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*Everything HPAT and Medicine 2012*

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    #182
    clartharlear
    Registered Users Posts: 489 ✭✭clartharlear


    clartharlear wrote: »
    I used to coordinate a HPAT prep course and the HPAT folder on my computer has literally hundreds of files on critical thinking, logical reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, aptitude tests, brainteasers... as well as gigabytes of sample questions in section 1, 2, 3 categories. (Not infrequently without official answers though.)

    If anyone would like me to email them some of the above anytime, send me a PM with your email address and any area in particular you're looking for. See what you can get for free before shelling out to M*curse*y!

    Mods, would you like to make this post a sticky?
    I've sent a dozen or so people this info now, but I've gotten quite a few messages from people who have 0 or 1 posts and sorry if I'm being overly suspicious but I'm only replying to regular users who give me an email address...


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    #183
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    Hey again. I got a question for people whove done the HPAT before.
    Could you give me a brief summary of how the exam goes? When you walk in someone in charge hands out the papers etc, talks you through the time etc. do you get extra sheets incase you want to work things out etc? Sorry if it sounds stupid, but the only thing ive seen regards to hpat are the sample questions from the site, ill be ordering the papers at some stage, but kind of wanted to get a clearer picture of the actual process.
    dan


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    #184
    QueenOfLeon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭QueenOfLeon


    danbag1989 wrote: »
    Hey again. I got a question for people whove done the HPAT before.
    Could you give me a brief summary of how the exam goes? When you walk in someone in charge hands out the papers etc, talks you through the time etc. do you get extra sheets incase you want to work things out etc? Sorry if it sounds stupid, but the only thing ive seen regards to hpat are the sample questions from the site, ill be ordering the papers at some stage, but kind of wanted to get a clearer picture of the actual process.
    dan

    From what I can remember:

    You're given a time to arrive there on your ticket (~30mins before the start time of the test I think). I arrived just before that, queued up outside the building. Once registration started, the queue moved fairly fast, I was probably sitting at my desk about 20mins after the time on the ticket. I was in a small centre (just over 100 people I'd say), but if you look back at the threads from the time (there has been a big merged thread for every year of the hpat) some of the bigger centres had delays of a couple of hours or so.

    Registration is just showing your passport and ticket. After we went through that desk we were allowed go to the bathroom and then once we went in the door of the hall, someone showed us to our seats.

    We were given all the instructions, mobile phones could be put in a box that was sent around, and the answer sheets (one of those computerised multiple choice ones) were given out. The timing was explained, there were a good few clocks and a sign was put up on the wall straight away when the test started telling you what time that section would be finished at.

    Booklets were then given out. All 3 sections are together in the booklet, but you can only do 1 section at a time. You can't skip forward to Sec 2 if you finish Sec 1 early, or go back to another section after its allocated time is finished. You don't get any extra paper, but there is a good bit of room for rough work around the questions on the booklet.

    During the exam, the supervisors did the usual pacing around the odd time but there was a good supervisor to student ratio (maybe just cos the centre was so small) so they weren't constantly wandering, they sat for most of it. It was announced whenever there was 5 mins left for the section, and then when you had to move on to the next one.


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    #185
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    Cool thanking you :)


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    #186
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    QueenOfLeon wrote: »
    From what I can remember:

    You're given a time to arrive there on your ticket (~30mins before the start time of the test I think). I arrived just before that, queued up outside the building. Once registration started, the queue moved fairly fast, I was probably sitting at my desk about 20mins after the time on the ticket. I was in a small centre (just over 100 people I'd say), but if you look back at the threads from the time (there has been a big merged thread for every year of the hpat) some of the bigger centres had delays of a couple of hours or so.

    Registration is just showing your passport and ticket. After we went through that desk we were allowed go to the bathroom and then once we went in the door of the hall, someone showed us to our seats.

    We were given all the instructions, mobile phones could be put in a box that was sent around, and the answer sheets (one of those computerised multiple choice ones) were given out. The timing was explained, there were a good few clocks and a sign was put up on the wall straight away when the test started telling you what time that section would be finished at.

