Staying in control during the HPAT

Below are a few useful tips as to how to stay in control during the HPAT.

Distractions:

• One of the things you'll probably have to deal with during the HPAT is distractions. This may be someone sniffling, or coughing, or tapping a pencil. In fact there have even been stories of distractions ranging from pile drivers at a nearby construction site to the school's symphonic band practicing outside!
• The most important thing is to not let these distractions get to you, use them as a reminder to get back to the HPAT in front of you.

Keep moving while the clock is ticking:

• Don't count on the supervisor being accurate or consistent about writing up the time remaining during the HPAT. You should monitor your time continually as you work through the HPAT exam.
• To avoid time warps and spacing out during the HPAT, keep your pencil moving every few seconds, marking up your HPAT test booklet. Don't ever let you pencil lift more than a few centimetres off the page - keep it poised to mark up questions.
• Try not to spend forever filling in the bubbles on the HPAT answer sheet. It's not uncommon to see a student in the exam room artistically darkening a bubble for 10-15 seconds. That is a total of 3 minutes wasted on the entire HPAT!
• Use absolutely every second available during the HPAT to work on the questions. Don't stop until the supervisor says stop!