BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)

Section 1
Problem Solving Guide

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 BMAT Section 1 - Problem Solving

Overview
In one BMAT exam, there will be approximately ​16 ​questions that will test your ability to solve
problems.

These questions may test your ability to:

● Understand and process numerical information.
● Encode information
● Use simple ​numerical ​and ​algebraic equations​ to solve problems.

In these questions numerical information or spatial information will be given to you and you will
be required to:
● Select relevant information
● Recognise similar cases
● Determine and apply appropriate procedures

Common Questions

● Comparison:
○ Time​ - clocks, who reaches somewhere first/the fastest
○ Money​ - who makes the most/least, how much he/she should sell an item for,
how much more expensive/cheap is it, profit, cheapest/most expensive
○ How much ​more/less ​money/time someone takes/makes
○ Recipe​ questions
○ Journeys
○ Percentages
○ Quantities - ratios/percentages

● Spatial:
○ Seating​ arrangements
○ Measurements ​- gardens, boxes, shapes, materials
○ Shapes - which shape will fit/

● Speed, Distance, Time:

○ Time ​difference​ - clocks, countries
○ Time someone should ​leave/arrive
○ How long​ it takes to get to a certain place, make a certain amount of money

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 ● Logic
○ Pins
○ Voting
○ Safe combinations
○ Passwords
○ Pie charts
○ Data/information in a table

● Shape/abstract reasoning
○ Dice
○ Nets
○ Puzzle pieces
○ 3d shapes
○ Tiles
○ Visual problems

● Ratios and percentages

○ Recipes
○ Mixtures of paint

● Shapes/3d shapes
○ Visual problems
○ Nets - identifying 3d sides
○ Shapes - identifying 3d sides

Some questions may involve a ​combination ​of the things listed above. For example, you may
need to work out the area of a shape, and then calculate how much materials would cost for that
area.

Problem solving questions can also be presented in ‘sets’ where you are given ​lots of
information​, and then asked ​multiple questions​ relating to that information. You need to be
able to understand which information you need to use when in your workings, to get to the end
answer.

Due to the ​variety​ of problem solving questions and the amount of working you have, it is
important to understand exactly what each question is asking you. As with all questions in the
BMAT exam, taking some time to read the question​ carefully​ and ​understand it​, can ​save you
time​ and ​prevent unnecessary calculations.

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How to approach questions

General Approach

1. Read the question:

a. Read the question ​carefully​.
b. Highlight​ key information such as keywords, statistics and rules.
c. If there is a diagram, pay attention to the ​headings, units ​and ​numbers​.

2. Think about the question:

a. Try to ​identify the question type ​from the types of common questions outlined
above. You need to work out which main block of questions from above the
question you are answering is about. Then identify a subtype, for example if it is
a comparison question, is it about money or time?
b. If you feel like the question ​doesn’t fit​ into any of the common topics mentioned
above pick out ​certain themes or pieces of information ​in the question to
logically approach your workings.
c. Pay attention​ to the ​key details ​of a question. For example, in a question about
money, you should pay attention to ​what you need to calculate​; it could be the
total cost, the profit made, the loss made or how much more/less is costs..
d. Using the information that you have highlighted, try to ​understand ​what the
question is ​telling you, ​and what it is ​asking you to work out.
e. If the question involves a set of rules, make sure that you ​keep all the rules in
mind.​ A good way to do this is to ​underline/highlight​ the rules and make sure
you ​test each rule ​until you get to one that doesn’t fit.

3. Work out the answer:

a. After reading the question, you may find that you immediately see a ​method ​you
can use to work out the answer.
b. If this is not the case, you can ​eliminate incorrect answer options​ when you
cannot think of a better approach to a question, this will enable you to ​narrow
down​ the options you have to choose from. Elimination is actually the best
approach for certain questions, as is discussed below.
c. Although it is essential to work quickly in the BMAT exam, it is important to ​keep
your workings clear. ​This will help you to ​avoid confusion​.
d. Since you can ​not​ use a calculator in the exam, you will often need to perform
long multiplication/division. Make sure you practice this so that you are
comfortable with it. In your calculations, ensure that you pay attention to where to
put the ​decimal point​.