    Booklets were then given out. All 3 sections are together in the booklet, but you can only do 1 section at a time. You can't skip forward to Sec 2 if you finish Sec 1 early, or go back to another section after its allocated time is finished. You don't get any extra paper, but there is a good bit of room for rough work around the questions on the booklet.

    During the exam, the supervisors did the usual pacing around the odd time but there was a good supervisor to student ratio (maybe just cos the centre was so small) so they weren't constantly wandering, they sat for most of it. It was announced whenever there was 5 mins left for the section, and then when you had to move on to the next one.

    Thanks for the info! actually Im wondering do you know anything bout apply for med as a school leaver AND a mature student? Ive seen a few people whove said they done that.


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    #187
    Closet Monkey
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭Closet Monkey


    Would anyone know what is the best place to do Medicine out of UCD, Trinity and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, or is there better.

    One of my friend's brother studies medicine in Royal College of Surgeons and gets a free laptop worth €700 and free gym pass.


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    #188
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    Would anyone know what is the best place to do Medicine out of UCD, Trinity and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, or is there better.

    One of my friend's brother studies medicine in Royal College of Surgeons and gets a free laptop worth €700 and free gym pass.

    Really?? Never heard bout that, ive a friend in 2nd yr in rcsi and he never mentioned...
    I dont have a clue bout which one is better tbh, im trying to get into medicine myself. I was on a thread bout which one is better:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055212129&page=4

    but as you can imagine theres all sorts of views. Im of the opinion that you should pick one that suits you best, location wise and financially etc. At the end of the day youd be a doctor at the end so i assume there cant be that much difference in the actual standard of education.
    But as i say, I really dont know so its just speculation...
    Dan


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    #189
    Closet Monkey
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭Closet Monkey


    How many points would you need to get to be excepted in places such as UCD? I know the average is 732 for UCD but seeming that there is only 100 places for Medicine in that University and that everyone picks UCD as their top colleges, how many points would you actually need, e.g 750, 770. There is about 5,000 people doing it each year and only 20% would probably recieve a good enoguh score, the points requieremtns for UCD must be really high. Would anyone who is friends with a person doing UCD know what score they got?


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    #190
    QueenOfLeon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭QueenOfLeon


    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    How many points would you need to get to be excepted in places such as UCD? I know the average is 732 for UCD

    The points cut off for each year can be found on the CAO points list. UCD was 719 in 2009, 725* in 2010 and 735 in 2011. This isn't the average, this is the entry requirement, anyone who got those scores or above will definitely have got a place (except where the asterisk shows random selection, where only some people on 725 got in, and everyone from 726 up).
    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    but seeming that there is only 100 places for Medicine in that University
    Its quoted as 120 at the moment but I had heard they dropped this year.
    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    and that everyone picks UCD as their top colleges
    No they don't? :P
    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    There is about 5,000 people doing it each year and only 20% would probably recieve a good enoguh score, the points requieremtns for UCD must be really high. Would anyone who is friends with a person doing UCD know what score they got?

    No, the points you see on the CAO are the actual cut offs. The range of scores are probably all the way up to 760 or higher but you don't need to worry about those, just get to the cut off. It has risen each year so its hard to say how the trend will go, with the honours maths extra points I would say it'll rise by 4-5 points anyway.


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    #191
    ellen94_
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭ellen94_


    What are the best HPat prep courses? hopefully doing medicine next year :D


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    #192
    Closet Monkey
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭Closet Monkey


    Thanks for the answer Queen Of Leon. I feel really confident now. Hoping to get 550 points and 185 in Hpat. But my expectations may change by next year. Even though I'm in 5th year I feel really stressed out and still not achieving a lot. There is too many distractions every time. Hopefully 6th year will be mostly a revision year and that this year we will finish a large part of the course.


