Richard’s Success Story
Richard’s HPAT Experience
Richard took the Ace the HPAT Course and HPAT exam in 2024, scoring in the 85th percentile. He is now studying medicine in NUIG and has shared here his thoughts and advice on the exam.
The HPAT is probably the most difficult exam you have ever taken. Not only is it extremely challenging, but a top score is essential to secure a place in medicine in Ireland, and because of this the stress that comes with it can be overwhelming. What makes the HPAT so difficult is undoubtedly the timing. The ability to concentrate for 2 hours and 30 minutes is a skill that very few people our age have, and for this reason the single most important step in preparation for the HPAT in my opinion is actually preparing your study.
However long you have given yourself to prepare before the HPAT exam try to sit down and create a calendar. For me I aimed to do a full HPAT practice test every 2 weeks since I had left my preparation a bit late. But for you it may be three weeks or even longer. This gave me plenty time to hone my concentration skills. Something interesting I noticed was how much TikTok and Instagram negatively affected my results. Both the Ace the HPAT and MedEntry practice exams were extremely helpful, but undoubtedly the Ace the HPAT exams were a more accurate representation of the actual exam in my opinion.
In terms of practice outside the mock exams, for me it was important to identify the areas I struggled with early on in my prep. In my case I struggled particularly with section 3, and thankfully this was heavily focused on throughout the online classes with Aifric in the Ace the HPAT course, and there were plenty of pre-recorded videos available for section 3 and all other sections too. By separating out each practice exam it gives you time to find a routine for the couple days before your HPAT. Look at your test scores and see how small things like what you had for breakfast, how much you exercised and what time of the day you took the test affected your score. I would say to try not to pay too much attention to the percentiles you achieve in MedEntry practice examinations, but rather see how you fared against people who took the Ace the HPAT exams in previous years, for me these tended to be much more accurate.
Finally, I would encourage you to explore all the different entry routes into medicine. Having a backup plan if things didn’t go well, I felt really took a lot of the pressure off my shoulders.
Best of luck to all!
