to tell ACER that we were given the full time for the test when, obviously, we were not.

Chris24oh96

Don't get your hopes up when aver don't give everyone in trinity an extra 5 points! Don't be naive, can you imagine the controversy that would cause! For all you know, you guessed the final few questions correctly.

AngloIrishMan

Chris24oh96 wrote: »

Don't get your hopes up when aver don't give everyone in trinity an extra 5 points! Don't be naive, can you imagine the controversy that would cause! For all you know, you guessed the final few questions correctly.

Actually, I, and several others, did not have the time to even guess the final few questions. We were forced to leave them blank.

AtomicKoala

ronivek wrote: »

My feeling is that the percentiles are essentially worthless I'm afraid. I've done quite a few practice exams now under test conditions and the variance in scores and percentiles is pretty significant.

They're a good guideline - your best and worst sections should tally up.

AngloIrishMan wrote: »

Gosh, this whole HPAT system is so corrupt in countless different ways. It should be abolished straight away. I just fear that I'm going to be back doing it next year again.

What would you replace it with? I think it's a good complement to the LC, there just needs to be better preparation provision by ACER to neutralise the advantage of prep courses.

etherealfairy wrote: »

Sorry this is really random, but does it annoy anyone else when you see people going for Med who are obviously hoping to do it for the wrong reasons?

I'm in UCC, and I'd honestly say that 85%+ of the Europeans are doctor material. I could imagine it being worse in Trinity, but the situation is quite good down here

Anyway, I'd advise everyone to finish up pondering soon enough and get some sleep - there's nothing that can be done now. Get up tomorrow and do some integration or poetry, and focus on the LC

Chris24oh96

AngloIrishMan wrote: »

Actually, I, and several others, did not have the time to even guess the final few questions. We were forced to leave them blank.

That is unfortunate, but what do you expect Acer will do about it?

etherealfairy

AtomicKoala wrote: »

I'm in UCC, and I'd honestly say that 85%+ of the Europeans are doctor material. I could imagine it being worse in Trinity, but the situation is quite good down here

That's really great to hear! It's still not a good system though, in my opinion.... there are still some 'not quite doctor material' people getting through.. the dude at the ME course was a prime example.

I asked him two questions, and his responses repulsed me.

Me: 'What do you want to do after you finish your degree?'
Him: 'Make money.'

Me: 'Is it possible to have a part time job throughout college?'
Him: 'No, you'd fail your exams.'
Me: 'So how do you pay your way through college then?'
Him: 'My parents??????'

Gosh.. maybe I'm bitter, but I truly think it's unfair that patients will be treated by this guy when you have genuinely empathetic, compassionate people like me (and I'm sure, many of you) who mightn't get in because we can't relate irrelevant patterns to each other .. or don't have money to attend a grinds school..

I just want this corrupt system to be reformed. The most it's done is alter the male/female ratio. Honestly, I understand the importance of *some* of S1. I definitely understand the importance of S2. Ultimately, though, we need something that filters the money-seeking candidates who want med for superficial reasons from the actual 'doctor-material'. Sigh.

AtomicKoala

etherealfairy wrote: »

That's really great to hear! It's still not a good system though, in my opinion.... there are still some 'not quite doctor material' people getting through.. the dude at the ME course was a prime example.

I asked him two questions, and his responses repulsed me.

Me: 'What do you want to do after you finish your degree?'
Him: 'Make money.'

Me: 'Is it possible to have a part time job throughout college?'
Him: 'No, you'd fail your exams.'
Me: 'So how do you pay your way through college then?'
Him: 'My parents??????'

Gosh.. maybe I'm bitter, but I truly think it's unfair that patients will be treated by this guy when you have genuinely empathetic, compassionate people like me (and I'm sure, many of you) who mightn't get in because we can't relate irrelevant patterns to each other .. or don't have money to attend a grinds school..

Firstly, people who go to 'good' schools will always be at an advantage, fee paying or not (I went to a very academic non-fee paying school which certainly helped), and that's unfortunate. I only ever got grinds for JC Irish as I was dire!

As for the HPAT, well, it's a combination of three different sections. This guy could have gotten 600+ points, and very high scores in S1 and S3 yet say 34/100 in S2. Or he could just be a sociopath with a very good understanding of human emotion, who knows.

S3 - said silly patterns - is now only 20% of the HPAT. S1 and S2 are very relevant to skills needed in medicine. S1 in particular tests mental agility and short term memory skills. Either way, the HPAT is only ~25% of one's overall medicine points in the CAO.

etherealfairy wrote: »

I just want this corrupt system to be reformed. The most it's done is alter the male/female ratio. Honestly, I understand the importance of *some* of S1. I definitely understand the importance of S2. Ultimately, though, we need something that filters the money-seeking candidates who want med for superficial reasons from the actual 'doctor-material'. Sigh.

Ah, I don't think the money issue is that big a deal really in Europe. Ultimately the admissions system is designed to find people who'll understand and carry out their role in the best manner possible, which means doing well in exams and understanding material, allowing one to be a competent doctor. Finding people who "deserve" it is nigh on impossible, and besides they mightn't even be the best candidates!

etherealfairy

AtomicKoala wrote: »

S3 - said silly patterns - is now only 20% of the HPAT. S1 and S2 are very relevant to skills needed in medicine. S1 in particular tests mental agility and short term memory skills. Either way, the HPAT is only ~25% of one's overall medicine points in the CAO.

