28th October 2024
Alternative Admissions Schemes for School Leavers: HEAR and DARE
Applying for a place in medicine is difficult enough for most students. If you have a disability or are from a low socioeconomic background, it can make the process even more challenging. For this reason, alternative admissions schemes are available which help students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to study. Examples of these third level alternative schemes are DARE (Disabi ...
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21st October 2024
HPAT 2025 Will Run ONLINE! Here’s What You Need to Know
HPAT historically took place in paper and pencil format. However, due to the COVID pandemic, HPAT ran online for the first time ever in 2021. In following years, HPAT also ran online, and ACER has confirmed that HPAT 2025 will run online as well. This blog summarises what you need to know. HPAT 2025 will take place online HPAT 2025 will take place online. Th ...
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16th October 2024
Why Group Study is Effective for HPAT
There is a fundamental difference in how you need to study for exams which test knowledge (such as school and university exams) and for high stakes tests such as HPAT which assesses generic thinking skills. For the former, a lot of memorisation and recall are involved so studying alone can be effective, and even preferred by motivated students who do not want to be distracted by less moti ...
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10th October 2024
4 Steps to Balancing the HPAT – the Extra Subject
We are all too aware of how busy sixth year can be. However many don’t consider just how much busier it gets when you decide to sit the HPAT on top of that. Suddenly you have a whole lot more study on top of your expected workload and it can really be like taking on a whole other subject (or two!). Look at HPAT as a subject for which you have no teacher, no homework, and no dea ...
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2nd October 2024
5 Common Myths About the HPAT: BUSTED
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about HPAT that can stand in the way of effective HPAT preparation and performance. In this blog we’ll describe five common myths and explain why they are inaccurate, and what you can do about them. Myth #1: The HPAT is an aptitude test so you can’t prepare for it This is absolutely incorrect. While HPAT may be considere ...
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30th September 2024
5 Characteristics to Look for in a HPAT Study Buddy
Sitting the HPAT can often feel like an isolating experience, since many of your peers may be focused on other goals such as their school or university performance, making it difficult to stay motivated while studying for the HPAT. This is one of the many reasons why it can be helpful to find a HPAT study buddy, with whom you can create a community of practice where you share experie ...
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26th September 2024
What Is the Highest HPAT Score Ever Achieved?
The highest HPAT score ever achieved was by a MedEntry student in 2013, who scored an incredible 261. The highest performers in HPAT prepare with MedEntry. Is 261 a high HPAT score? Yes! 261 is an incredibly high score, and is the highest score ever achieved in HPAT. Here is the student’s statement of results: The highest possible score in HPAT (which has never b ...
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29th July 2024
Why Is The HPAT So Important?
The Leaving Cert, and its points system, is an important part of the process of being eligible to study at university. However, for those who want to study medicine, the HPAT (Health Professions Admission Test) is also a crucial component of the medical school admissions process. If you are an aspiring medical student, it’s vital to understand why HPAT is so important and why you ne ...
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27th May 2024
Should I Choose a Medicine Course With a Pre-med Year?
A common question asked by medicine hopefuls is, “Should I choose a medical course with a pre-med year?” This blog answers this question. What is the difference between 5-year and 6-year medical courses? First, we need to understand the difference between 5-year and 6-year medical courses. 6-year courses have a pre-med year where you develop a science foundation b ...
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22nd May 2024
9 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Medical School
There are 5 universities in the Republic of Ireland which offer undergraduate medicine: University College Dublin (UCD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), University of Galway (UG) (formerly known as National University of Ireland Galway - NUIG) and University College Cork (UCC). It may seem difficult to decide which university is right for you and ...
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