Ninth Level Ireland

“A Leaving Cert student who narrowly missed out on the points to study medicine has mounted a High Court challenge to the Leaving Cert calculated grades system. This is the first of what may be several High Court challenges against the system used to calculate Leaving Certificate results during Covid 19 …” (more)

[Ann O’Loughlin, BreakingNews.ie, 16 September]

“Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that recently took their HPAT exams; his views on whether these exams took place in and around the time of the pre-examinations those students with an ambition to study medicine would have focused more on the HPAT than the pre-leaving certificate; his further views on whether these students are now at a distinct disadvantage in view of the recent announcement that their calculated grades will be partially based on those pre-results; his plans to provide equity for these students; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 9 June]

“The Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has welcomed the decision to defer this year’s HPAT-Ireland results until after the leaving certificate examinations are complete, bringing them in line with previous years …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 23 April]

“If I were to ask someone to list the qualities that they believe are central to being a good doctor, I imagine that they would most likely focus, in some form or another, on those relating to intelligence, dedication and personality. Naturally, you would therefore assume that the application procedures for medical courses nationally would assess candidates for such characteristics …” (more)

[Jake Gilchrist, University Times, 25 October]

“The modern day Irish medical student is likely to be young, female, Dublin-based and from an affluent background. That is according to a Higher Education Authority study on the profile of medical students. The report provides a stark snapshot of who our future healthcare professionals will be and how lacking in diversity the student body is compared to many other sectors of society …” (more)

[Aine McMahon, Irish Times, 10 April]

“It is time to review the HPAT aptitude test Leaving Certificate students must pass when applying for medicine at third level in Ireland, the president-elect of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) Prof Mary Horgan has said …” (more)

[Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, 16 Ocotber]

“A study from University College Cork has recently been published investigating the link between medical students’ scores on HPAT Section 2 and a questionnaire called the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. The researchers’ conclusion was that ‘JSE [Jefferson Scale of Empathy] values did not correlate with HPAT-Ireland scores’. Is this something we should be concerned about? …” (more)

[Kevin O’Rourke, Trinity News, 24 September]

“The group behind the Hpat assessment, which is taken by students hoping to pursue a career in medicine, has defended the test’s ability to assess emotional intelligence, saying it successfully examines candidates’ ‘thoughts, feelings and behaviour’. Research published last week by doctors from University College Cork found that Hpat assessment results were not consistent with students’ self-reported empathy levels …” (more)

[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 11 September]

“The recent media coverage around the HPAT is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, the idea that you should even attempt to test an 18/19-year old’s character for its suitability for a career in medicine before subjecting them to six years of tough undergraduate study followed by a grueling apprenticeship as a junior doctor, seems daft …” (more)

[educationandstuff, 11 September]

“A new study has shown that the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT) does not accurately test empathetic or interpersonal skills. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal Open, assessed empathy levels in 290 undergraduate medical students from University College Cork …” (more)

[Aoife Ní Chadhain, Trinity News, 8 September]

“The Australian body which administers an Irish medical education screening test warned it was inaccurate to claim it was not doing what it was originally designed for. The Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) administers the Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT) which all Irish prospective medical students must sit alongside their Leaving Cert …” (more)

[Ralph Riegel, Independent, 8 September]

“Empathy levels and emotional intelligence are not being properly assessed under the Health Professions Admission Test (Hpat) which was introduced to make medical school more accessible to aspiring doctors, researchers claim. Doctors from University College Cork (UCC) say results from the Hpat assessment, which is a requirement for students hoping to pursue a career in medicine, were not consistent with students’ self-reported empathy levels …” (more)

[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 4 September]

“A new study has found no evidence that a test specifically designed to assist Irish people with strong interpersonal skills and empathy to enter the medical profession is doing what it was designed for. The examination, the Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT), was introduced in 2009 in a bid to widen the entry access to medical courses in Ireland …” (more)

[Ralph Riegel, Independent, 3 September]

“Sir, – Dr David Doran (August 26th) rightly condemns the health professions admission test (HPAT) for entry to medicine as unproven, unreliable, unfair and absurd, and suggests that an egalitarian and fair alternative should be sought …” (more)

[John McAvoy, Irish Times, 12 September]

“A chara, – While forms of aptitude testing have certainly been in use for some time, there is a lack of evidence to suggest that the predictive value of such an aptitude test has had a positive impact on the selection of medical students and future doctors …” (more)

[Letters, Irish Times, 26 August]

“Sir, – HPAT has long been criticised by various groups for being unverified and unreliable, but what is the alternative? If HPAT is scrapped, the points required for medicine will skyrocket …” (more)

[Edward Boyapati, Irish Times, 25 August]

“Sir, – As CAO points for undergraduate medical school entry drop further again this year, some may suggest that this may be the first positive impact of the HPAT aptitude test introduced seven years ago …” (more)

[Dara Kilmartin, Irish Times, 24 August]

“The scores recorded in the HPat assessment for medical school entry have fallen for the second year in a row. A student getting 194 marks (out of 300) in the Hpat in 2013 had 10% of students ahead of them, whereas …” (more)

[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 22 June]

“A leading consultant in emergency medicine has hit out at Ireland’s inability to keep medical graduates in the country, blaming a ‘fatuous’ entry system. Chris Luke, an A&E specialist based in Cork, described this problem as ‘the greatest threat’ to the quality of care in emergency departments …” (more)

[Kelly O’Brien, Irish Examiner, 24 March]

“Sir, – It is now ten years since I wrote to The Irish Times, lamenting the declining retention rate among our precious medical graduates. Far too many of them were opting out of full-time careers to pursue ‘work-life-balance’ …” (more)

[Chris Luke, Irish Times, 12 March]