General HPAT FAQ's

It’s a good idea to talk with your guidance counsellor for advice, and our article on options will give you some further information: https://careerservices.ie/hpat-score-options Some candidates decide to sit the HPAT Ireland exam again the following year. If you were happy with your Leaving Cert results, please note that you can just resit the HPAT exam the following year without needing to repeat the Leaving Cert exam.

Yes, medicine applicants must either be in their final year of school or have already completed their Leaving Certificate to be eligible to sit the HPAT Ireland exam. Results from a previous sitting of the Leaving certificate can be used when applying through the CAO. However, please note that HPAT Ireland Exam scores can be used for admission to a course ONLY in the same year in which the course is due to commence.

• No, the HPAT Ireland exam is only required for entry into undergraduate medicine in Ireland and two postgraduate courses (MSc Speech and Language Therapy and MSc Occupational Therapy) in University of Limerick. If you are planning to study medicine abroad, check directly with the college you are interested in studying with as they may use a specific entrance exam. For example, the UCAT is used by 25 medical schools in the UK. See further information in our article here: https://careerservices.ie/entry-routes-to-medicine

The UCAT differs from the HPAT®-Ireland exam in structure and layout. The UCAT includes sections (subtests) which examine verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning, abstract reasoning, and situational judgement. Due to the differences between the exams, taking a HPAT-Ireland preparation course may not cover all elements of the UCAT exam.

• Generally, in order for school leavers to be eligible to compete for entry to undergraduate medicine, they must:
  1. achieve a minimum of 480 points in the Leaving Certificate and
  2. meet the minimum entry requirements for each Medical School for which they have applied and
  3. complete the required admissions test (HPAT-Ireland)

  While Honours Maths is not a requirement, the extra points available for taking maths at Honours level is an advantage when competing for a place in medicine.

  Always check the specific entry requirements for each college you are apply to as minimum entry criteria (subjects and LC points) can vary between institutions.

Mature candidates must also apply for undergraduate medicine courses through the CAO. For those applying for a place on grounds of mature years, the minimum educational requirements and places available for mature students are available from each institution. In all cases the medical admissions test, HPAT®-Ireland exam, is required. As HPAT Ireland exam results form part of the selection procedure for mature applicants, results will be sent to the universities for short-listing purposes prior to the official release of results.

If you are an EU A-Level applicant, you should check the minimum subject requirements for the institution you are interested in studying with and will need to achieve the equivalent of achieve a minimum of 480 Irish Leaving Certificate. Most university websites will outline a points equivalency calculator/conversion table on their Medicine programme webpage. A-level applicants will also need to sit the HPAT Ireland exam in the same year of admission to the programme.

Unfortunately it is not possible for students to carry forward HPAT Ireland results to the following year. Acer, the official exam provider outline this in their information booklet:

Currency of results 

HPAT – Ireland scores can be used for admission to a course ONLY in the same year in which the course is due to commence. For example, results from HPAT – Ireland 2024 can be used for courses beginning in 2024 but NOT 2025.