Summer Study & HPATteacher’s Reading List

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A lot of students ask when they should start studying. It’s hard to give definite advice, but what I can tell you is what most students do.

In my opinion, the summer before 5th year is a little too early to start formal prep.

The summer before 6th year is the perfect time to start serious study. Some students begin a bit later, and that’s completely okay too.

No matter what stage of HPAT prep you're at, reading some of these books is what I’d recommend you do.

Since the HPAT is extremely time-intensive, I recommend all students start reading—even a little bit goes a long way. The main goal of reading is to increase your reading speed (a huge help for Section 1), and to build logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Another benefit of reading fiction is that it's been shown to increase empathy—perfect for improving your Section 2 performance! 

Source: (Bal PM, Veltkamp M. How does fiction reading influence empathy? An experimental investigation on the role of emotional transportation. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e55341.)

So, reading might not just be enjoyable—it could be a passive and powerful way of improving both Section 1 and Section 2. Work smart, not hard.

I personally didn’t read much until 5th year. My godfather’s son—who did very well in the HPAT—gave me this advice, and it was a game-changer. Every night from 5th year onwards, I’d read Harry Potter, which probably helped me more than I realized in my overall educational journey.

Now, aside from fiction, here are a few non-fiction books I highly recommend:

Also Human – Caroline Elton Unbelievable insight into the turbulent lives of doctors. A really good look into the emotional side of medicine. I recommend this to everyone.

This is Going to Hurt – Adam Kay Really funny—way better than the show—and also offers a great look into the lives of junior doctors.

How to Lie with Statistics – Darrell Huff This is a game-changer for Section 1. It’ll change the way you read the news. Fun fact: it’s also one of Bill Gates’ favourite books.

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning – Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger, Mark A. McDaniel I heard about this one from one of Ali Abdaal’s YouTube study guides. It makes learning way easier. If you don’t feel like reading it, check out his video: “How to Study for Exams – An Evidence-Based Masterclass” on YouTube.

The Speed Reading Book: Read More, Learn More, Achieve More – Tony Buzan I probably should’ve listed this first. While it wasn’t my favourite read, it’s super helpful for improving your speed—key for Section 1.

So, if you’re looking to get started with the HPAT—no matter what year you’re in—these are my go-to book recommendations. This list isn’t exhaustive, so if you have any recommendations of your own, I’d love to hear them: hpatteacher@gmail.com.

Hope this helped!