BMAT Exam for Medicine

Medicine is ultra-competitive and amongst the various admission demands are the UCAT and BMAT tests.

These are by far the most popular choices of admission test amongst medical schools across the UK and are designed to test various areas of your thinking skills, medical knowledge and clinical aptitude. It doesn’t end there, though, as many universities now have their own admissions tests. It all seems very daunting and many students really fear these 2-hour exams that will take place in addition to their A-Levels.

The BMAT is an exam that prospective medical students are required to do to apply to specific universities. The following UK universities require the BMAT admissions test:

Brighton and Sussex Medical School: A100 Medicine

Imperial College London: A100 Medicine

Keele University for international students: A100 Medicine

Lancaster University: A100 Medicine and Surgery, A104 Medicine & Surgery with a Gateway Year

University of Manchester Medical School for some international students: A106 MBChB Medicine, A104 MBChB Medicine (with foundation year)

University College London: A100 Medicine

University of Cambridge: A100 Medicine

University of Leeds: A100 Medicine, A101 Gateway Year to Medicine, A200 Dentistry

University of Oxford: A100 Medicine, A101 Graduate Medicine, BC98 Biomedical Sciences.

The BMAT is a 3-section assessment. The first section is a multiple-choice section about Thinking Skills, the second section is a multiple choice about Scientific Knowledge and Application, and the third section is a written task.

The BMAT exam is different from usual school exams that you prepare for and from the other medical school admissions test UCAT. Your preparation strategy is likely to be very different purely due to the difference in the content of the exam.

The organising body for BMAT has provided plenty of practice and revision material to prepare for the exam. The first step to preparing for the exam is to read the specification and Section 2 preparation guide provided on the website thoroughly. The BMAT specification details the types of questions and the content of the exam. The guide has focused revision material for each section in the specification. There are several past papers that are available to practice from too, and you should pace these out over time. Unlike for the UCAT exam, the preparation for this exam is likely to be in parallel with school studies, so starting preparation early is key.

Thinking Skills is the first of three papers, and tests problem solving and critical thinking skills. From September 2020 onwards, Section 1 no longer contains data analysis and inference questions so bear this in mind when looking at past papers.

Why are Thinking Skills important?

Being able to read information critically is an important part of being a doctor and a medical student. Identifying relevant information, comparing data presented in different ways, and analysing the strength of an argument based on the reasoning and evidence presented are key skills for reading scientific articles and engaging with medical research. Finding a logical solution to a problem is also a useful skill to have in many aspects of clinical practice.

What is the format of the Thinking Skills sub-test?

Thinking skills questions are multiple-choice, with five options to choose from where only one answer is correct. There are 32 multiple choice questions, with 60 minutes to complete them. Of the 32 questions, there are 16 problem-solving questions and 16 critical thinking questions.

Problem-solving questions

There are three main themes of problem-solving questions:

Relavant selection
Finding procedure
Identifying similarity

Most questions fit into one of the themes, whereas some questions can be a mix of two or three of the themes.

Relevant section

Questions that involve relevant selection are testing the candidate’s ability to identify the useful information amongst distracting or unimportant information. The questions are often set out as a passage or table, asking the candidate a specific question that focuses on some of the information provided. Sometimes the answer is in the text or table without much need for calculations, while if the question also involves finding procedures there may be maths skills required.

For these types of questions, identifying the main objection of the question can be useful so that you can select the relevant information.

Finding procedures

This aspect of problem solving involves creating a solution to a problem, usually with mathematical skills. These types of questions are often not mathematically difficult, but instead test logical reasoning. There is often a logical solution that can be found if you think through the question carefully, so if you are getting stuck on these questions try to see if there is a simpler way to solve the problem.

Identifying similarity

These questions ask you to identify similarities between data represented in different ways, for example in a chart and a table. These questions often involve simple calculations, and it can be useful to be familiar with reading simple graphs such as bar charts and pie charts.

Critical Thinking questions

The critical thinking questions test the candidate’s ability to analyse an argument. For this section, it is helpful to get to grips with the basic structure of an argument. An argument is made up of reasons that support a conclusion. Some arguments may also have assumptions, crucial parts of an argument that are not explicitly stated. The critical thinking questions test a candidate’s understanding and evaluation of an argument based on this basic structure.