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 e. If you can see that the ​answer options are very different​ to each other, then
you can ​round the numbers ​you are using in long multiplication/division. This
will make calculations slightly easier and save you some time.

4. Picking the right answer:

a. After calculating the right answer, or eliminating incorrect answers, select an
answer option.
b. Be careful of ​trap answer options ​which may seem like the right answer. Trap
answer options include any options that may be thought to be correct if the
question or answer options are misread. For example, you may find out the total
cost of something, but the question actually asks you how much​ more ​it costs
than something else. An answer option may be the total cost of the item; it is
there to catch students out.
c. Read the question again ​to make sure you have worked out what the question
is asking you and to​ avoid ​trap answer options

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Approach for ‘comparison’ questions

Comparison questions can require a ​lot of thought and many calculations​, and some may
have answer options that are​ very similar​. Therefore, it is particularly important to ​highlight
exactly what you need to work out, and then use a ​clear, systematic and logical approach ​in
your workings.

Often, you are required to work out ​two things​ in order to​ compare them.
➔ To avoid confusion, if it is possible to do so, it is best to ​completely separate​ the two
calculations.
➔ You can write down all of the information required for one calculation, perform that
calculation and then repeat this with the second calculation.
➔ Then, you can simply compare the final results.

We will demonstrate this in the example on the next page.

Worked example - Time

1 ​Bob and Jill need to go to the same meeting in Ireland. They live in different places and
are travelling to the meeting separately. Bob needs to drive to the airport which is 220
miles from his house and Bob drives at an average speed of 40 mph. Bob then gets a
plane which travels at 480 mph and the plane needs to travel for 552 miles to get to the
airport in Ireland. The meeting is 51 minutes from the airport. Jill is going to drive for 390
miles at an average speed of 60 mph and then take a ferry that will travel at 30 mph for
45 miles. The meeting is only 5 minutes away from where the ferry stops.

Assuming Bob spent 50 minutes in total entering and leaving the airports, who reaches
the meeting first and how much earlier than the other person?

A​ Bob, 15 minutes earlier

B ​Jill, 15 minutes earlier
C ​Bob, 31 minutes earlier
D ​Bob, 35 minutes earlier
E ​Jill, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier

As explained above, a good approach to this question is working out​ Bob’s journey time first,
and ​then Jill’s. ​Make sure you clearly mark which is which in your calculations, even if only by
writing ‘J’ or ‘B’.

For any questions involving time, speed or distance, you should recall the following equation:
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 speed = distance ÷ time

Bob’s journey:

Firstly, identify all the information related to Bob’s journey:

● Drives to the airport at an average speed of ​40 mph​ for ​220 miles​.
● Boards a plane that travels at an average speed of ​480 mph​ for ​552 miles​.
● Bob spent 50 minutes entering and leaving the airport.
● The meeting is ​51 minutes​ away from the airport.

Now, we can start calculating Bob’s journey time. It is useful to ​write down ​which part of the
journey you are calculating as you go along.

Time to ​airport:
S = 40 mph
D = 220 miles
40 = 220 ÷ T
40T = 220
T = 220 ÷ 40
T = 5.5
T = 5 hours and 30 minutes

Therefore it takes Bob ​5 hours and 30 minutes​ to drive to the airport.

Plane ​journey​:
S = 480 mph
D = 552 miles
480 = 552 ÷ T
480T = 552
T = 552 ÷ 480
T = 1.15
T = 1.15 × 60
T = 69 minutes
T = 1 hour and 9 minutes
Therefore Bob’s plane journey is ​1 hour and 9 minutes.

Time spent entering and leaving the airport:

We need to remember that at the end of the question, we are told to assume that Bob spent ​50
minutes ​entering and leaving the airport. We need to take this time into account as it will
increase the time it takes for him to get to the wedding.

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Drive ​to venue:
We need to remember that the question mentions the meeting is ​51 minutes​ away from the
airport.

You may find it useful to highlight all of the times in your workings, by circling or underlining
them. This will make it easier to find them when you need to add them up.

Total journey time:

T ime to airport + time spend at the airport + time of plane journey + time f rom airport to meeting = T otal journey time
5 hours and 30 minutes + 50 minutes + 1 hour and 9 minutes + 51 minutes = 7 hours and 30 minutes
Therefore it takes Bob a total of ​8 hours and 20 minutes ​to get to the meeting.

