4 Mindset Shifts to Help You Tackle the HPAT

Many students will already be starting or upping the intensity of HPAT preparation. While time spent on improving your proficiency at answering HPAT questions is certainly well spent, so is the time dedicated to reflecting on what you’re doing and renewing your confidence. After all, the HPAT, like other aptitude tests, is partially a mind game. This blog post aims to provide some new perspectives to boost morale and thereby boost your HPAT scores.

Here are four mindset shifts adopted by successful HPAT test takers:

1. Evaluate the objectives of HPAT test-creators

Yes, admission into medical education is competitive. Yes, the HPAT is among the most gruelling academic tests imposed on students in the country. However, it is helpful to keep in mind that the challenge is there for a reason. HPAT test-makers have designed HPAT questions to assess students’ suitability for a career as a doctor and they have done this by testing for attributes that have proven valuable in doctors. Namely, an attention to detail, quick and critical thinking under pressure, an ability to wield logic as a cognitive weapon in the workplace and so on.

It is important for future medical student graduates to have a solid baseline aptitude, so they are well positioned to deliver optimal health outcomes to their patients. Many decisions made in the clinical healthcare setting directly impact the wellbeing and quality of life of an individual, and therefore sound reasoning skills (verbal, abstract, numerical, social and emotional) are important. These skills are assessed via HPAT. This perspective can help you recognise the ‘why’ behind the style and structure of this challenging exam and make you more purposeful with your HPAT study.

2. Consider HPAT practice as an investment in your future self

It’s comforting to keep in mind that any HPAT study you dedicate yourself to is not wasted in the least, in fact, the skills and strategies you will hopefully acquire during your HPAT preparation are applicable to everyday life. For instance, by partaking in HPAT Section 2: Interpersonal Understanding practice, you will better be able to recognise and understand emotions and empathise with others. This will improve your ability to create and maintain stronger relationships throughout your life. Not to mention the fact that in the field of healthcare, doctors are inherently required to establish trust with patients and form good doctor-patient relationships. Similarly, HPAT Section 1: Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving provides you with skills in processing information or data quickly, ability to reach logical conclusions, and ability to make purposeful decisions.

Moreover, the general ability to keep your cool during stressful situations is useful in a myriad of social and personal situations. As a result of your HPAT preparation, you might notice an improved ability to concentrate on schoolwork and find your flow while completing certain tasks. More than being a test for your suitability for medical studies, the HPAT is an invaluable way to prepare yourself for adult life in general. Keeping this refreshing perspective in mind should make your HPAT practice feel more worthwhile.

3. Remember that a strong mind needs a strong body

In order for your brain to function optimally while taking the HPAT, it requires support from the remainder of the body. This may have already been repeated to you ad nauseum, but good and consistent lifestyle habits including adequate quality sleep, a healthy diet and regular exercise are essential to perform at your best in cognitive tests. Especially in the HPAT, where a heightened response time and critical thinking capacity are crucial to performing well, candidates should make sure to look after various aspects of their wellbeing and avoid zoning in exclusively on study.

If you do not already have scheduled exercise sessions in your week such as group sport training, perhaps try to dedicate half an hour after school (e.g. 5:00-5:30PM) to an outdoor walk or jog. Observe how even an occasional breath of fresh air taken intentionally can help take your mind off the stressors of the day and refresh you for some subsequent evening study. Ensure that you are also spending enough time in your day socialising with family or friends; they can be a comforting outlet for your worries and uncertainties in the case you become bogged down in HPAT study. Do what feels beneficial for your state of mind as you prime it for the exam.

4. Remind yourself of the big picture

Remember that the HPAT exam is not the be-all and end-all. If your final scores aren’t as competitive as what you were aiming for, this has by no means barred you from entry into medicine. There are still several options for pursuing entry into medicine in Ireland, including:

• Repeating HPAT

• Repeating HPAT + Leaving Cert

• Postgraduate medicine (you will need to sit GAMSAT)

• Studying in the UK / EU

While it is important to consider how HPAT fits into the big picture of medicine admission, make sure this perspective doesn’t make you complacent with your current HPAT study, but instead helps to relieve excessive pressure you might be placing upon yourself, giving you a clearer head and some self-reassurance to perform optimally on test day.

Good luck with your HPAT study!

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