Advice from a top performer in HPAT 2025
Kristen took the Ace the HPAT course and scored in the 96th percentile in 2025. Below she shares her experiences with the classes and shares tips for preparing for the exam.
I first started studying for the HPAT at the beginning of fifth year after being introduced to the concept in transition year. I quickly noticed that there were a lot of negative connotations associated with the way people talked about the HPAT.
I came across ‘Ace the HPAT’ in sixth year after hearing John speak about the HPAT at the RCSI open day. In his short talk he gave me many useful tips and techniques for answering the HPAT questions across all the sections and the idea of an interactive class appealed to me and so I signed up for the ‘Ace the HPAT’ classes. I attended the classes after Christmas in sixth year up until my exam in February. It was very reasonably priced compared to a lot of other HPAT study platforms. Along with the group classes I was also given access to online videos and notes explaining the types of questions and techniques for answering them as well as information about how the scoring and the actual exam work. Having access to a teacher was an invaluable resource for me and made ‘Ace the HPAT’ stand out as a study platform for the HPAT.
The classes not only helped me to organise my study schedule in the weeks leading up to my exam but also helped me to understand which sections I was weaker or stronger in. I personally found section 1 quite challenging as there is an extremely wide variety of questions that can be asked and the section is very time pressured. Through the classes, I was able to greatly improve my scores in this section which ultimately contributed to my score in the day. They not only provided invaluable techniques for answering the questions but was also able to explain the process behind the answer to each question which helped me to understand why I got certain questions wrong. In terms of section 2, I learned that there can be multiple answers that seem right or that could work in the given situation but you need to be very specific and choose the first “right” answer I came across.
In terms of studying, I would ensure that you are balancing the HPAT and the Leaving Cert up until Christmas of sixth year as you are aiming for high points in both and you do not want to neglect one. However, after Christmas you need to prioritise the HPAT significantly as you will only have a few weeks until your exam. In the week leading up to your exam, especially the day of your exam, I would solely focus on the areas you are strongest in as it may improve your confidence going into the exam. I would also be hesitant to be completing full mock exams in the week before the HPAT exam as receiving a score or percentile could also throw off your confidence.
Overall, the ‘Ace the HPAT’ classes helped to keep me motivated in the weeks leading up to my exam as seeing my teachers studying and working in the course and career I aspired to reminded me of the goal I had in mind. The classes also helped to direct and focus my study in those last few weeks. The classes helped me to greatly improve across all three sections and left me feeling confident int ability to ace the test on the day. The interactive element to the classes was an invaluable resource without which I could not have achieved the score that I did. Although it may seem daunting at first to explain your answers and thought process to the class, hearing from your peers will become a great way for you to wrap your mind around the answers to tricky questions. The ‘Ace the HPAT’ classes left me feeling confident in all areas of the exam and the knowledge that I had teachers rooting for me left me with a support system that would be a great help to me in the exam. Best of luck!
