HPAT preparation

Try five questions across the three reasoning sections. Choose your answers, check the explanations and review where your reasoning differed. No account is needed.

HPAT guidance checked 24 October 2026.

Free HPAT-style practice questions

Five original MedPath questions, with explanations for every answer choice. Choose an answer before checking it. These are independent practice questions, not ACER questions or a scored mock test.

Section 1: logical reasoning and problem solving

Two centres run the same practical skills assessment. The table records results from one intake. Trainees chose their centre; they were not randomly assigned.

Number passing / number assessed
Centre	Beginners	Experienced trainees
A	12 / 40	108 / 120
B	42 / 100	38 / 40

A manager says: “Centre A has the higher overall pass rate, so a trainee would be more likely to pass by choosing A.”

Question 1Which observation most directly challenges the manager’s reasoning?

A.The centres assessed different total numbers of trainees.B.Experienced trainees passed more often than beginners at both centres.C.Centre B had a higher pass rate within each experience group.D.Centre A recorded more passes in total than Centre B.

Answer C. Enable JavaScript to check a choice interactively.

C. Among beginners, B’s pass rate was 42%, against A’s 30%. Among experienced trainees, it was 95%, against A’s 90%. A’s higher combined rate reflects a different mix: three quarters of its trainees were experienced, compared with fewer than a third at B.

A’s combined rate was 120/160 = 75%; B’s was 80/140, about 57%. The manager has compared groups with different starting experience. Even the within-group differences do not prove that either centre caused better results, because trainees chose where to attend.

A: different sample sizes alone do not invalidate a comparison of rates.
B: this identifies experience as relevant, but does not compare the centres within either group.
D: the total number passing does not establish an individual trainee’s chance of passing.

Six talks, labelled A to F, must fill six consecutive slots, one talk per slot. All of these rules apply:

A must be before B, and B must be before F.
C must be immediately before D.
E must be in the third slot.

Question 2Which statement must be true?

A.B is immediately after A.B.C is after E.C.F is in the sixth slot.D.D is immediately before F.

Answer A. Enable JavaScript to check a choice interactively.

A. The C–D pair cannot cross slot 3, which is occupied by E. It must occupy slots 1–2, 4–5 or 5–6. In each case, fitting A, B and F into the remaining slots in that order leaves A and B next to each other.

The only complete orders are A–B–E–C–D–F, A–B–E–F–C–D and C–D–E–A–B–F.

B: C is before E in the third order.
C: F is fourth in the second order.
D: D immediately precedes F only in the first order. Something that can happen need not always happen.

Section 2: interpersonal understanding

Read the passage, then answer Question 3.

Priya had spent three weeks writing a walking tour for the local museum. The evening before the committee meeting, Owen emailed everyone a revised version. “I’ve tidied up the draft so Priya won’t have to go through it all again,” he wrote.

At the meeting, Priya thanked him for correcting the directions between two streets. When the chair suggested using the new script for Saturday’s trial, she put her original opening beside it. “Could we try both introductions?” she asked. “I’d like to hear how they sound with a group.”

Afterwards, a colleague said, “It must be nice to have one job taken off your list.”

“It would have been nice to see it before the committee did,” Priya said.

“He probably thought you were too busy.”

Priya folded the two scripts together. “I was busy when I wrote the first one, too.”

Question 3Which interpretation best fits Priya’s response as a whole?

A.She is pleased Owen has taken responsibility, but wants her version available as a backup.B.She accepts that the rewrite was necessary, but is embarrassed by the weaknesses in her work.C.She welcomes some improvements, but is uncomfortable with being bypassed in work she developed.D.She welcomes comments from others, but regards Owen’s changes as largely unhelpful.

Answer C. Enable JavaScript to check a choice interactively.

C. Priya praises the clearer directions while asking to compare the introductions. Her private remark about the committee seeing the revision first points to how it was handled. She can value an edit and still object to being left out.

A: she asks to try both introductions, rather than simply keep hers in reserve. She does not indicate that she wants Owen to take responsibility.
B: embarrassment about poor work is possible in the abstract, but the passage gives stronger evidence of concern about being bypassed. She does not accept the rewrite as necessary.
D: her specific praise and willingness to compare introductions do not support a broad rejection of his changes.

These questions have not been trialled with candidates. They cannot estimate an HPAT score, percentile or readiness for the test. For questions used in the actual exam, use ACER’s official practice materials.

How to prepare for the HPAT

Start by learning the question formats. ACER says the test does not require a particular subject curriculum, and that familiarity with question types helps. Its preparation guidance also cautions against last-minute cramming.

A workable study plan separates understanding from speed. First attempt a short set without rushing and explain each answer. Then practise within a section’s time limit. Review the questions you guessed correctly as well as those you missed.

Keep a useful error log

Write down the error you made, rather than just the question number: compared totals instead of proportions; inferred an emotion the passage did not support; followed rotation but missed a shading change. On your next set, check for that specific mistake.

Practise the full timing

The latest published section limits are 60, 50 and 40 minutes. Each is separately timed. Use full-length material to rehearse the sequence once you understand the formats. A short practice set cannot test endurance or predict your performance.

Balance preparation with the Leaving Cert

Put practice sessions beside your school timetable and review what you actually completed each week. If a plan repeatedly crowds out essential subject work, reduce its scope. There is no single study schedule that guarantees admission.

For 2027 entry, full Leaving Cert points count and HPAT contributes up to 150. Keep both parts of the application in view; the points calculator explains the different scales.

Official questions and preparation courses

ACER’s preparation materials are the official source of past test questions. You can purchase materials through an ACER account without registering for the test. Buying them does not complete test registration.

The online platform demo described in the current booklet is for registered candidates to learn the test interface. It is unmarked familiarisation, rather than a scored practice exam.

Before paying for a third-party resource, check whether you can inspect a sample explanation, practise each section’s timing, revisit mistakes and see how long access lasts. Check the total price and cancellation terms. A claim about a provider’s successful students does not establish what the course will do for you.

ACER does not endorse third-party preparation courses. Independent practice questions should be identified as such.

MedPath’s study resource

A separate MedPath HPAT study resource is planned. This page will link to it when it launches. The worked examples above are available now.

Before you book

Check the HPAT registration calendar and fee. Medicine applicants need a CAO number first. For course subjects, access routes and fees, use the medicine entry guide.