Health Professions Admissions Test

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The Health Professions Admissions Test - Ireland (HPAT - Ireland) is a university admissions test. [1] It is used by all universities in Ireland for admissions to medicine courses, and by the University of Ulster for some medicine related courses. [2]

Contents

The test is a computer-based, 2.5 hour, 114 multiple-choice question exam independently developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). There is also a Written English component which is used by the University of Limerick for entrance into the MSc Occupational Therapy and MSc Speech and Language Therapy courses.

Format

According to ACER, the HPAT is designed with the purpose of "Assessing skills for academic success in medical and allied health courses" by " Assessing logical reasoning and problem-solving skills, non-verbal reasoning and the ability to understand the thoughts, behaviour and intention of others." [3]

The HPAT consists of three mandatory sections as well as an optional Written English component designed to test different skills in the candidate. The subtests are all separately timed and are outlined below

Previously, the test was taken at one of the examination centres across Ireland. Now, candidates must sit the test on their own devices and be subject to remote proctoring.

Content and preparation

According to ACER, the HPAT exam "does not draw on any particular body of knowledge or curriculum" [4] and "does not test academic knowledge and doesn't require special understanding of any academic disciplines". [5]

Official preparation materials are offered by ACER on their website. Past papers are not available.

Some private companies also offer preparation courses for the test, however, these are not recommended, authorised by, or in any way associated with ACER.

Scoring

The HPAT has a maximum score of 300. Candidates will receive an individual score for each of the three sections as well as an overall score and a percentile ranking. The overall score is calculated using the following formula:

Overall Score = [(2 × Section 1 + 2 × Section 2 + 1 × Section 3) ÷ 5] × 3

ACER does not reveal exactly how the raw scores are transformed into scaled scores to calculate the overall score, stating they are "calculated in accordance with psychometric principles" [5]

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References

  1. McMahon, Aine (10 April 2018). "Why most Irish doctors in future will be white, female and middle-class". The Irish Times . Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. "Admissions tests". UCAS. Archived from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  3. "Health Professions Admission Test". Australian Council for Educational Research - ACER. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  4. "Preparation". Australian Council for Educational Research - ACER. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  5. 1 2 https://hpat-ireland.acer.org/files/HPAT-Ireland-Information-Booklet.pdf

HPAT - Ireland official website

HPAT - Ireland official test taker information booklet (2024 version)