Free HPAT-Ireland preparation resource
HPAT Section 1 Practice Questions: Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Test your ability to understand information, apply rules, interpret data, evaluate evidence and select the best-supported conclusion with 10 HPAT-style Section 1 practice questions.
What does HPAT Section 1 assess?
According to ACER, HPAT-Ireland Section 1 assesses logical reasoning and problem solving. It involves comprehending and analysing information to formulate a solution or plausible hypothesis. Questions are written, although some may present information visually or in tables. The current official structure allocates 60 minutes to 42 Section 1 questions.
Question 1
A shallow coastal lagoon receives phosphorus from surrounding farms. Excess phosphorus encourages algal growth, and when algae decompose, dissolved oxygen can fall. Researchers divided twelve similar lagoon inlets into four groups of three. For six months, Group W received floating reed beds, intended to absorb dissolved nutrients; Group A received mechanical aerators, which mixed oxygen into the water but did not remove phosphorus; Group C received both treatments; and Group U received neither. Average results are shown below. Measurements were taken at the same time each morning. During the study, Group U experienced two unusually calm weeks, whereas wind conditions at the other inlets were typical. The researchers noted that wind can mix oxygen into surface water but should not directly remove phosphorus.
| Group | Phosphorus before (mg/L) | Phosphorus after (mg/L) | Oxygen before (mg/L) | Oxygen after (mg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W: reeds | 0.20 | 0.12 | 4.8 | 5.7 |
| A: aeration | 0.21 | 0.20 | 4.7 | 6.8 |
| C: both | 0.20 | 0.11 | 4.9 | 7.3 |
| U: untreated | 0.19 | 0.19 | 4.8 | 4.2 |
Question 2
Use the lagoon trial described in Question 1. The researchers are particularly interested in whether the increase in dissolved oxygen in Group W occurred because the reed beds reduced phosphorus, which subsequently reduced algal decomposition. However, reed roots may also release small amounts of oxygen directly into surrounding water. Morning oxygen readings can additionally be affected by temperature, cloud cover and overnight wind. The original trial recorded only the before-and-after values shown and did not continuously measure algae or oxygen.
Question 3
A mobile health team must visit six towns—Arden, Brea, Clon, Doran, Elwick and Farren—once each from Monday to Saturday. Exactly one town is visited each day. The route must satisfy all of the following conditions. Arden is visited earlier in the week than Clon. Brea is visited immediately before Doran. Elwick is visited on neither Monday nor Saturday. Farren is visited exactly two days after Arden, with one visit between them. Clon is not visited on Friday. Because equipment is collected after the Doran visit, Farren must be visited later than Doran.
Question 4
Use the same six-town scheduling rules from Question 3, except that the coordinator adds one further requirement: Clon must be visited earlier in the week than Elwick. The condition that Elwick cannot be Saturday is withdrawn; all other original conditions remain. The coordinator wants to know whether the revised rules force any town onto a particular day.
Question 5
Researchers investigated whether restricting sleep affects reaction time. Sixty volunteers who normally slept seven to nine hours were randomly allocated to three laboratory groups for four nights. Group N had nine hours available for sleep each night; Group M had six hours; and Group R had four hours. Participants completed the same computer reaction test at 9 am on the morning before the first laboratory night and again after the fourth night. The table reports group averages. Participants knew their allotted sleep schedule, but the technician scoring the test did not. Caffeine was prohibited during the laboratory stay. Seven participants failed to complete the study: one from N, two from M and four from R. The published averages include only participants who completed both tests.
| Group | Completed | Before: reaction time (ms) | After: reaction time (ms) | After: errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N: 9 hours | 19 | 248 | 246 | 3.1 |
| M: 6 hours | 18 | 247 | 271 | 4.8 |
| R: 4 hours | 16 | 249 | 306 | 7.2 |
Question 6
Use the sleep-restriction study described in Question 5. A critic argues that analysing only participants who completed the study may exaggerate the apparent disadvantage of four hours' sleep. The researchers recorded the reason for withdrawal, but did not publish individual reaction-test results for those who left. All participants had completed the baseline test before allocation, and some completed interim tests before withdrawing.
Question 7
A city introduced a weekday charge for private cars entering its central zone between 7 am and 6 pm. Officials compared the twelve months after introduction with the preceding twelve months. Car entries fell from 100,000 to 78,000 per average weekday. Bus journeys into the zone rose from 42,000 to 51,000, and average bus travel time within the zone fell from 34 to 29 minutes. Retail card spending in the zone rose by 3%, compared with a 5% rise across the city as a whole. During the same period, two central streets were closed for construction, fuel prices rose by 12%, and the bus operator added 15% more peak-hour services. Officials concluded that the charge reduced congestion without damaging central retail activity.
Question 8
Use the city-centre transport information from Question 7. The council can fund one additional analysis. It wants the analysis that would do most to distinguish the effect of the entry charge from the effects of fuel prices, construction and the increase in bus services. Several neighbouring cities collect comparable daily transport data, but only one introduced an entry charge during this period.
Question 9
A Rellan process begins with any positive whole number. To obtain the next term, multiply all non-zero digits of the current term and add that product to the current term. Zero digits are ignored when forming the product. For example, after 204 comes 212 because 204 + (2 × 4) = 212; after 212 comes 216 because 212 + (2 × 1 × 2) = 216. A term may occasionally be reached from more than one earlier number. A number that cannot be reached from any smaller positive whole number can occur only if it is chosen as the starting term.
Question 10
Use the Rellan rule from Question 9: the next term equals the current whole number plus the product of its non-zero digits. To find whether 126 can be reached from a smaller number, only possible predecessors close enough to 126 need be tested. For a three-digit number near 126, the product added depends on all its non-zero digits; a zero contributes no factor and is ignored rather than making the product zero.
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Check your score to see how many you answered correctly. Your correct and incorrect selections will be marked, but worked explanations are available separately.
Official HPAT-Ireland information
Check the official ACER HPAT-Ireland website and the HPAT-Ireland Test Taker Information Booklet for the latest test structure, registration and test-day information.
These questions are independently produced practice material and are not official ACER questions. HPAT-Ireland is a registered trademark of ACER. NIE is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACER.