**HPAT and Medicine 2016**

LochlanCummins

I repeated the Hpat this year and I am in the process of repeating the Leaving cert too. I found the Hpat significantly easier this year than I did last year. I got 168 (76th percentile) last year and I'm hoping for a far higher score this year (hopefully!)

Thought I'd share how I found it this year compared to last year in case anyone was curious. I found section 1 easier than last year by far. There was a huge emphasis on visual problem solving and I found myself understanding almost all the questions (bar a few obviously). This was certainly not the case last year and I didn't really know what was going on then. I think repeating the Hpat helped me a lot as even being a year older and having the experience from before made the task far less scary, which helped me keep a cool head during the test. The Med.Entry exams helped me a ridiculous amount too.

I thought the passages in section 2 were shorter than what I remember from last year (bar 2/3 long passages). There was more emphasis on interactions and a lot less on reflective/ journalistic style pieces. I again found section 2 easier than last year. I remember last year always having 2/3 options that felt right in the scenario and finding it hard to distinguish between them, but this year I found for most questions one answer was the more right answer. There was barely any difficult vocabulary this year compared to last year, which was disappointing. Overall I'd say s2 was easier than last year (in my opinion).

Section 3 was easier than last year also I thought. The Med.entry rules for pick the middle were far more applicable this year and the next in sequence questions at he beginning were quite easy I thought. There were a few positional qustions (predicted by our friends at Med.entry) which were similar to last year. Of course there is always 3/4 very hard questions that barely anyone will get, which I'd say is the say every year.

Timing wise I thought section 2 and 3 were grand, but of course section 1 will always catch even the best students out. Suprisingly I only guessed 2 questions at the end (which I was not expecting as I think i had to guess 6/7 questions last year).

If anyone is curious my scores last year were section 1:50 section 2:58 and section 3:64; these were my adjusted scores (obviously).

I just needed to write down what i was thinking to get it out of my brain :P, anyone else feel anything similar/ different?

WorthlessPeon

LochlanCummins wrote: »

I repeated the Hpat this year and I am in the process of repeating the Leaving cert too. I found the Hpat significantly easier this year than I did last year. I got 168 (76th percentile) last year and I'm hoping for a far higher score this year (hopefully!)

Thought I'd share how I found it this year compared to last year in case anyone was curious. I found section 1 easier than last year by far. There was a huge emphasis on visual problem solving and I found myself understanding almost all the questions (bar a few obviously). This was certainly not the case last year and I didn't really know what was going on then. I think repeating the Hpat helped me a lot as even being a year older and having the experience from before made the task far less scary, which helped me keep a cool head during the test. The Med.Entry exams helped me a ridiculous amount too.

I thought the passages in section 2 were shorter than what I remember from last year (bar 2/3 long passages). There was more emphasis on interactions and a lot less on reflective/ journalistic style pieces. I again found section 2 easier than last year. I remember last year always having 2/3 options that felt right in the scenario and finding it hard to distinguish between them, but this year I found for most questions one answer was the more right answer. There was barely any difficult vocabulary this year compared to last year, which was disappointing. Overall I'd say s2 was easier than last year (in my opinion).

Section 3 was easier than last year also I thought. The Med.entry rules for pick the middle were far more applicable this year and the next in sequence questions at he beginning were quite easy I thought. There were a few positional qustions (predicted by our friends at Med.entry) which were similar to last year. Of course there is always 3/4 very hard questions that barely anyone will get, which I'd say is the say every year.

Timing wise I thought section 2 and 3 were grand, but of course section 1 will always catch even the best students out. Suprisingly I only guessed 2 questions at the end (which I was not expecting as I think i had to guess 6/7 questions last year).

If anyone is curious my scores last year were section 1:50 section 2:58 and section 3:64; these were my adjusted scores (obviously).

I just needed to write down what i was thinking to get it out of my brain :P, anyone else feel anything similar/ different?

Did you approach the exam in a different way this year?

LochlanCummins

WorthlessPeon wrote: »

Did you approach the exam in a different way this year?