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    #193
    QueenOfLeon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭QueenOfLeon


    Closet Monkey wrote: »
    Thanks for the answer Queen Of Leon. I feel really confident now. Hoping to get 550 points and 185 in Hpat. But my expectations may change by next year. Even though I'm in 5th year I feel really stressed out and still not achieving a lot. There is too many distractions every time. Hopefully 6th year will be mostly a revision year and that this year we will finish a large part of the course.

    Well aiming for very specific amounts in the hpat is a bit pointless :pac: Naturally everyone would love to get in the high percentiles, but its not the LC where you can try and figure out how many A1s you get, its very very hard to know how you did, even after it!


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    #194
    ellen94_
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭ellen94_


    Anyone know if Bruce College HPAT prep course is any good?


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    #195
    Sunny!!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,408 ✭✭✭Sunny!!


    ellen94_ wrote: »
    Anyone know if Bruce College HPAT prep course is any good?

    from the results on the website it seems good!
    check out hewitt as well though


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    #196
    Nazata
    Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭Nazata


    Is there anyone who've taken any of the HPAT prep courses around?
    If so, a brief post on the course you took would be immensely appreciated.
    Currently trying to decide whether to take one and which one I should take...


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    #197
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    Nazata wrote: »
    Is there anyone who've taken any of the HPAT prep courses around?
    If so, a brief post on the course you took would be immensely appreciated.
    Currently trying to decide whether to take one and which one I should take...

    I second that! could do with some info myself...alot of the courses i looked at look kinda mickey mouse


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    #198
    iwillarise
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭iwillarise


    Nazata wrote: »
    Is there anyone who've taken any of the HPAT prep courses around?
    If so, a brief post on the course you took would be immensely appreciated.
    Currently trying to decide whether to take one and which one I should take...

    I found one last year online, thought it was great, until i sat the exam itself! The guy had just plagiarized ********'s drill sheets and sold them off. I relied totally on those few sheets which turned out to be my downfall as they were overly simplified and not at all like the real thing. The moral of the story is only optfor a reputable course. Talk to some successful med students if you can and asked what worked for them and even if they used a prep course at all. I'm in Dublin so the only two I know of are the IOE and ********. The latter one I chose for it's bank of questions and the fact that they have been preparing students in Australia and New Zealand for the UMAT (a test almost identical to the HPAT) for over 20 years. The most important thing to take into account when doing the HPAT is to strictly follow exam conditions ( i.e. 3 distinct sections answered in order, time constraints adhered to , answer booklet etc)

    As Vince Lombardi said : 'Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect'

    Good luck with your prep :)


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    #199
    SlyBacon93
    Registered Users Posts: 131 ✭✭SlyBacon93


    Out if curiosity I was wondering have any of you considered doing medicine outside of ireland. In eastern europe perhaps and how would that compare to an irish medical degree?


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    #200
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    SlyBacon93 wrote: »
    Out if curiosity I was wondering have any of you considered doing medicine outside of ireland. In eastern europe perhaps and how would that compare to an irish medical degree?

    Id assume its pretty much the same. but i remember reading an article about irish students training abroad in Hungary, Poland, Prague etc, and they qualified as docs but apparently its damn near impossible to get onto the GP training scheme if you studied abroad.


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    #201
    danbag1989
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭danbag1989


    Hey again, I was just wondering in regards to repeating the leaving cert what the best option is? There is a school near to me that run repeat courses for adults and PLCs etc, Im 22. here to link to it : http://www.stconlethscc.ie/index.php?page=repeat-leaving-certificate

    Would people recommand doing something like that or just studying in my own timeand sitting the exams in june? Pros and Cons etc!
    Thanks,
    Dan


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    #202
    gorta
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭gorta


    Hi I'm looking for someone to do the group discount with me. Message me if anyone is interested.


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    #203
    degausserxo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭degausserxo


    Anyone doing the Sunday classes in the Institute?


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    #204
    Q8ee
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭Q8ee


    Hey guys, I'm an EU student living in Dublin who is in The Institute of Education. I'm going to be applying for RCSI. Thing is, I'm really worried about the difficulty of getting into RCSI...

    I looked at the points required for last year: 732 points!