Ah, I don't think the money issue is that big a deal really in Europe. Ultimately the admissions system is designed to find people who'll understand and carry out their role in the best manner possible, which means doing well in exams and understanding material, allowing one to be a competent doctor. Finding people who "deserve" it is nigh on impossible, and besides they mightn't even be the best candidates!

Yes I definitely agree that S1 and S2 are important, as well as being able to work and succeed under pressure. So let's just pray my dire attempt at S3 doesn't jeopardise my chances

And you are right! But there are many people who could have done med but didn't have enough money for a prep course. (In the majority of cases, they do help one maximise their score). Maybe, despite having the manner, medicine just isn't for me.

I just hope everyone who gets it is doing it for the right reasons. That's all I want, even if I don't succeed.

yoyojc

futuremedic19 wrote: »

Hi guys I sat the HPAT this morning.
Overall I found it very challenging.

S1 went well. I answered about 95% of the questions and then the others were just blind guesses.

S2: My worst section of the day by far !!!
I don't think it was overly difficult however I spent soo much of my energy on S1 that my mind couldn't think properly for S2 and I guessed a substantial amount of the section and found myself running out of time.

S3 was a bit more challenging than the ACER practice tests, but overall it wasn't too bad, but again I guessed about 20-30% of the paper.

This exactly! S2 was so hard, but I'll be optimistic! I tried my best and at the end of the day that is all I can do!

ronivek

Time to burn everything HPAT related and not check this thread or anything else HPAT for a while. Such a frustrating exam and process... It feels more like a lottery than anything else.

I'll post my (hopefully not too poor) results once I get them in April so people can get an idea about the percentile curve; but maybe it's better not to.

Junokevv

ronivek wrote: »

Time to burn everything HPAT related and not check this thread or anything else HPAT for a while. Such a frustrating exam and process... It feels more like a lottery than anything else.

I'll post my (hopefully not too poor) results once I get them in April so people can get an idea about the percentile curve; but maybe it's better not to.

Why will you be getting results in April?

futuremedic19

I know mature students get there results in April but I'm not sure whether I would get mine in April ot whether I would have to wait until June.

I'm basically a gap year student from the UK and have already done my leaving cert equiv (A levels).
I know my cao score so just need my hpat score and see whether or not I have enough points. (I highly doubt it tbh after today )

Does anyone know when I will get my results.

Thanks in advance

LauraKc

Hey just wondering whether anybody told the invigilators about the mistake in Trinity? Of course it's good to do all you can now but if it was mentioned straightaway it could have been sorted then and there...

Kirby2k07

futuremedic19 wrote: »

I know mature students get there results in April but I'm not sure whether I would get mine in April ot whether I would have to wait until June.

I'm basically a gap year student from the UK and have already done my leaving cert equiv (A levels).
I know my cao score so just need my hpat score and see whether or not I have enough points. (I highly doubt it tbh after today )

Does anyone know when I will get my results.

Thanks in advance

So long as you're over 23 you'll get your results in april

wooitslucy

I did my hpat this year in Waterford and everything ran smoothly. Such a shame to hear about that Dublin one! Did anyone find sec1 harder than you thought? I was left to guess some...and also ran out of time in sec3 so had to guess about 10 of them aswel...I'm not sure whether to think this is really bad or if some people are in the same boat..

mhf55

LauraKc wrote: »

Hey just wondering whether anybody told the invigilators about the mistake in Trinity? Of course it's good to do all you can now but if it was mentioned straightaway it could have been sorted then and there...

Yea they were told pretty much straight away

dalach

Who appoints/recruits the invigilators Acer or TCD /UCD/NUIG?

It states in the Acer booklet that one can bring an analogue watch with bleeper switched off into the exam. Did anyone have any problems with analogue watch and being informed by invigilator to remove and place on the floor during the exam?

thank you

Chris24oh96

dalach wrote: »

Who appoints/recruits the invigilators Acer or TCD /UCD/NUIG?

It states in the Acer booklet that one can bring an analogue watch with bleeper switched off into the exam. Did anyone have any problems with analogue watch and being informed by invigilator to remove and place on the floor during the exam?

thank you

I just used a digital watch! Did anyone else find themselves guessing almost all of s3?

Cynicaldoubt

Chris24oh96 wrote: »

I just used a digital watch! Did anyone else find themselves guessing almost all of s3?

Yup, normally I could take a good stab at most section 3 questions and work out some of the patterns, not this time though..

LauraKc

dalach wrote: »

Who appoints/recruits the invigilators Acer or TCD /UCD/NUIG?

It states in the Acer booklet that one can bring an analogue watch with bleeper switched off into the exam. Did anyone have any problems with analogue watch and being informed by invigilator to remove and place on the floor during the exam?

thank you

I had a digital watch and I used the timer and there were no problems. I had it on my desk and I set the time in the minute break we got between sections . I saw that a lot of other people had them as well.