I prepared more I'd say, I did Med.entry both times but did more drills the second time and the 5 extra exams too. I focused on what they said would be more prevalent i.e visual problem solving, data interpretation with complex graphs and positional qs for s3. tbh i think just the experience and being older helped a great deal because i wasnt completely ****ting my pants this time haha

WorthlessPeon

LochlanCummins wrote: »

I prepared more I'd say, I did Med.entry both times but did more drills the second time and the 5 extra exams too. I focused on what they said would be more prevalent i.e visual problem solving, data interpretation with complex graphs and positional qs for s3. tbh i think just the experience and being older helped a great deal because i wasnt completely ****ting my pants this time haha

It was a fairly intimidating process in fairness. Looking back it seemed like some sort of weird Hunger Games competition...except with a lot more awkward silence I expect.

limerickgirl16

Good luck everyone! I did it before, it's not that bad

nandoslover

CookieCat97 wrote: »

Guys I feel absolutely awful about yesterday, it all seemed like such a blur, I just remember thinking 'This is going so bad' through the whole thing.

Section 1: I'm usually average at this section but I have to say I guessed about half the answers, I couldn't get my head around any of the long questions (where there were a lot of questions based on the one idea) I got this section finished but to be honest knowing me I'd say that if I guessed the answers I probably would have done better
Section 2: This is always my worst section, I always seem to read into the text too much and seem to take out the wrong idea from the text. Yesterday was no different, I found it hard to concentrate on the texts as they all seemed so much longer than usual, I had to guess the last two questions. It also didn't help that I didn't know what some of the words meant and found it hard to differentiate between options (I wasn't expecting to do well in this sections but I'm still a bit disappointed)
Section 3: This is usually my best section, I usually get 26/30 but I just couldn't find patterns in a lot of the pictures at all, this question was better than the others for me but I still fell like it went horribly.

I don't know what I'm going to do, I've never really looked into my 'backups' if I don't get medicine and I can't see myself repeating the HPAT next year because that test was the most horrible and demoralizing thing I've done in my entire life.
sighhhhhhhh, gonna go to the guidance counselor tomorrow in school, I need a hell of a lot of guidance in my life at the minute

Hey listen, don't let this exam get you down. How can a two and a half hour exam in any way define you or your capability of being a good doctor? It's ridiculous. Just remember that NEARLY everyone found it as hard as you did, people on boards only represent a minority.

There are PLENTY of other options for you. Do a nice science/ biology degree and then try graduate medicine? The GAMSAT isn't as ridiculous as the HPAT and by that time you'll be older and wiser. My cousin did biomedical science and then fell in love with neuroscience and did a masters in that. Then went back to her dream of doing medicine and now she's there.

Just focus on the LC for now and forget about HPAT. Just remember there's plenty of other people on the same boat as you. I know it's hard but if it's meant for you it won't pass you. Best of luck

alaneire

LochlanCummins wrote: »

Any advice for timing please? I can't comprehend how this test can be finished without guessing any questions. I was aiming to spend only 1 minute 30 seconds on each question, but half way through section 1 I knew that would be impossible since it takes that much time just to read and think the question through. How do people do it?

Consonata

alaneire wrote: »

Any advice for timing please? I can't comprehend how this test can be finished without guessing any questions. I was aiming to spend only 1 minute 30 seconds on each question, but half way through section 1 I knew that would be impossible since it takes that much time just to read and think the question through. How do people do it?

I take it you are doing the test next year?

I usually gave a little more time for the first question of the long comprehension since the subsequent questions didn't require as much time if you have read the text thoroughly.

AtomicKoala

alaneire wrote: »

Any advice for timing please? I can't comprehend how this test can be finished without guessing any questions. I was aiming to spend only 1 minute 30 seconds on each question, but half way through section 1 I knew that would be impossible since it takes that much time just to read and think the question through. How do people do it?

They just do it quickly I guess. I always got section 1 done with a few minutes to spare. I stuck to the times and did a lot of educated guessing after narrowing down the options. But really I just thought quick and read quicker. Everyone is different. Don't worry too much about it, it's done.

David1997

AtomicKoala wrote: »

They just do it quickly I guess. I always got section 1 done with a few minutes to spare. I stuck to the times and did a lot of educated guessing after narrowing down the options. But really I just thought quick and read quicker. Everyone is different. Don't worry too much about it, it's done.

I've always found that the more I concentrated on the timing of my q's, the more I would be caught for time in section 1! I went through the questions as quickly as possible yesterday and got them all answered, whether they were right or not is another story though...

AtomicKoala

David1997 wrote: »

I've always found that the more I concentrated on the timing of my q's, the more I would be caught for time in section 1! I went through the questions as quickly as possible yesterday and got them all answered, whether they were right or not is another story though...

That's probably the right attitude rather than being too rigid, keeping your calm is all important (testing the ability to keep your cool is definitely a benefit of the HPAT imo, it's neither much more in medicine than most other jobs).

mostlycircles

Hi guys!

Was reading through this thread and just wanted to share my thoughts.

