We often get asked 'Can I prepare for the HPAT in 5th year?' and our answer is yes absolutely! In fact we encourage it. Every year, 5th year students get a head start on their HPAT Exam preparation. As you cannot sit the HPAT® exam until your leaving cert year the most popular option is to sign up for our HPAT Ultimate Programme. This allows you to begin their preparation early and to become familiar with the HPAT® and to gain an insight into the exam. We provide extended access to 5th years so you will book our HPAT course and once you are facing into your Leaving cert, simply contact us and we will extend your access for your HPAT exam year. 

While the majority of students will wait until they are in 5^th year before they begin studying for the HPAT®-Ireland Exam, if you are sure that you want to study medicine then you can get started with one our preparation courses in 4^th year.

The competitive selection criterion for entry to Medicine will be on the basis of the weighted combination of the Leaving Certificate Exam and HPAT-Ireland scores. Since medicine applicants will require high points in the Leaving Certificate, as well as an excellent HPAT score, both exams require ample preparation and study time. The influence of your HPAT®-Ireland exam score should not be underestimated; it is often as important, or sometimes more important, than your Leaving Certificate points in determining whether you get a place on a medicine course.

Before the scores are combined, Leaving Certificate Examination scores above 550 points will be adjusted to a maximum score of 565 points. This is because medicine applicants’ leaving certificate points are adjustment once they exceed 550 points. Above 550 points, every bracket of five points is only worth one point.

For example:

• If a student attains between 551 and 555 points, they are granted 551 points in a medicine application.
• If a student attains between 556 and 560 points, they are granted 552 points in a medicine application.

This means that after adjustment, the maximum Leaving Cert points a student can obtain is 565.

We recommend our HPAT Ultimate Programme

1. Visit and research thoroughly the official HPAT-Ireland website: https://hpat-ireland.acer.org/
2. Read the CAO booklet "Selection Criteria for Undergraduate Entry to Medicine".  It can also be found on the CAO website.
3. Career Services Online Lessons & Workbooks (Ultimate Programme) Learn from our expert tutors how to approach each style of question in the HPAT-Ireland.
4. Career Services HPAT Home Study (Ultimate Programme). Paper-Based & Digital format. Practice your skills with our practice questions. Learn from your mistakes with our detailed solutions.
5. ACER Practice Tests 1, 2 and 3 - These practice tests are copyrighted by ACER and as a result can only be purchased from the official HPAT-Ireland website.
6. Fully Timed Mock Exam. Test yourself with a full length test. (Ultimate Programme)
7. Tutor led webinar guided lessons of 5+ hours. Dissect the solutions with the video lessons. (Ultimate Programme)
8. Take the official exam. The official date for the HPAT-Ireland exam is usually held at the end of February of each year.

In addition to the course tuition and practice questions it can also be beneficial for students to look over scientific journals and articles in order to become more familiar with the scientific language used and gain a greater comprehension. 

The ACER practice papers are available at: https://hpat-ireland.acer.org/

• Practice Test 1 (with worked solutions) is provided to candidates as part of their registration.
• Practice Test 2 can be purchased through your registered account for €22. This test booklet only provides answers (e.g. A, B, C, D) and does not include fully worked solutions. However, the Career Services HPAT®-Ireland Home Study Pack (included with the HPAT®-Ireland Complete Package or can be bought separately) provides fully work solutions for these questions.
• Practice Test 3 can be purchased through your registered account for €22 and includes worked solutions.
• Other e-books can also be purchased on the ACER site.