Preparation advice

While the maths skills required for these sections are not complex, performing quick calculations can save you time so that you can focus on the logical problem solving that the questions demand. Mental maths practice can be useful for improving the calculations required under a time pressure, particularly focusing on percentage operations, simple fractions, calculating means and calculations involving time or money. And remember, there’s no calculator!

For the critical thinking questions, a tip would be to find the main conclusion of the argument for all questions. This makes finding assumptions, flaws, principles or reasons much easier. If you can identify the reasons, that would also help in evaluating the argument. With these questions, it helps to read a lot of questions to get a feel for what an argument is and how they are structured, with argument structures often becoming more familiar the more you practice.

Section 2 tests your knowledge and understanding of basic concepts of science and maths that you have learned at your GCSE stage. While the topics are the same, the way that they are tested are slightly different and require you to take a different approach when it comes to its preparation.

Why is Scientific Knowledge and Application important?

Having a thorough understanding of basic concepts in science and maths are essential to form the basis to build your medical knowledge on. The principles introduced in chemistry, biology and physics will form the basis of your knowledge of physiology. The thinking skills involved in manipulating maths questions to find a solution are a good indication of problem-solving abilities.

What is the format of the Scientific Knowledge and Application sub-test?

There are 27 questions to be completed in 30 minutes. There are 7 questions for each of the sciences: biology, chemistry and maths, and 6 questions for maths.

All the questions are multiple choice, and you don’t lose marks for wrong answers so make sure to attempt each of them. No calculators are allowed. There is a specification that details the assumed knowledge that you are expected to know. Note that some sections of the specification that are not tested in the current exam are marked with a red asterisk in the past papers.

Preparation advice

The first step to prepare for this section is to read the Assumed Knowledge Specification. Read each of the sections to identify areas of strength and weakness. After identifying areas that you are less confident with, review them using the BMAT Section 2 guide and supplement it with your GCSE resources if you are struggling. The BMAT preparation guide goes through the specification and provides revision questions that encourages thought as would be relevant for BMAT.

The approach that you take to answering each question influences the speed at which you answer a question. For any question, try to find your own answer first and compare to the options given. Use the process of elimination if you are unsure and it seems strategic for the question. The process of elimination is often more useful for science questions than for maths questions, as being able to identify whether a few statements are true or false are helpful in narrowing down the choices to a fewer number of options.

All in all, Section 2 for BMAT is best prepared for by practising from past papers under timed conditions and reflecting on your results to improve gradually.

Why is the Writing Task important?

This writing task can feel like a daunting prospect and the temptation is to try and learn everything there is to know about every hot topic in healthcare! Although it is useful to have some background knowledge, this task is not examining how many facts you can write. In fact, the BMAT website specifically states that section 3 is not a knowledge test. The writing task is designed to assess your ability to develop ideas, create balanced arguments and to present your thoughts concisely under a time-pressure.

In a medical career you will be presented with many new situations that you will need to appraise with a logical and balanced approach. This section is assessing your thought process and how you construct an argument much in the same way that you will be asked to do in a medical interview. It’s all great practice!

What is the format of the Writing Task?

Although often referred to as the essay section, you actually have only 550 words so it may be helpful to think of this more as three or four paragraphs.

You are given 30 minutes to complete this task. Although this sounds pretty tight, it is not a long piece of writing so do not rush. Take the time to plan out your answer before you begin writing.

Questions

You will be given a choice of three questions and you will pick just one to answer.

Each question begins with a statement or quote. It will then have a few sentences with sub-questions or directions on what to include in your essay. You are almost always asked to firstly explain the meaning of the statement. Here is an example taken from the BMAT website:

‘It is ridiculous to treat the living body as a mechanism.’ Explain what this statement means. Argue to the contrary. To what extent do you think this apparent contradiction can be resolved?

Marking

Unlike the other two sections, this part of the BMAT is scored using a number from 1-5 and a letter from A-E. The following marking guidance has been sourced from the official BMAT website.

