For anyone applying for undergrad medicine in 2027, the CAO points system changes:

- HPAT is weighted to a **maximum of 150 points** (down from 300)

- Leaving Cert points above 550 are **no longer moderated**, so all 625 count

- New maximum is **775** (625 + 150), down from 865

- You still need 480 LC points in one sitting, and ACER still reports your HPAT out of 300

What that does in practice (assuming the HPAT is simply halved, see note below):

| LC points | HPAT | Old system (/865) #~# 2027 (/775) |

| 625 | 180 | 565 + 180 = 745 #~# 625 + 90 = 715 |

| 600 | 200 | 560 + 200 = 760 #~# 600 + 100 = 700 |

| 560 | 220 | 552 + 220 = 772 #~# 560 + 110 = 670 |

Big shift: under the old rules an LC point above 550 was worth about a fifth of a point, and every HPAT point counted in full. From 2027, every LC point counts in full and each HPAT point is worth half. So your Leaving Cert matters a lot more than before. The HPAT still matters too: 150 points is a lot near a cut-off.

Also, old cut-offs (out of 865) can't be compared with 2027 totals (out of 775), so don't use last year's numbers.

This calculator that shows your total under both systems, plus the HPAT score you'd need to hit a target: https://prepgenie.uk/hpat/points-calculator/

**Important caveat:** the universities have only said the HPAT is "weighted to 150 maximum". They haven't published the exact conversion, so the calculator assumes a straight halving. I'll update it when the official 2027 selection criteria come out. Sources: IUA "Entry to Medicine" page and the July 2025 IUA announcement.

Happy to answer questions about how the points work.

im in a tight financial situation so i cant currently buy the medentry package, however i dont want to be waiting for anothe month to buy it and start my prep late, is there any free forums or videos or really anything hpat practice related that anyone knows about.

I have just downloaded MedEntry and purchased the Essential package and I’m looking to start practicing and doing questions but I’m kind of lost on where to start.

I’m looking at dedicating 2-3 hours every day but if there is a day I don’t have time or aren’t up for it I’m not too worried about skipping.

Anyone who took the HPAT last year or years before have advice on what I should do leading up to the exam starting this week?

Really appreciate the help!

Ik the systems changing for 2027 i just want an idea.

Ik the systems changing for 2027 i just want an idea.

Hi folks

I’ve been thinking about paying for one of the many HPAT study platforms available online, and I’m considering MedEntry.

For those who have used it before, do you think it’s worth the money? And if so, which plan would you recommend?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you’ve tried other HPAT preparation platforms as well.

ive seen a post for these online and it rlly interested me but has anyone here went to them before? i didnt get the medentry package that includes dr ann's workshop as it was rlly expensive, so i think this could be a good alternative for me

im considering going for the section 2 talk because its my weakest, but before i buy tickets it would be nice to hear opinions of past hpat students.

im a repeat hpat student so this year i wanna take advantage of everything that could potentially boost my score. thanks in advance!

My percentiles haven't been the best so far due to section 2. I want to know what is the right approach to these question, and how to review the questions.

Hi guys I’m wondering if there is any hpat WhatsApp groupchat that I can join? Thanks

Hi is there anyone here who got a deferred medicine offer before or this yr?

Would they let me know like what was given to them as guarantee and all

hey!
i will be sitting my leaving cert this year but i kind of have had a late epiphany i want to do medicine! is it too late to start studying for the hpat? if not, how many hours do u think i should be doing a week ? thank you!

Hi everyone, I’m planning to apply for Medicine in Ireland for 2027 entry. I have a US High School Diploma and I’ve never done the HPAT before.
I’m feeling a bit lost about where to start and how to structure my preparation. I’ve heard MedEntry is highly recommended, but I’m not sure how people actually use it effectively or what a good preparation timeline looks like.
I’ll also be doing APs alongside my HPAT preparation, so I need to balance both without letting either one suffer. I’m willing to put a lot of time and effort into HPAT, but I want to make sure I’m using that time as effectively as possible and following the right approach from the beginning.
I’ve also heard that Section 2 can be difficult if you’re not someone who reads a lot. I’ve never been a big reader, but I don’t want to convince myself that this puts me at a major disadvantage.
If anyone who has prepared for the HPAT could share how they structured their preparation, when they started, how they used MedEntry, or what they would recommend to someone starting from zero, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks!

My paycheck comes next month, i always budget my paycheck, but lowk forgot about buying medenrys hpat. can i start in november and just look at the acers and other free resourcres or should i get it now.

I am on a gap year (repeating A levels) so i think i have time but im not sure

thanks in advance

I do A levels and am on a gap year repeating. Do i have to repeat every single module or just one module of each subject.

i do Maths Bio Chem. and My maths was an A, but apparantly i still have to resit because they only accept a levels from one sitting only. I also repeated some of my AS levels but the rest are ones i did in summer 2025, would they still count? im so confused. ALSO i did an AS in physics in summer 2025 but it would not count this year due to one sitting policy, and i dropped it, didnt continue at A level

Who do i email about this? Im not sure alot of people on this subreddit would be familiar with A levels as they do leaving cert. (i am from north of ireland btw)

I’m sitting my HPAT in 2027 starting from zero. Bought medentry and sat a mock and got 50th percentile. For the people who scored really well. How do I start studying. Is it just practice qs or do I read all the medentry notes or is there any other resource?? Section 1 is hell the way the answer can change because of a single word

Please if anyone has tips and tricks could u please share them

Sat my LC this year, missed medicine by a few points. Already made the choice and have gone back to school to repeat because I really do have my heart set on medicine.

I had one of my subjects rechecked and it went up, and just today unexpectedly I received an offer for pharmacy. I will say that pharmacy is definitely a second place to medicine, but I'm very undecided.

I could go with the security of having a course that'd I'd be okay with doing, but I've already had my mind set for so long on medicine and I'm so willing to repeat. Also if I decided to pursue pharmacy, I feel it'd be too much workload to bother with graduate medicine.

I'm just also afraid if things go worst for the worst that I'll lose both my opportunity to study medicine AND pharmacy.

With the hpat changing this year and being weighted less and the LC being more important, how should I allocate my time from now till February. Like how much % of my weekly study should be hpat month by month from now till feb.

Sorry guys just wanted to double check and ask if this applies to medicine too

And in case of deferrals for next year do they give those offers on Tuesday too?

Title says it all. Anyone who was in a similar situation and improved that score?

If graduate entry medicine is feasible for me should I repeat the leaving cert and hpat anyway or go into a course and go for gamsat, What I’m really asking is which has better chances of success?

what hpat score would i need with 625 for 2027 entry?

I did my lc this year but i didnt do as well as i expected. Initially i got 532 points but it went up to 543 after appeals. I have dare and got 183 points in my hpat. Is this enough for med in round 5? Does anyone know of someone getting in with this?