2017 HOAE

[RNYYB, BSN]

Hello,

I thought I would post an update on the HOAE exam since I have taken it this year. None of the current study guides available online were of any use. I studied all week and didn't find any of them helpful.

The test itself was divided up into 5 parts. The total time for the test was about 2 hours. The five parts were spelling, reading comprehension, academic aptitude, general science, and a career aptitude section.

Reading comprehension was a straightforward section, spelling focused on advanced medical terms, so if you want to be prepared you should focus on medical equipment, conditions, treatments, and processes. General science was a bit difficult because many answers sounded correct and none of the material was what I was told to study (like grade 8 science). To prepare for it would be difficult, it doesn't seem to be covering any particular grade of science, just a whole knowledge base of science.

Academic aptitude was the closest to what I found available online, but it was a mishmash of questions with images asking what is next in the sequence, choose the odd word out, math, and science. The math was the most different from what I studied. Because there is no calculator allowed I focused on basic math skills like algebra and fractions and metric conversions. The math questions on the exam were beyond my current abilities when put against a clock without a calculator. They were not the straightforward math questions in the guide but entirely problem-solving questions mostly involving fractions, geometry, and algebra. You would need to be very quick with mathematical problem-solving to have time to do these questions. The last section was just: agree/ disagree for career aptitude. It was straightforward.

Structurally the test lets you choose what section you want to start at, and when you begin a section it starts a countdown clock in the corner for that section. You can't switch between sections once you have chosen one, but you can switch between questions. The test mentioned that if you complete a section with time remaining you could use that time on other sections, but I didn't see that happen. Either I took too long or the function didn't seem to be available. Once you are done the test is digitally submitted. You are given no mark and must email the school for your HOAE test results.

Best of luck to everyone!