BMAT Comprehensive Guide
2022
We have produced a comprehensive UCAT Guide for prospective students and parents, specifically written for 2022 entry! The guide covers everything you need to know about the exam, as per official UCAT guidance, and is produced by expert UCAT tutors with may years of experience.
Score-enhancing techniques
Timing strategies
Tips for achieving top marks
Preparation resources
In this guide, we answer the following questions:
2) Which universities require the BMAT exam?
3) Who needs to sit the BMAT exam?
4) Where does the BMAT exam take place?
6) How to register and book a date for the BMAT exam?
9) What is the structure of the BMAT exam?
11) How is the BMAT exam scored?
12) How to prepare for the BMAT?
What is the BMAT exam?
The BMAT - Biomedical Admissions Test - is an entrance exam required by 9 out of 44 medical schools in the UK. It is a 2-hour exam divided into 3 sections, designed to test your ability to apply Maths and Scientific knowledge; it also tests critical thinking, problem-solving and essay-writing skills.
The 3 sections of the BMAT are:
1. Thinking skills
2. Scientific knowledge and application
3. Essay writing
The total marks from the exam get converted into a score-scale, which runs from 1 (low) to 9 (high). Only exceptional candidates will be able to score above 7.0. The essay (section 3) is marked from 0 to 5 for the content, and A to E for the quality of written English. So overall, your result will be 2 numbers for the first two sections, and a number and letter for section 3 e.g. 5A.
The BMAT exam tests a combination of aptitude and knowledge - the official guidance is that the exam tests GCSE level of knowledge, so in theory, students are generally expected to have already acquired this level of knowledge through school work. However, in reality, students sitting the BMAT exam would need to put some time into brushing up on their knowledge and work hard for the exam, which we at Medic Master can help with!
Which universities require the BMAT exam?
The BMAT is only required by 9 out of 37 Medical Schools in the UK. This means, depending on your university choices, you may not need to sit the BMAT at all. The following universities require the BMAT exam:
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Brighton and Sussex Medical School
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University of Cambridge
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Imperial College London
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Keele University (International School Leavers only)
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Lancaster University
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Leed's School of Medicine
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University of Oxford
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University College London
Who needs to sit the BMAT exam?
Anyone applying to study Medicine is any of the above universities needs to sit the BMAT exam – there are no exceptions to this.
Some universities ask for the UCAT instead of the BMAT, and so if you also apply to those universities, so depending on your combinatin of university choices you may not need to sit the BMAt, or you may need to sit both the BMAT and UCAT exams. E.g. applying for Imperial, Kings, Cardiff and Nottingham – then you need to sit both the UCAT and BMAT in order to meet the criteria for all universities; however, if you apply for Kings' College London, Nottingham Univeristy, Cardiff University and Barts Medical school then you do not need to sit the BMAT exam, and only need to sit the UCAT.
Where does the BMAT exam take place?
The BMAT exam will take place at a centre authorised to run the test, which is often your school or college - be sure to check this with your school's teachers/exams organisers. If your school does not run the test, they can apply to arrange the test for you. If they do not wish to do this, then you can sit the test at an authorised test centre.
What is the date of the BMAT exam?
In 2022, the BMAT exam will take place on 2nd November 2022.
In the past, there were two test dates - in September and November. However, for 2022, there is only one test date, which is 2nd November 2022.
How to register and book a date for the BMAT exam?
It is not possible to register your self for the BMAT exam - you have to register as a candidate with your school/test centre. Be sure to arrange with your school in advance and confirm that they will register you as a candidate for the exam. The important dates for the BMAT process this year:
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1st September 2022 - registration opens for the BMAT exam, as mentioned earlier your official test centre (most likely your school) will register on your behalf.
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15th October 2022 - registration closes.
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2nd November 2022 - BMAT exam!
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26th November 2022 - BMAT results released.
How much is the BMAT exam?
The cost of the BMAT exam is £61/€71 within the UK and the EU.
Outside the UK and the EU, the cost of the test is £92/€108/$126.
How long is the BMAT exam?
The BMAT exam lasts for 2 hours.
The exam is one sitting, and all students will start each section at the same time. There are no breaks between each section. You cannot use the allocated time of one section in order to go to another section e.g. once you start section 2, you cannot use the time in section 2 to go back to section 1 or move ahead to section 3.
What is the structure of the BMAT exam?
The BMAT exam is split into 3 sections, as follows:
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BMAT Section 1: Problem solving and Critical Thinking
The first section of the exam focuses on thinking skills - it is composed of 32 questions, and you have 60 minutes to answer them. With each question, you will be presented with a passage of text or information in the form of a table/graph/diagram, and you will be required to read or interpret this, and answer questions using your problem-solving and data analysis skills. The questions are all multiple choice.
Section 1 is composed of 32 questions (16 problem-solving questions and 16 critical thinking questions). This section lasts for 60 minutes.
2. BMAT Section 2: GCSE level Science and Maths knowledge questions
Section 2 of the exam tests your knowledge of Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics - all at GCSE level. The questions are designed to test your GCSE-level Maths and Science knowledge, with the section split equally between the 4 subjects - i.e. 7 questions per topic. Unlike Section 1, this section does test your pre-existing knowledge, but only up to GCSE level.
This section is composed of 27 multiple-choice questions and lasts for 30 minutes.
3. BMAT Section 3: Essay writing
Section 3 is an essay writing component. It tests your ability to formulate well-developed ideas and communicating them effectively. You will have a choice of 4 essay topics to choose from, based on a quote or a statement. The essay is only one side of an A4 sheet of paper.
This section lasts for 30 minutes, in which you choose an essay topic (out of choice of 3) to write about. The maximum you can write is one A4 page.
How is the BMAT exam scored?
For the first 2 sections of the exam, each question is worth 1 mark. The total mark for each section is converted into a BMAT scale between 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest). The average candidate scores around 5.0 (equivalent to roughly 50% of the marks) per section. The best performing candidates will score above 7.0. You will get two scale scores, one for each section.
For section 3, the essay will be marked on two aspects; the first is the content of the essay (on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)); this will be based on how well your arguments are formed, the number of valid points made, the use of examples etc. The second aspect is the quality of written English language in terms of grammar, use of paragraphs, sentence structures; this aspect will be given a score A (highest) - E (lowest). So, overall, you will get a score for your essay in terms of a number and a letter e.g. the highest possible score is 5A.
Note - for section 3, two examiners will mark your essay and you your score will be an average of their two scores. If there is a large difference in the marks given by the two examiners, then a third senior examiner will mark your essay.
When will I receive my BMAT result?
The BMAT exam result will be released on the 26th November 2022 via the Meritests booking system - you will get your login details for this via your test centre on the day of the exam. Your result will be automatically sent to your universities - you do not need to do this. Importantly, you will not know your BMAT score, or even have sat the exam, when you submit your UCAS application. Therefore to apply strategically, we recommend only applying to one BMAT university.
How to prepare for the BMAT?
The BMAT test requires more preparation than the UCAT as section 2 tests your science and maths knowledge, on top of the critical thinking and problem solving assessed in section 1.
The best way to prepare is to start early! We recommend starting preparation in the summer break prior to starting year 12. We have a wide range of resources available for you to study from:
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1 day BMAT crash courses
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1-1 private BMAT tutoring
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BMAT Essay marking by expert tutors
All of our courses and private tutoring are taught by expert tutors with multiple years of experience!