24th September 2025
When Should I Sit My First HPAT Practice Exam?
Whether you’ve already begun to prepare for the HPAT or are just setting up a HPAT study plan, you’ve probably asked yourself the question: when should I sit my first HPAT full-length practice exam? Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward, cookie-cutter answer. The answer to this question can vary. However, it should be noted that there’s not necessarily a “wron ...
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22nd September 2025
When Should I Start Preparing for the HPAT?
This is a very common question that students ask about HPAT. When you first start to research HPAT it can seem overwhelming and confusing. You may have many questions such as: How should I approach HPAT preparation? When should I start my HPAT prep? Do I need to prepare for the HPAT? These are all very valid questions, and this blog explores them in more detail. Is it worth prepari ...
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15th September 2025
6 Ways to Make HPAT Study More Effective
Fifty years of educational research shows that effective learners (for HPAT or other learning) have one - preferably all - of the following six characteristics. 1. Encounter challenging ideas or people Basically, this is Newton's First Law of Motion in action in the academic, cognitive, psychosocial, attitudinal and career-preparation dimensions of your education: a body will r ...
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9th September 2025
Options for Pursuing Medicine in Ireland
With the release of Leaving Cert scores recently, some students may be wondering what options they have for getting into medicine. Irish students are fortunate – there are many options for studying medicine both in Ireland and abroad. This blog describes them in detail. 1. Undergraduate medicine Entry into undergraduate medicine is based on a combination of adjusted leaving c ...
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9th September 2025
Considering Repeating HPAT/Leaving Cert? Here’s Some Advice From Someone Who Has Done It Before
So you have just received your HPAT and Leaving Certificate results and unfortunately have not been accepted into Medicine this year - what next? This was the situation I, and indeed many other Medicine hopefuls, faced on results day. The first reaction you may have is one of obvious disappointment, followed by the monumental task of considering the myriad of options on what to do next: Sho ...
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9th September 2025
Planning Time for HPAT Preparation
A very common question asked by aspiring medical students is "How do you balance your school work and HPAT practice?" Given that the HPAT can be equally or even more important than your leaving cert in the medical school selection process, it is crucial that students devote sufficient time to preparing for the HPAT, without neglecting their 6th year studies. ...
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9th September 2025
Getting the Most From Your HPAT Practice Exams
With every passing week, the date of your HPAT exam is inching closer. Perhaps you are working through the MedEntry curriculum modules, QBank and skills trainers. This will all aid your preparation, but an important question is, have you completed a full-length HPAT practice exam yet? Completing a full-length HPAT practice exam can be intimidating and even scary. It is easy to spend t ...
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9th September 2025
Medicine – The Big Picture
So you’re going into your final year of schooling, and you’re super duper set on being a doctor. There are lots of ways you can keep hold of medicine as a big picture throughout this long and sometimes arduous year. By putting some of these points into action now, you will increase your chances of getting straight into med, pump up your motivation over the year, and be an awesome ...
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2nd September 2025
5 Months Until HPAT
Five months until the HPAT testing period begins! Are you feeling overwhelmed or stressed by your workload this year? Stress is a common problem that affects all of us at some point in our lives, but is stress bad for you? According to Kelly McGonigal stress isn’t the problem, it’s the mind’s negative response to stress that’s the problem. McGonigal ex ...
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28th August 2025
10 Tips for Surviving Your First Year of Medicine
Medicine is tough, really tough, but you've made it this far so you're tougher. First year is a whirlwind and at times can seem overwhelming, but having made it through to the other side of those first few full-on months, I can hand on heart say that everyone is telling the truth when they say college will be the best time of your life. You'll have ups and downs, I can guarantee ...
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