Join the next generation of Irish doctors: What Leaving Cert subjects are needed for medicine?

What points do you need for medicine in Ireland?

In theory, the answer to the question “How many Leaving Cert points are needed for medicine?” is that the minimum medical school requirements in Ireland are 480 CAO points. However, given that competition for places is so fierce, it’s more realistic to think of 520 and up as the starting point for the Leaving Cert points range for medicine.

Due to the practice of “adjusting” or standardising points, the maximum you can get is 565. 

Leaving Cert results are adjusted to keep overall results more or less in line with previous years and prevent what is called “grade inflation”. Adjustment kicks in when students get over 550 points. If you get higher than this, every 5 extra is adjusted to 1 point. 

What Leaving Cert subjects do you need for medicine?

Here is a handy guide to the specific medical school requirements in Ireland, showing you what subjects are needed to become a doctor in Ireland. Note that all colleges ask for 480 points minimum and an HPAT admission test.

What HPAT points do you need for medicine in Ireland?

However, Leaving Cert results aren’t the whole story when it comes to medical school requirements in Ireland. As most applicants to medical courses get Leaving cert points around the 550 mark, what can really make the difference are your results from the HPAT. 

HPAT stands for Health Professions Admission Test. Because there are so many applicants for medical courses in Ireland, universities use this additional test to help them decide which students will make good doctors. 🏆

The HPAT will test your logical reasoning, problem-solving, interpersonal understanding, and non-verbal reasoning.

Getting a high score on the HPAT is usually the make or break factor for getting into the best universities for medicine in Ireland.

Your HPAT score is added to your Leaving Cert points total to give you a combined score. In 2021, the minimum required combined score was 743.

The theoretical maximum in the HPAT is 300. If you achieved this and the top score in the Leaving Cert you would have a combined score of 865. But it’s tough to get a very high score on the HPAT. Over 170 is seen as a very good result and only 20% of students got 170 or higher in 2019. 

Minimum required HPAT and Leaving Cert combined scores

Here are the minimum required combined scores for entry to the best universities for medicine in Ireland from 2019 to 2021:

As you can see, the combined HPAT and Leaving cert points range for medicine have gone up a fair bit. This was because, during the pandemic, most students decided to choose for their Leaving Cert points to be calculated or receive Accredited Grades instead of sitting traditional exams. But it turned out that points achieved using this system tended to be higher than the points earned in other years. 

However, the Department of Education expects the Leaving Certificate Exam in 2022 to return to the pre-COVID-19 system and there will not be any calculated points. What’s more, with the government promising to add hundreds of extra places on medical courses, overall results and entry requirements should return to the previous range. So, the minimum requirements of points from the 2019 system are probably a better guide as to what to expect in the near future. 

You face a lot of competition if you have your heart set on becoming a doctor. You will have to devote much of your time and energy to studying and excelling academically across the board. Here at GoStudent, we have expert professional tutors available to help you every step of the way in both the Leaving Cert and the HPAT. Our tutors can help you get to grips with any challenging topics, advise you on revision strategies and provide you with effective exam techniques.

Sign up for a free trial class today and see how we can set you on the path to success! 🌟