1st February 2023
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 ...
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30th January 2023
5 Tips to Improve Your Score in Interpersonal Understanding Questions
To some lucky people it comes easy, but for many this is the section with some of the most difficult questions in the exam. Whether you are just starting your HPAT preparation or are deep in your practice so far, the following tips from an experienced tutor who scored highly in this section should help you maximize your score: Firstly, read the introductory text included in the pa ...
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28th January 2023
Is HPAT Stressing You Out? Here's How to Use Stress to Your Advantage
You may have heard that stress negatively impacts on performance, particularly in an intellectually challenging test such as HPAT. You may have been told that if you are too stressed in the lead up to an important exam such as HPAT, you won’t do well. You may have been advised to look for ways to relieve your HPAT-related stress. While this may be true, in some cases trying to g ...
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26th January 2023
3 Tips to Improve your Score in Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving Questions
Looking for some tips on how to improve your score in Logical reasoning and Problem solving? Terrified by long passages with scientific jargon and perplexing puzzles? Worried about running out of time? Remember the following advice and you’ll be well on your way to maximising your score. 1. Read the question stem first This construct can often be time-consuming due to len ...
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25th January 2023
Why Full Exam Mocks are the best HPAT preparation
Be under no illusions: the HPAT is the single hardest and most important test you will ever sit. This is a scary (and for some maybe terrifying) thought. So, what can you do to make it less daunting? The answer may seem counter-intuitive: the best way to make HPAT seem do-able is to face it over, and over, and over again. How? By completing high-quality, full-length HPAT exam mocks under timed ...
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23rd January 2023
How to apply to the CAO and ACER for medicine
To be eligible to study medicine in Ireland there are two key parts to the application process: Applying to the Central Applications Office (CAO) Applying separately to sit the HPAT through ACER Applying to the CAO Before you can register to sit the HPAT, you need to apply to the CAO and get your CAO number – you will need this for the HPAT registration process. ...
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22nd January 2023
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 ...
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20th January 2023
The HPAT – A Test of Endurance
The importance of endurance Mental endurance can be defined as, ‘the ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.’ The HPAT is so commonly viewed as a test of aptitude, that we forget how crucial it is to also improve our mental endurance for the HPAT exam. In fact, the endurance required for the HPAT is much greater than that req ...
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18th January 2023
Is it too late to start preparing for the HPAT?
The short answer is no. Preparing for the HPAT is possible and no matter how late you start, you will still be able to improve, just like with any other subject. The long answer is: it depends on how much time you invest and how effectively you prepare. At this stage, it’s important to study SMART. Trying to do as many HPAT questions or HPAT papers as you can is not necessarily the be ...
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16th January 2023
Dispelling the Myths of Medicine
The idea of studying medicine at university can seem like a very daunting prospect. There are many myths and false beliefs about the degree which allow these fears to prosper. Having completed my first year studying medicine at University, I hope I can dispel some of your fears about studying medicine at university. 1. Medicine is ULTRA competitive Granted, Medicine, like all h ...
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