Each candidate’s work is marked by two examiners who will give a number score for the content and a letter grade for the quality of the candidate’s written English. The marks given by the two examiners are then averaged. For example, if one examiner gives your quality of content a 4, and the other gives a 5, then your score will be 4.5

For the quality of writing, examiners only have three grade brackets to assign – A, C or E. The grades B and D can only be given as a result of averaging. For example, if one examiner gives you an A, the other gives a C, then your grade will be a B.

Quality of Content

The top score for this component is a 5. Examiners are looking for answers which cover all aspects of the question, give well-constructed arguments and counterarguments and come to a strong conclusion.

Quality of Written English

The top score for this component is an A. To achieve this, you will need to use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar (although a couple of slips will not harm your grade). The examiners are looking for answers that flow well with appropriate sentence structure. This is why planning what you will write before you begin is so important!

Exam technique

In contrast to sections 1 and 2, this task is not very time pressured. You have 30 mins and it will only take you 10-15 mins to fill the page so first take the time to pick your question carefully and plan your answer.

There is only one answer sheet and you do not want to waste that space with crossings-out. Do not be tempted to pick a question that appears to be more difficult to be impressive – the examiner is looking for how well you can consider an argument and present your thoughts, and the choice of question is not important to them so pick something you have the most ideas for!

Ensure you cover every part of the question detailed underneath the statement. If a part is neglected, then the maximum score the examiners can give is a 2. Usually the first requirement is to explain the statement you are given. You should do this by defining the key terms in one or two sentences at the beginning of your essay, to show you understand what the statement is expressing and why this is important.

Preparation

Make sure you are aware of the current legal position in the UK for key ethical topics such as abortion and euthanasia.

Most ethical dilemmas in medicine do not have a straight answer and people will have varied opinions – this task is looking at whether you can appreciate the different sides of an argument. There are however some key principles used in medical ethics considerations. I would recommend you have an understanding of these principles as they make great buzzwords and will help you consider your answer.

The four pillars of medical ethics:

BENEFICENCE
NON-MALEFICENCE
JUSTICE
AUTONOMY

Also consider the effects of the statement and your arguments to different groups – what are
the implications to individuals, their families and the wider healthcare system/economy?

One of the challenges about the BMAT is that the test is taken after the UCAS deadline. This can make it difficult to know where to apply when the scores are not published until after candidates have made their choices about university applications. There are ways to apply strategically which can help with this situation.

For a start, it is wise to have at least one UCAT medical school application so that if the BMAT does not go well you still have another chance. It is advisable to apply to at least one medical school which you think you have a strong chance of getting an interview at, and that you would be happy to go to if you received an offer. Have a look at the ways different medical schools decide who to invite to interview in order to find which medical school you feel most confident about getting into.

Many medical schools publish the way in which they decide which candidates to interview and give offers to, and the next stage is to decide which BMAT universities you want to apply for. The BMAT score is more highly weighted in the application process for some medical schools than others, so if you are applying to more than one BMAT university it might be a good idea to apply to one with a slightly lower weighting or cutoff score if you are also thinking about applying to one with a higher weighting or cutoff. This forms another safety net, increasing your chances of getting an interview or offer.

It is important to know the other aspects of your application that BMAT universities are looking for. For example, if a university uses GCSE grades and the BMAT to decide who to invite to interview, this would be a good university to apply for if you have particularly strong GCSEs. In contrast, if a medical school focuses more on the personal statement and the BMAT, it would be worth putting a lot of effort into making sure your personal statement matches the requirements for that medical school.

A takeaway about applying strategically is to order your medical schools into most likely to least likely to get into, and to make sure you have a mixture of both likely and less likely. This way you can aim high in your applications, as well as have a better chance at getting into at least one medical school.

BMAT Exam for Medicine

Medicine is ultra-competitive and amongst the various admission demands are the UCAT and BMAT tests.

Why are Thinking Skills important?

What is the format of the Thinking Skills sub-test?

Critical Thinking questions

Preparation advice

Why is Scientific Knowledge and Application important?

What is the format of the Scientific Knowledge and Application sub-test?

Preparation advice

Why is the Writing Task important?

What is the format of the Writing Task?

Preparation

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