HPAT Special Report The best way to prepare for the HPAT is to be familiar with the types of questions that will be asked. Here are sample questions from each of the test sections
The Institute of Education on Lower Leeson Street in Dublin has worked with psychometric assessment developers and experts in education to formulate mock materials that are close to the type of questions that are on the HPAT. They have allowed Irish Medical Times to reproduce some of their materials, and have given us some last-minute coaching on how to approach each section.
Each section in the HPAT-Ireland exam, which students will sit on February 27 this year, will assess a different set of abilities.
The first is logical reasoning and problem solving; the second is interpersonal understanding; and the third is non-verbal reasoning.
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SECTION 1: Question 1
This section tests your logical reasoning and problem-solving abilities. You are likely to get a short piece of text or a chart and you will have to draw logical conclusions from it to get the answer.
What can be implied from this extract?
The rise in the confirmed number of cases of measles is blamed on the relatively low take-up of the combined MMR jab over the last decade. This was triggered by now-discredited research claiming there was a link between the jab and autism.
An immunisation expert said, ‘There were 990 measles cases last year, compared to 1,080 measles cases to the end of October this year. This is the highest number of measles cases recorded in England and Wales since the current method of monitoring the disease was introduced in 1995’.
There is now a large number of children who are not fully vaccinated for MMR. This means that measles is spreading easily among unvaccinated children.
A. Despite research evidence, there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
B. On average, there were 90 cases of measles per month last year.
C. If the current trend continues, there will be just over 300 more confirmed cases of measles this year versus last year.
D. Unvaccinated children now stand more than a 30% chance of contracting measles than those who have been vaccinated.
Approach
The important thing to remember for this type of question is to read the material carefully, but do not linger. Start by ruling out the options that are not correct one by one.
Be careful when doing these questions – you should only use information on the page, and not other facts that you may already know. This is not testing your knowledge, it is testing your ability to reason from text.
Answer: C
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SECTION 1: Question 2
The graphs above show some of the recorded causes of death in 2007 for people who died in Ireland in comparison to the average for countries of a similar size and also the European Economic Community (EEC) average.
In considering the information provided, which one of the following statements is true?
A. Ireland had a larger number of deaths in 2007 than the EEC.
B. Recorded deaths for cancer in similar sized countries was lower than the previous year.
C. Overall, Ireland recorded more deaths per 1,000 population from the above causes in 2007 than either the EEC average or countries of a similar size.
D. Overall, about ten per cent more people died in Ireland in 2007 than in countries of a similar size.
Approach
Examine what the data is really showing you. Eliminate the answers that can’t be correct, and then test the remaining answers against the graph.
Answer: C
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SECTION 2: Question 1
This section contains questions, usually short essays, which will test your verbal comprehension, your understanding of word meanings and your understanding of inter-personal relationships.
In many ways they are similar to Q1 in section 1. But the answer might be a little more ambiguous — in this case you’re looking for a best-fit response.
The following conversation is between a father and a child whose wife/mother has just passed away. The child was known to be very close to his mother.
Child: ‘Why did mother have to leave?’
Father: ‘Your mother didn’t make that decision, it was made for her.’
Child: ‘I think she didn’t love me.’
Father: ‘She loved you more than anything in the world. You have to understand that she didn’t choose to leave this world.’
Child: ‘With mother gone, I feel lonely. You’re always working now and are never home.’
Father: ‘I have to work more, now that we only rely on one salary. I know this isn’t an easy time for you, but if I want to take care of you, I have to work more.’
Child: ‘If you want to take care of me, you should stay at home with me.’
What best describes the dad’s reaction to his child’s criticism of him not being at home?
A. Defensive
B. Hurt
C. Aggressive
D. Insecure
Approach
The best way to figure out the correct answer is by eliminating the incorrect ones. Make sure you fully understand what the question is referring to. It would be a person, an action or an emotion. Some of the potential answers might make sense to some degree in the context of the question, but only one will be correct. You should select the one that is best supported by the evidence.
Answer: A. Defensive
(The line that begins ‘I have to work more…’ is the key point. The father’s reaction cannot be classified as any of the other three responses.)
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SECTION 3: Question 1
This section tests your non-verbal reasoning. The questions will have similar format and similar way of solving them. They are centered around concepts like ‘next in series’ or ‘middle of sequence’.
Approach
The primary goal is to identify the pattern in operation and identify a predictable sequence involving shapes, numbers, shading or rotations. Work to find the answer directly rather then by elimination. If you are not able to identify the pattern, try eliminating the ones that aren’t correct. But be careful to stay within your planned time. As always, an intelligent guess might be rewarded.
Answer: E
(The shape in the middle row of each column is placed ‘over’ of the shape at the tope of each column, obscuring any underlying pattern. The shape is also rotated by 90° clockwise.)
About Greg Baxter
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