I sat the leaving certificate at 17 in 2006 with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I studied Arts, graduated at 20 with a 2:2 and after plenty of exposure to and inspiration from medical students (I had friends and housemates who studied medicine at UCD), I decided that I was going to pursue my new dream.

I repeated the LC in 2010 (I was too young for mature entry and didn't qualify for graduate entry with my 2:2) and sat the HPAT. I cant remember my score for sure but it was somewhere in and around 170. My leaving cert wasn't good enough so of course, I didn't get a spot. I Had general Nursing down as a back up and accepted same in UCD.

I finished my BSc with a First in 2014 and decided to give Medicine another shot. I sat the GAMSAT in 2015 at 26 years of age and, long story short, was disqualified by CAO because I had not received the Undergraduate requirement of a 2:1 or better in my FIRST degree. I scored 57 in the GAMSAT and would have been eligible for an offer based on this result.

I am now 27 years old and have just sat the HPAT last Saturday. I have no idea how it went; I found it very overwhelming and much harder than expected. All I can do now though is sit back and let fate take over. At this stage I'm thinking "what will be, will be" and I'm just going to let it happen.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, if this is your first time trying for medicine and you don't succeed, don't let that put you off. There are plenty of other paths to go and if it's really something you feel passionate about, you won't mind going the long way.

Im still considering the option of going abroad to study if I don't succeed this time but I live in hope ;-)

I'm a scrub nurse by the way, and I work in theatre every day assisting surgeons during operations. If it's surgery you're interested in and you're not keen on 80+ hours in work every week, then this could be an option for you too! Don't completely rule out the alternatives, there are plenty of jobs just as interesting but way less demanding than that of a doctor!

Anyway, sorry about the extensive Spiel! Best of luck everyone, I hope you all get the results you need and want but if not- DON'T GIVE UP! :-)

FirstDraft1

Thought I'd weigh in here.
I'd love to say that the exam went well for me but I would be purely speculating, as would nearly everyone. Even if you feel you got a lot of answers correct, others may also share that feeling. There is no point in freaking out over it now guys. Some year you might get 90% of the material correct (if only ) but it may only be the 50th percentile as everyone was in and around there too. Another year you could feel disastrous and think you only answered half of it correctly (or even less!) yet it could translate to a high percentile. It's all relative! For those of you who feel like you f***ed up, do NOT let it upset your LC. It is vital to stay focused from here on. You may yet be happily surprised. All the best to everyone either way.

Shotgun11

yoyojc wrote: »

Can anyone think of any s1 questions that they actually understood?
I need to assure myself

Rats
Cart
Sleep Graph
Game show
Seven digit number
Circuits
Ape family
About all I can remember

oisinp

Hpat 2016 was rough. I sat my leaving cert last year and got 625(don't ask how- got v lucky, so I need to hit at least the 70th %ile ish. Seriously freaked though and I had my first Hpat nightmare last night. Dunno if I could handle Hpat 2017. I do however feel extremely pissed that getting max score in leaving doesn't constitute a guaranteed place on your desired course. I understand the criteria for medicine transcends pure academics, but surely an interview process eliminates the unsuitable candidates. Good luck to everyone in the LC, word of advice- maintain a balanced lifestyle and try and enjoy your output from studying, even through pretence. I'm in for a long aul wait now until late June. Alas, more Hpat night mares may be on the cards.

Lucky Leprechaun

I don't know how I did in the hpat and a little bit demotivated because of it. If I don't get medicine but do well in my leaving cert and get a course. Can I go to college and redo the hpat in February 2017 and then use My 2016 Leaving Cert and my 2017 hpat to reapply and do medicine in 2017?

spurious

Lucky Leprechaun wrote: »

I don't know how I did in the hpat and a little bit demotivated because of it. If I don't get medicine but do well in my leaving cert and get a course. Can I go to college and redo the hpat in February 2017 and then use My 2016 Leaving Cert and my 2017 hpat to reapply and do medicine in 2017?

Why take a place on a course that someone else may really want when you have no intention of finishing it?
If you want to repeat, repeat. You could volunteer in a related area.

Lucky Leprechaun

spurious wrote: »

Why take a place on a course that someone else may really want when you have no intention of finishing it?
If you want to repeat, repeat. You could volunteer in a related area.

So you can sit the HPAT a different year than the lc?

spurious

The post above your last one would indicate yes.

Lucky Leprechaun

spurious wrote: »

The post above your last one would indicate yes.

Thank you!

