Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2014
251. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the number of private colleges offering tuition courses in the health professions admission test; and if his Department has made any assessment on the impact this private tuition may be having on the final student cohort entering medicine in universities. [29360/14]
View answerThe selection criteria and process for admission to medical schools is a matter for the Deans of medical schools in universities in line with their statutory autonomy in relation to academic affairs.
The HPAT – Ireland test was chosen by the Deans through an international tender process which included criteria that there should be little evidence of benefit to candidates who (i) repeated the test or (ii) accessed commercial coaching provided by private colleges.
An Interim Review of the HPAT entrance mechanism was presented in July 2012 which, among other things, found that candidates who undertook commercial HPAT-Ireland preparatory courses appeared to slightly outperform candidates who do not do so.
In order to address this issue, the Review recommended that all candidates should be given greater opportunities to familiarise themselves with the test format and the rationale supporting the selection of correct responses through provision of more extensive preparation materials. This recommendation was noted by the Deans of the Medical schools and has been implemented.
The Review Group also recommended a further interim review of the HPAT process be undertaken in due course to assess the effectiveness of this amelioration in addressing the issue.
