User:Akennelly1

HPAT - Ireland (Health Professionals Admissions Test - Ireland) is an aptitude test administered by [[Australian Council for Educational Research]]. It is a pre-requisite for undergraduate entry to medicine in the Republic of Ireland. It is sometimes confused with HPAT-Ulster, an aptitude test for the University of Ulster. It was first administered on 14 February 2009. Applicants to post - graduate medical schools must sit the GAMSAT, an exam also administered by ACER.The test is usually held in February and the results are published in late June, after the Leaving Certificate has finished.

BackgroundThe heads of various medical schools in Ireland began to feel that the conventional system of selecting candidates for entry to medicine was too narrow, as it focused only on Leaving certificate(or equivalent exam) results.This criterion was considered insufficient as it did not reflect all the qualities required to successfully study and practice medicine It was felt that it wouldd be better to administer an atitude test, to be used in conjunction with academic results, for the purpose of selecting candidates. A similar sysem is used in countries such as the U.K and Australia.

Sections The exam consists of three sections. They are: Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving, Interpersonal Understanding and Non-Verbal  reasoning. Each of the three sections is given equal weight, but make up different proportions of the exam.

Scoring Each of the three sections is given equal weight in scoring. The maximum score is 300.When receiving results, candidates receive an overall score and a percentile rank. Scores on each of the individual sections are not received, nor is a graph showing the marking curve. Scores cannot be appealed. As in the UMAT, ACER do not release their marking and scaling procedures.

Preparation courses A number of different of different schools conduct preparation courses for the HPAT. ACER has explicitly stated that no intensive preparation is necessary for performance in the HPAT.The cost of these courses varies, and it has been noted that while some are quite professional and effective for preparation, others are not. However, ACER do publish official practice booklets for the test, which can be bought on the HPAT-Ireland website or when registering for the exam.