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The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is an admissions test for applicants to Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical Science, and Dentistry courses at certain universities.
The test is divided into 3 sections: Thinking skills, Scientific Knowledge and Application, and Writing. Calculators are not permitted for all sections.
This section tests generic aptitude based skills often required for undergraduate study. This section has a total of 32 questions and is 60 minutes long. The questions are split equally between problem-solving or critical thinking based questions. Previous versions of the BMAT (prior to September 2020) also included data analysis and inference questions which have since been discontinued.
For the problem-solving questions, you will need to perform simple numeric operations, select relevant information, and identify similarity. Whereas for the critical thinking questions, you will be presented with a series of logical arguments and asked to evaluate these arguments by drawing conclusions, identifying assumptions, assessing the impact of additional evidence and detecting reasoning errors.
The purpose of this section is to test whether candidates have an appropriate level of core scientific knowledge and the ability to apply it. The content covered includes GCSE/IGCSE/O Level Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Usually, many candidates will be rusty in at least one of these subjects and it’d be helpful to revise general science concepts (upto age 16). This section has 27 questions and is 30 minutes long. There are 7 questions each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and 6 questions on Mathematics.
In this section, students are required to write an essay on a topic chosen from 3 options. The questions always have the same format: a proposition (a statement or quote) followed by some instructions on how to respond. You will be asked to explain the argument and its implication, generate a counter-argument, or reconcile two opposing views. The topics could be scientific or medicine-related but often aren’t. Your essay needs to be limited to one A4 page. You are assessed both for content, and your ability to communicate effectively in writing. You will have 30 minutes for this section.
| Section | Total Time | Number of Questions | Time/Question | Content/Skills Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinking Skills | 60 minutes | 32 | 112.5 seconds | Critical reasoning, problem-solving |
| Scientific Knowledge and Application | 30 minutes | 27 | 66.7 seconds | Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics knowledge and application, data interpretation |
| Writing | 30 minutes | 1 | 30 minutes for 1 essay | Writing skills, argument analysis |
Do remember that you can only apply to 4 medical schools as part of your 5 UCAS choices, taking the August test ensures you know your score before you apply. However, since some universities do not accept the August test results, do make sure you research beforehand and choose a test date accordingly. You wouldn’t want to miss the chance of attaining an admissions chance – be sure to check the university’s requirements before registering for the BMAT.
BMAT Registration Opens
1 September 2023
Deadline To Apply For Modified Papers
15 September 2023
Deadline for test centres to register candidates, the deadline to apply for Access Arrangements (e.g. extra time)
29 September 2023 at 18.00 (BST)
BMAT October Test Date
18 October 2023
Test Results Released
24 November 2023
Apart from being an entry requirement, BMAT gives you the chance to stand out from the crowd and show your potential to succeed on a demanding science-based university course.
It is a required test for the top medical schools like:
| Items | Time (mins) | |
|---|---|---|
| Aptitude and Skills | 35 | 60 |
| Problem Solving | 12 | 30 approx. |
| Understanding Argument | 10 | 15 approx. |
| Data Analysis & Inference | 12 | 15 approx. |
| Scientific Knowledge and Applications | 27 | 30 |
| Biology | 6-8 | 6 approx. |
| Chemistry | 6-8 | 8 approx. |
| Physics | 6-8 | 8 approx. |
| Mathematics | 5-7 | 6 approx. |
| 1 | 30 |
Questions in Sections 1 and 2 are worth 1 mark each. Total raw marks for each section are converted to BMAT’s scale, which runs from 1 (low) to 9 (high). Typical BMAT candidates will score around 5.0, roughly half marks. The best candidates will score around 6.0, and a few exceptional candidates will score higher than 7.0.
Writing Tasks in Section 3 are marked by two examiners. Each examiner gives two scores – one for quality of content (on a scale of 0–5), and one for quality of written English (on the scale A, C, E).
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