What is Health Profession Admission Test (HPAT)?

One of the most important requirements for studying Medical courses in Ireland is the HPAT score. Health Profession Admission Test is a type of entrance test which assists in the selection procedure of Medical and Health degree aspirants in Ireland. If you are planning to pursue a medical degree in Ireland then you must know that HPAT is a mandatory requirement for the application and admission procedure in medical universities. Here is everything about the HPAT examination, exam patterns, universities, and more!

Name of the Exam	Health Profession Admission Test
Conducting body	Conducting Body
Eligibility Criteria	All citizens of Ireland who are in the final year of schooling or have completed schooling
Conducted for	Selection of students in medicine and health profession degrees in Ireland
Application date	In the first week of January

Must Read: Which Country is Best for MBBS?

Benefits of HPAT Examination

There are many benefits of pursuing HPAT examination but most important is  

• HPAT Helps to Alleviate Nerves: HPAT being one of the prestigious examinations helps you counter nerves which are a sort of natural response to any hard examination.
• Identify Yourself: Another great factor of the HPAT examination is that it helps you in identifying your weaknesses as well as your strengths which are an important aspect of your life.
• Necessary for Medical Students: if you are a student who wants to pursue a career in health and medicine related degrees in Ireland then you must score well in HPAT as most of the universities in Ireland take admission based on HPAT scores.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility requirements for the HPAT examination is as follows:

• You are eligible for the HPAT examination when you are in the final year of school or if you have completed your schooling.
• You are supposed to give a school leaving certificate while applying.
• You are allowed to give as many attempts as you want as long as you are a bona fide applicant. If you are a 5th-year student then you are not a Bonafide student.
• You are only eligible for the examination if you are a resident of Ireland as International/non-EU students are exempted from the HPAT examination.

HPAT Exam Pattern

The HPAT examination is not the same as other academic excellence examinations. You will undergo a highly controlled and specific assessment of 2.5 hours which has 110 multiple-choice questions and three specific constructs that usually assess an array of non-knowledge-based skills and personal qualities you possess. The three sections of HPAT are given below 

HPAT Section 1	HPAT Section 2	HPAT Section 3
This section usually has logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. This section also has a couple of questions regarding analytical reasoning and are usually in written form but some questions may have visual cues like graphs, tables, or figures.	This section concludes interpersonal understanding and the questions are usually based upon short conversations and situation scenarios. You may have to choose from four options or in the form of a statement or one word.	This section on verbal has non-verbal reasoning. You are required to complete a sequence of a pattern or a diagram with the help of the logical four options given.
HPAT Sample Questions	HPAT Sample Questions	HPAT Sample Questions

Also Read: MBBS in Ireland

Top Universities that Accept HPAT

Most of the universities in Ireland have made HPAT scores mandatory for the admission process. The universities in Ireland that accept HPAT are

Name of the University	Name of the Course
University College Dublin	Undergraduate Medicine
University of Limerick	MSc. Speech and Language Therapy, MSC Occupational Therapy
National University of Ireland, Galway	Undergraduate medicine
Trinity College Dublin	Undergraduate medicine
University College Cork	Undergraduate medicine
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)	Undergraduate medicine

Application Process for Health Profession Admission Test

There are a few steps you need to follow if you are planning to attempt the HPAT examination. 

• First, you need to get yourself registered with the CAO or Central Application Office. The most important is the CAO number as it is mandatory and you won’t be able to sit in the exam without it. Usually, the registration starts in November and is open till January. 
• The examination is held in February every year. After this, you are required to create an account with HPAT. 
• After successfully creating an account with HPAT by visiting their official website you have to get registered for the test when the registration for the examination confirmation is open. 
• After registration, you will receive a payment confirmation and another registration in your email.

Average Cost of Health Profession Admission Test

The cost or fees for the HPAT examination is approximately €152.80 as registration fees and an additional fee of €6.00 for all UL applicants (who need to complete the Written English component). Make sure you do not get late as If you register late, you’ll need to pay an extra fee of €70 and if you register exceptionally late then you are required to pay €105.

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10 Reasons to Study in Ireland	Best Universities in Ireland
Cost of Studying in Ireland	January Intake in Ireland 2024

FAQs

Hope this blog helped you with the various requisites for the HPAT exam. Planning to pursue your studies in your dream university in Ireland? Sign up for a free session with Leverage Edu experts on 1800 572 000 and grab the opportunity to secure your admission!