    Now, I'd need to get a B1 in all of my six subjects, which is really difficult:
    English B1
    Maths B1
    Chemistry B1
    Biology B1
    Physics B1
    Ag Science B1

    A B1 = 85 points in Higher Level + 25 Bonus Maths Points
    Total Points: 535

    Now, I'd need 200 points in my HPAT to get 735 points, so I'm really stressing out about how difficult it will be to get in :(

    I really want this, and I will study hard, but I just don't think it's possible for me to get an A1 in any of the subjects, apart from MAYBE in Biology if the test isn't too hard.

    So please! I'm begging for any RCSI students who applied as an EU student, how hard was it to get in? Was it as hard as they are making it seem? Would they let me in with 700 points? Is the HPAT really as difficult as people make it seem? Please, I need something to make this seem worthwhile, because right now, I feel like I won't make it :(


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    #205
    Sunny!!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,408 ✭✭✭Sunny!!


    Q8ee wrote: »
    Hey guys, I'm an EU student living in Dublin who is in The Institute of Education. I'm going to be applying for RCSI. Thing is, I'm really worried about the difficulty of getting into RCSI...

    I looked at the points required for last year: 732 points!

    Now, I'd need to get a B1 in all of my six subjects, which is really difficult:
    English B1
    Maths B1
    Chemistry B1
    Biology B1
    Physics B1
    Ag Science B1

    A B1 = 85 points in Higher Level + 25 Bonus Maths Points
    Total Points: 535

    Now, I'd need 200 points in my HPAT to get 735 points, so I'm really stressing out about how difficult it will be to get in :(

    I really want this, and I will study hard, but I just don't think it's possible for me to get an A1 in any of the subjects, apart from MAYBE in Biology if the test isn't too hard.

    So please! I'm begging for any RCSI students who applied as an EU student, how hard was it to get in? Was it as hard as they are making it seem? Would they let me in with 700 points? Is the HPAT really as difficult as people make it seem? Please, I need something to make this seem worthwhile, because right now, I feel like I won't make it :(

    focus on your lc and don't be focusing on a 200 hpat!! you dont know what you could get in it! focus on trying to get up to the a's in your subject. I've learned that one just cant depend on the hpat, hope this helped:)


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    #206
    Closet Monkey
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭Closet Monkey


    you're going to need more then 535 points. 550 would be a good score because after that you only get 1 point for every 10 points. So 550 and if you train hard enoguh you will be well able to get 175. That would add up to 735.


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    #207
    Just Like Heaven
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,132 ✭✭✭Just Like Heaven


    All anybody can realistically do is aim for 550 and hope. Spending hours every week studying for the Hpat is too risky, it quite simply just might not happen for you on the day.


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    #208
    Q8ee
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭Q8ee


    Getting A2 in some subjects just seems far too difficult... :(


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    #209
    jumpguy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭jumpguy


    Q8ee wrote: »
    Getting A2 in some subjects just seems far too difficult... :(
    Medicine's a difficult course, the amount of study you'll have to do will have you fairly nostalgic for the LC days when you were spoonfed everything.


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    #210
    Q8ee
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭Q8ee


    jumpguy wrote: »
    Medicine's a difficult course, the amount of study you'll have to do will have you fairly nostalgic for the LC days when you were spoonfed everything.

    Medicine might have a lot more study than the LC but it's study to do with things that I find interesting and love.

    I naturally soak up all information to do with Biology, and I'm sure Medicine is me all over, so I'll understand it so well.

    I just hate the way I have to regurgitate all this spoonfed LC stuff, especially when half of it I don't even like :/


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    #211
    Sunny!!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,408 ✭✭✭Sunny!!


    Q8ee wrote: »
    Medicine might have a lot more study than the LC but it's study to do with things that I find interesting and love.

    I naturally soak up all information to do with Biology, and I'm sure Medicine is me all over, so I'll understand it so well.

    I just hate the way I have to regurgitate all this spoonfed LC stuff, especially when half of it I don't even like :/

    that's just life unfortunately:( but its just another one of them obstacles us potential meds have to get over!


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