Medical school aptitude test change delayed

Medical schools have delayed making changes to the controversial aptitude test used to select entrants but acknowledge that its use is causing a number of distortions for young people who wish to become doctors.

The deans of the five schools teaching undergraduate medicine are asking for the issue to be considered as part of a wider examination of college entry systems being undertaken by the Irish Universities Association.

But in a report on the Health Professions Admission Test, which has been used in combination with Leaving Certificate results since 2009, it has emerged that one third of medical school entrants since 2010 had repeated the test and got a place on foot of an improved score.