Preparation guide

We’re here to help you get ready to take BMAT. Read this guide for our top tips on how to prepare, information
about where to access our wide range of resources, and an overview of what’s in each section of the test.
There’s no need to pay for a course – you’ll find everything you need on our website for free!

How to get started with your BMAT preparation

1 Visit the BMAT website

The BMAT website provides a wide range of free resources to help you prepare for the test. Find everything
you need at admissionstesting.org/bmat-preparation

2 Watch our YouTube videos

Get advice from current medical students and our experts by watching our videos on YouTube.
youtube.com/admissionstesting

3 Download the BMAT test specification and practice papers

Reading through the specification and practice/past papers will give you a good understanding of the skills
BMAT assesses. It also offers you the opportunity to:

• familiarise yourself with the test format

• examine the content of each section
• get to know the different types of questions that you may be asked in each section
• review, with worked answers, how to approach the different question types.

4 Practise under test conditions

Remember, you will take BMAT in one sitting, within a time limit, with no breaks, and no calculator or
dictionary. So, once you are familiar with the format of the test and understand the different types of
questions, practise under similar conditions. Time yourself: this is REALLY important!

Our research and feedback from successful candidates show that practising under test conditions is
the best way to prepare. We advise doing this with two or three practice papers.

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Tips for each section

The following tips outline ways to get ready for the three sections of the test. Everyone has different
strengths and weaknesses, so only you can determine where you need to focus your preparation and how
long you need to spend on it.

Preparing for Section 1

Section 1: Thinking Skills

This section tests your ability to solve problems and think

32 multiple-choice
critically. No subject knowledge is needed and each question questions
contains all the information required to answer it.

Please note, from the 2020 test onwards, the format of this
section has changed slightly. Section 1 no longer contains data
analysis and inference questions, in which a longer text was 60 60 minutes

followed by a set of related questions. For further details, see

the BMAT test specification.

Familiarise yourself with the different types of question and think how best to approach them:

• Read the Section 1 question guide, which provides an explanation and worked example of the different
question types.
• Download the practice papers with explained answers from the website. Try these questions without
the answers, and then look through the explained answers to help you review your own work,
particularly where you had trouble with the questions.
• Look at more practice papers and, when you are ready, try doing some of them under test conditions.
• Pay attention to which questions you do well on and which you find difficult. Use that to develop your
strategy for sitting the test.

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Preparing for Section 2

Section 2: Scientific Knowledge and Applications

27 multiple-choice
This section tests your ability to solve problems by questions
applying the knowledge typically covered in non-specialist
school Science and Mathematics subjects by the age of 16
(for example, GCSE in the UK and IGCSE internationally).
30 30 minutes

While the topics and knowledge required are at a level typically covered in school, the questions require you to
demonstrate your understanding by applying your knowledge to scientific problems. For this reason, you need
to revise your Science and Mathematics and familiarise yourself with how the questions get you to apply
that knowledge.

To help you understand the scientific knowledge that BMAT assesses, use:

• the BMAT test specification, which lists the topics that you may be tested on
• the BMAT Section 2 guide. This online revision guide covers the scientific and mathematical knowledge
that Section 2 questions draw on.

Much of the content will have been covered in your school-based study of Biology, Chemistry, Physics
and Mathematics. However, you may find some gaps in your knowledge, so use these resources to plan
your revision.

Familiarise yourself with the way Section 2 tests your application of scientific knowledge:

• Download the practice papers with explained answers from the website. Try these questions without
the answers, and then look through the explained answers to help you review your own work,
particularly where you had trouble with the questions.
• Look at more practice papers and, when you are ready, try doing some of them under test conditions.
• Mark your answers, and then review where you have gaps in your knowledge. Revise these areas
using the BMAT Section 2 guide or your own books.

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Preparing for Section 3

Section 3: Writing Task

This section assesses your ability to communicate effectively

1 short writing task
in writing, organise your ideas, and present them clearly and from a choice of 3
concisely, supporting them with evidence. You are required
to write a short essay in 30 minutes (one A4 page or up to
550 words).

This task requires you to use skills you have already gained 30 30 minutes

from your school work and have used in any report writing
you may have done on your current courses.

You choose to answer any one of the three questions, which are on a general, scientific or medical theme.
Select the question that most interests you, and for which you feel you can write the best essay. Do not
feel obliged to answer the medical question just because you are applying for Medicine.

The questions always have the same format: a proposition (a statement or quote) – e.g. ‘There is money
to be made from not curing disease.’ – followed by some instructions on how to respond.

The instructions will typically require you to explain your understanding of the statement, argue for or
against the statement, and then explain your view and come to a conclusion.

Please note, from 2010 to 2016, Section 3 had a choice of four questions. From 2017 onwards it has
a choice of three.

Practise considering both sides of an issue:

• Practise analysing different opinions and giving arguments for and against different viewpoints. Do
this with articles or news stories you read, and get used to expressing your views about them – maybe by
noting down your thoughts, then thinking about the reasons you have for holding your views.
• You will use many of the same skills that are assessed in Section 1 questions, such as drawing conclusions,
strengthening an argument, and finding flaws in opposing arguments. Sometimes presenting an
argument for a view you disagree with can help you find the weaknesses in your own arguments or help
you to justify your own view.
• You might also find it helpful to do some wider reading on a variety of subjects, particularly ethics or
the nature of science, and current debates in Medicine.

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Find out how long it will take you to write your essay:

• Try answering one of the questions from a practice paper and time how long this takes. This will help
you establish how much time you will need to write your essay, and how long you can take to plan it out.

Familiarise yourself with the question format:

• Download the practice papers with sample responses from the website; these include marks and
comments from examiners.
• Download more practice papers and the marking criteria, and practise writing some essays under
timed conditions. This will give you a good idea of how to approach the question. You may find it helpful
to ask a teacher or a friend to take a look at what you have written and give you feedback. You could also
put your essay to one side for a few days and then look at it again yourself, alongside the marking criteria.

Hear advice from the experts:

• Watch our Section 3 videos where BMAT markers provide an overview of Section 3 and tips on
preparing for Section 3 and writing your essay.
On test day

• You are NOT allowed to use a calculator or dictionary.

• You can make written notes to work out your answers and to plan your Section 3 essay.
• Each section has a time limit. You cannot use any time from one section to work on other sections.

Section 1 and Section 2

There is an element of time pressure in BMAT; however, you should try to answer all the questions.

If you get stuck on a question in Sections 1 and 2, move on to another question and come back to it later.

If you are not sure of an answer and are running out of time, choose whichever option you think is most likely.
There is no negative marking – marks are not lost for wrong answers, so it’s worth making a guess.

Section 3

Planning your essay is essential, as you have limited space for writing it (one A4 page or up to 550 words). This
will help you structure your essay and keep you on topic.

Make sure your essay has a clear structure in which you explain the question, present some discussion, and come
to a conclusion.

If you include facts, make sure they are correct and support your argument. If you use examples or quotes,
keep them short. You have a limited space for your whole essay, and you cannot go beyond that.

Answer every aspect of the question. If you do not address all parts of the question, your essay will not be able to
score a 3 or higher for content.

Towards the end of the test, take a minute to look over your essay and ask yourself:

• Have you addressed all parts of the question in a relevant way?

• Have you organised your thoughts clearly?
• Have you used your general knowledge and opinions appropriately?
• Have you considered other viewpoints and counter-arguments, and justified your opinions?

GOOD
LUCK!

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