Doctorhopeful

Lucky Leprechaun wrote: »

So you can sit the HPAT a different year than the lc?

you may want to email acer for clarification on this. apparently 2017 will be the first year that requires your hpat and leaving to be sat in the same year. this rumour goes around every year but i imagine it will eventually be the case to cut down on the amount of people repeating. so definitely don't presume you'll be able to just repeat the hpat

WorthlessPeon

Doctorhopeful wrote: »

you may want to email acer for clarification on this. apparently 2017 will be the first year that requires your hpat and leaving to be sat in the same year. this rumour goes around every year but i imagine it will eventually be the case to cut down on the amount of people repeating. so definitely don't presume you'll be able to just repeat the hpat

Oh dear lord do I hope you're wrong

Doctorhopeful

WorthlessPeon wrote: »

Oh dear lord do I hope you're wrong

good chance of it being a rumour. my guidance counsellor was 100% confident telling me last year that i wouldn't be able to just repeat the hpat this year (turned out to be false obviously). an email to acer clarified it very quickly though, so you may want to send one and get the facts straight.

Gallagher1

Doctorhopeful wrote: »

you may want to email acer for clarification on this. apparently 2017 will be the first year that requires your hpat and leaving to be sat in the same year. this rumour goes around every year but i imagine it will eventually be the case to cut down on the amount of people repeating. so definitely don't presume you'll be able to just repeat the hpat

The amount of people that repeated HPAT only to get in, in my class is staggering and it's easy to see why they want to cut it down because it leaves many first timers with much lower chances of getting in statistically.

But imagine forcing a 7A1 student to repeat their leaving..I think that'd be just ridiculous.

Robbiert

Gallagher1 wrote: »

The amount of people that repeated HPAT only to get in, in my class is staggering and it's easy to see why they want to cut it down because it leaves many first timers with much lower chances of getting in statistically.

But imagine forcing a 7A1 student to repeat their leaving..I think that'd be just ridiculous.

Would you say there are more repeats in your year than first timers? Just out of curiosity.

Yeah it does make sense to restrict the Hpat the the same year as the LC, it would just suck to be a first timer in the year before they implement that rule.

Doctorhopeful

Robbiert wrote: »

Would you say there are more repeats in your year than first timers? Just out of curiosity.

Yeah it does make sense to restrict the Hpat the the same year as the LC, it would just suck to be a first timer in the year before they implement that rule.

in ucd at least it seems like not too many in my year are hpat repeaters

CH1123581321

Hey everybody, I'm new to boards.ie so this is my first message! I'm currently in 5th year and am a budding medicine enthusiast, I'm just wondering is there any advice you can give me regards to HPAT preparation? when did you all start studying for it? I'm going to be buying the M€D€NTRY Diamond package in the coming weeks to get started. Is it ever too early to start preparing, I was speaking with a medicine student from UCD and they told me to wait until September as when preparing for the HPAT it's better to have all the skills and tactics fresh in your mind so if I started now there may not be much point? Thanks guys any help would be much appreciated and I wish you all the best of luck with the leaving cert. and HPAT scores

Doctorhopeful

CH1123581321 wrote: »

Hey everybody, I'm new to boards.ie so this is my first message! I'm currently in 5th year and am a budding medicine enthusiast, I'm just wondering is there any advice you can give me regards to HPAT preparation? when did you all start studying for it? I'm going to be buying the M€D€NTRY Diamond package in the coming weeks to get started. Is it ever too early to start preparing, I was speaking with a medicine student from UCD and they told me to wait until September as when preparing for the HPAT it's better to have all the skills and tactics fresh in your mind so if I started now there may not be much point? Thanks guys any help would be much appreciated and I wish you all the best of luck with the leaving cert. and HPAT scores

I would seriously not recommend the diamond package, coming as a friend of someone who was one of ********'s 'coaches' for the personalised sessions. he said it was basically an hour of chatting and it cost 100 euro per hour (x 6). he said he practically felt like a scam artist the sessions were so un-useful and so expensive. go for the platinum if you have to go for anything!

Consonata

Hey all can someone explain to me how most people get into Medicine via Dentistry. Apparently it's really common but I don't quite understand it.

Anita Blow

Consonata wrote: »

Hey all can someone explain to me how most people get into Medicine via Dentistry. Apparently it's really common but I don't quite understand it.

Not aware of any process here in UCD for that, but in Trinity if you complete a Dentistry degree then you can apply to enter directly into 3rd year medicine. It's 8 years in total. Spaces are very limited though as there's very few spaces for this route. You'd be better off doing a 4 year degree and then sitting the GAMSAT for graduate entry which would be easier