Master the HPAT
Everything you need to understand HPAT-Ireland: what each section tests, how the timing works, how your score feeds into CAO points for medicine, plus a practice timer and a progress tracker to keep you honest.
- 2.5 hours
- 114 multiple-choice questions
- 3 timed sections
- Sat online, remotely proctored
Live online HPAT classes taught by a doctor who scored in the 99th percentile himself. Every technique, every question type, every section.
Proud supporter of MyCareerVerse · acethehpat.com
Your HPAT score is still out of 300, but for CAO it is now weighted to a maximum of 150 points (it was 300 up to 2026). Leaving Cert points above 550 are no longer moderated down, so the combined maximum is 775.
What is HPAT-Ireland?
The Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT-Ireland) is an aptitude test developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). It does not test school subjects. It measures how you reason, how well you read people, and how you handle abstract patterns under time pressure, and it sits alongside your Leaving Cert when the CAO ranks applicants for undergraduate medicine.
- Required for undergraduate medicineAt Trinity, UCD, UCC, Galway, RCSI and UL
- Valid for one year onlyYou must sit it in the year you apply through the CAO
- Nothing to memoriseNo syllabus; the gains come from technique and timed practice
- 480 Leaving Cert points minimumIn one sitting, before your HPAT score is counted
Why the HPAT still matters
In 2026 every medical school filled its places within an 11-point band, and five of the six had to draw lots at the cut-off. Even at half the old weighting, a few HPAT points decide who gets the offer.
The three sections
Each section is timed separately. You cannot go back to an earlier section, or bank spare time for a later one.
Tests how well you analyse information and reach sound conclusions. Questions are built on short passages, tables, graphs and logic puzzles.
- Drawing valid conclusions from a set of premises
- Interpreting charts, tables and experimental data
- Spotting patterns, rules and relationships
- Weighing up arguments and hidden assumptions
Tests how well you understand what people are thinking and feeling. Questions are based on scenarios, dialogues and short narratives about people.
- Reading emotions from what people say and do
- Seeing a situation from more than one point of view
- Explaining why someone reacted the way they did
- Telling apart similar feelings (annoyed, hurt, resentful)
Tests abstract reasoning with shapes and patterns, with no language involved. The same question types come up every year, so timed practice pays off.
- Next in the series
- Missing segment in a grid or matrix
- Middle of the sequence
- Tracking rotation, reflection, counting and shading rules
This is a separate written component that only applies to applicants for the MSc in Occupational Therapy and the MSc in Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Limerick. If you are a school leaver applying for undergraduate medicine, you do not sit it. Details and the extra fee are on the ACER site.
Want someone to teach you all three sections, question type by question type?
How the test is built, and how it is scored
The time per question is tight in every section. Knowing your pace before test day is half the battle.
| Section | Questions | Time | Pace per question | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 1 Logical Reasoning & Problem Solving | 42 | 60 min | about 86 seconds | 40% |
| Section 2 Interpersonal Understanding | 42 | 50 min | about 71 seconds | 40% |
| Section 3 Non-Verbal Reasoning | 30 | 40 min | 80 seconds | 20% |
| Total | 114 | 150 min | All multiple choice. No marks lost for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank. | |
How your score is worked out
Each section is reported on a scale of 0 to 100. Your overall score out of 300 weights them 2 : 2 : 1, and you also get a percentile showing how you ranked against everyone who sat the test that year.
Remote proctoring
You sit the test on your own computer, supervised live through ProctorU. You need a quiet private room, a webcam and microphone, a stable connection and valid photo ID. Run ACER's system check well in advance.
Reasonable adjustments
Extra time and other supports are available for candidates with a documented disability or condition. Apply through ACER with your documents as early as you can; late applications carry an extra charge.
The HPAT calendar
The next test is in February 2027. ACER had not published the full 2027 timetable when this page was last reviewed, so last year's dates are shown as a guide.
| Step | 2026 test (last cycle) | What to expect for 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Registration opens | November 2025 | November 2026 |
| Standard registration closes | 16 January 2026, 5:15pm | Mid January 2027 |
| Late registration closes | 26 January 2026 (extra fee) | Late January 2027 |
| Test | 13 to 16 February 2026 | February 2027 |
| Registration fee | €164 | Confirm with ACER |
| CAO application | Separate from HPAT registration. You must also apply to the CAO by 1 February and list medicine by the same date. | |
Practice timer
Pick a section and work to the real time limit. The pace line tells you which question you should be on.
Your progress tracker
Tick off each milestone as you reach it. Your ticks are saved on this device, so they will still be here next time.
Section 1: Logical Reasoning
Section 2: Interpersonal Understanding
Section 3: Non-Verbal Reasoning
Test-day readiness
Prepare with Ace the HPAT
ACE THE HPAT
The 2026/27 course runs from September to February, in two stages, finishing just before the test.
Complete HPAT Prep Course
- September to February, both stages
- 10 live two-hour classes online
- 10 full-length mock exams
- Learning modules for all three sections
Stage 2 HPAT Prep Course
- January to February
- The final run-in before the test
- 5 live two-hour classes online
- Stage 1 (Sept to Dec) is also €225
Self-Study: Exams 1 to 10
- 10 full-length mock exams
- Work through them in your own time
- Or take five exams for €75
- Pairs well with the timer above
Ace the HPAT is an independent course provider and a paid sponsor of MyCareerVerse. Prices shown are from acethehpat.com for 2026/27 and may change. ACER, which runs the HPAT, does not endorse any preparation course.
Free and official resources
Your route to medical school starts with a plan
Register in good time, practise against the clock, and review every mistake. Small, steady gains across three sections add up to the points that separate an offer from a near miss.
Test structure, scoring and dates are taken from ACER's HPAT-Ireland information for the 2026 cycle; always confirm the current details at hpat-ireland.acer.org. The HPAT Toolkit is supported by Ace the HPAT. Page last reviewed October 2026.