1st July 2025
Didn’t Do Well in HPAT? Here’s How to Bounce Back in 4 Steps
The HPAT is one of the two criteria for undergraduate medicine in Ireland, often holding equal weighting to the Leaving Cert. There are many factors that can influence performance in HPAT, and receiving a lower mark than expected may feel like all our efforts have gone to waste. I’ve been there before, and although it may feel like the end of the world (I certainly felt that way), I can ...
Read more
15th May 2025
Distributed Practice and the HPAT: What You Need to Know Part 2
In part 1 of this blog, we looked at why it is important to study with distributed practice for the HPAT. In part 2, we will look at how to implement distributed practice into your HPAT plan. How to implement distributed practice for HPAT Here are some tips and strategies on how to best use distributed practice in your HPAT preparation (you can also use them in your secondary ...
Read more
15th May 2025
Distributed Practice and the HPAT: What You Need to Know Part 1
Over the last few years various catch-phrases have circulated in the education sector: “study smarter not harder”, "do less work for more reward” and others. They can seem too good to be true. Nevertheless, there is one system that eclipses all others in the research conducted, the widespread implementation and the unanimous praise it has received from sci ...
Read more
5th February 2025
HPATPHOBIA Don’t get Scared, Stay Motivated!
Does the thought of HPAT day make you cringe and consider hiding in your room? That's how I felt in the weeks that led up to HPAT. Being a student in my final year of high school I had rarely been in a position where I was sitting an exam which was so important for determining my future career pathway. Sure I had been through many school exams and academic competitions, but I felt ...
Read more
3rd February 2025
Dealing With Disappointing HPAT Percentiles – 3 Tips
So you’ve been preparing for HPAT by working through the HPAT guides and attempting HPAT practice questions and exams. Then one day you receive a disappointing HPAT percentile. So what should you do? Is it time to freak out? Is it time to give up on your medical entry dream? No! Read on for three key tips. 1. Understand what a HPAT percentile means and how they are calculate ...
Read more
1st February 2025
5 Tips for the Last Fortnight Before HPAT
HPAT is well and truly close now and it’s time to streamline your study and buckle down! In the pivotal two weeks leading up to HPAT, maintaining focus is vital and taking a strategic approach towards your study routine will help ensure that you are fully equipped for success on the big day. Here are five ways to make sure you’re using the next two weeks to set you up for success o ...
Read more
30th January 2025
How to Balance the HPAT and Leaving Cert Mocks
Preparing for HPAT can seem overwhelming. Add in your Leaving Cert mock exams and stress levels can rapidly skyrocket. Unfortunately the timing of the HPAT is often very close to mock exams, or can even be in the middle of mock exams. As the HPAT and mock exams draw closer, it can become hard to balance Leaving Cert study and HPAT preparation. So how do you do it? This blog outlines five ti ...
Read more
27th January 2025
Persisting Through Underwhelming Marks
Many of you may have started your preparation on MedEntry and found that you may not be achieving the scores you hoped for, and let me tell you, you’re not the only one! Many people lose confidence during their HPAT preparation and can’t see themselves achieving the scores they hope to attain. I know this for a fact because I was one of those people not too long ago. When I firs ...
Read more
24th January 2025
Optimising Your Performance in HPAT: Lessons From Sports Psychology
Preparing for the HPAT is like preparing for a marathon: it requires training, persistence and strategies to optimise your performance on HPAT test day. Just as an athlete prepares for a major sporting event, you must prepare yourself to sit HPAT, which is one of the most important exams that you will face in your career. We can learn much from athletes about optimising performance in HPAT, ...
Read more
23rd January 2025
Attention Parents: 5 Ways to Help Your Son or Daughter in the Lead Up to the HPAT
6th year is a stressful time. Add in HPAT and the pressures of getting into medicine, and stress levels can rapidly sky rocket. As a parent it is easy to succumb to feelings of powerless as you watch your son or daughter struggle to prepare for such an important and difficult exam. However, there are many things you can do to boost their performance and have a positive impact on their wellbein ...
Read more