Getting the most from your HPAT Practice Exams
6 months ago by Chris
With every passing week, the date of your HPAT exam is inching closer. Perhaps you are working through the MedEntry curriculum modules, QBank and skills trainers. This will all aid your preparation, but an important question is, have you completed a full-length HPAT practice exam yet?
Completing a full length HPAT practice exam can be intimidating and even scary. It is easy to spend time on the QBank, or even undertake untimed HPAT practice, without the fear of receiving a predicted HPAT score or percentile.
However, it is essential that you complete a full length HPAT exam as soon as possible. It is the only way to understand the extreme time pressures placed on you during the HPAT. Completing HPAT exams will help you to develop and practice strategies that will help you answer HPAT questions accurately within HPAT time limits.
Here are three tips for getting the most from your HPAT practice exams:
1. Complete HPAT exams under simulated conditions
This is absolutely essential. One of the hardest parts of the HPAT is the timing. On HPAT test day, you will be required to sit in front of a computer screen for two and a half hours, without a break, answering difficult questions under extreme time pressure. This isn’t easy! However, if you’ve done it ten times before, it won’t feel so alien.
So, treat each HPAT practice exam as the real thing. Lock yourself in your room, no interruptions, no drinks or snacks. Ensure you are practicing on a HPAT computer platform that simulates the live HPAT, like that provided by MedEntry. Ensure you are using the equipment that you will be using on HPAT test day (including a laptop/desktop computer, mouse and scrap paper / whiteboard).
Most importantly, stick to the HPAT time limits! Doing so will be scary the first time, but it is the only way to develop the skills needed to succeed in such a time pressured exam.
2. Retry your incorrectly answered HPAT questions
Retrying your incorrectly answered HPAT questions is an extremely efficient and productive way to prepare for HPAT.
There is a reason why you got a HPAT question wrong: perhaps you made a reasoning error, perhaps you ran out of time to answer the question, or perhaps you fell for tempting a wrong answer trap. Whatever the reason, re-trying that HPAT question will help you acquire strategies to ensure you do not get it wrong on HPAT test day.
Retrying your HPAT questions is the most time saving and efficient way to prepare for HPAT, as you will be working on your weaknesses. MedEntry allows you to re-try your incorrectly answered questions up to four times.
3. Review and reflect on the HPAT exam
The best way to improve in HPAT is not to simply complete practice exam after practice exam. You need to carefully review all HPAT questions, including those questions you got right (maybe you got the HPAT question right for the wrong reasons or because you guessed!). Even if you got the HPAT question right, thoroughly reviewing the solution may help you find a quicker or better way of answering that type of HPAT question. MedEntry provides comprehensive written and video solutions for HPAT questions on our online learning platform.
If you got a HPAT question wrong, reflect on why you got it wrong and how you can prevent yourself from making the same mistake on HPAT test day.
Also reflect on the whole experience of sitting a HPAT exam. What went right and what went wrong? How can you boost your performance the next time you sit a HPAT exam? MedEntry’s online learning platform generates an exam report to help you with this process and analyse your performance in each HPAT exam.
MedEntry’s HPAT practice exams are a great way to help you be prepared mentally, physically and emotionally for the live HPAT. So, what are you waiting for? Get started with those HPAT practice exams to gain experience and confidence for your HPAT test!