Jill’s journey:

First, identify all of information needed to calculate Jill’s journey time:

● Jill drives for ​390 miles​ at ​60 mph​.
● Ferry travels at ​30 mph​ for ​45 miles​.
● The meeting is ​5 minutes​ away from where the ferry stops.

Driving ​time​:
S = 60 mph
D = 390 miles
60 = 390 ÷ T
60T = 390
T = 390 ÷ 60
T = 6.5
T = 6 hours and 30 minutes
Therefore Jill drives for ​6 hours and 30 minutes.

Ferry ​journey time:

S = 30 mph
D = 45 miles
S =D÷T
30 = 45 ÷ T
30T = 45
T = 45 ÷ 30
T = 1.5
T = 1 hour and 30 minutes

Therefore Jill's journey on the Ferry will take ​1 hour and 30 minutes.

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Time ​to venue:
Again, we need to remember that the question mentions the meeting is ​5 minutes​ away from
where the ferry stops.

Total journey time:

T ime spent driving + time on f erry + time f rom where f erry stops to meeting = T otal journey time
6 hours and 30 minutes + 1 hour and 30 minutes + 5 minutes = 8 hours and 5 minutes
Therefore, it takes Jill a total of ​8 hours and 5 minutes ​to get to the meeting.

After doing your calculations, it is good practice to check ​exactly ​what the question is asking
you. This will help you identify the correct answer from the answer options. For example, the
question may ask who reaches the meeting ​first ​and at ​what time​, or it may ask who ​reaches
last ​and ​how much later​.

In this case, the question asks who reaches the meeting ​first ​and ​how much earlier​ than the
other person:
It took ​Bob 8 hours and 20 minutes​ to get to the meeting and ​Jill took 8 hours and 5
minutes​ to get to the meeting. Therefore Bob arrives at the meeting first.

In order to answer the question completely you also need to find out ​how much earlier ​Bob
reaches the meeting compared to Jill:
8 hours and 5 minutes − 8 hours and 20 minutes = 15 minutes

Therefore the correct answer option is ​A​, as ​Bob reaches first and 15 minutes earlier than
Jill.

Be careful of ‘​trap answers’​:​ answers can often ​seem correct​ if you have ​miscalculated
slightly, ​rounded inappropriately​ or ​missed part of the information in the question.

For example, ​option C​ says that Bob reaches the meeting first. Although this is correct, it says
that he reaches 1 hour and 21 minutes earlier. This answer would be obtained if we had
forgotten to include the times taken from the airport or ferry to the meeting:

Bob’s journey time:

5 hours and 30 minutes + 50 minutes + 1 hour and 9 minutes = 7 hours and 29 minutes
Jill’s journey time:
6 hours and 30 minutes + 1 hour and 30 minutes = 8 hours

How much earlier Bob arrives than Jill:

8 hours − 7 hours and 29 minutes = 31 minutes

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Option D is another trap answer option. It says that Bob arrives earlier, and this is correct.

Exam Tip​ ​- Keeping your workings clear and organised will help you avoid making
mistakes.

Worked example - Money

With questions about money, pay attention to the cost of each item. Usually, there are many
different items mentioned in one question. You may find it useful to write a brief summary of the
items and their costs as you read the question information.

2 ​Anjali wants to buy a particular skirt. She goes shopping and sees that the skirt is only
available in two shops. Shop A and shop B both have a deal on the skirt that Anjali wants.
Anjali only has £40 and wants to spend as little as she can. In shop A, if you buy the skirt
with a top you get a 10% discount from the total price. The top costs £12 and the skirt
costs £3 more than the top. In shop B, if you buy the skirt with a necklace you get 15% off
the total price. The skirt costs the same price as in shop A, and the necklace is the same
price as the skirt.

From which shop should Anjali buy the skirt if she wants to spend the least money and
how much money would she save from her £40?

A Shop B, saves £14.50

B Shop B, saves £15.70
C Shop A, saves £15.70
D Shop B, Saves £19.60
E Shop A, saves £24.30

Again, we will work out this question in two separate parts. First, we will work out the amount
Anjali will spend in shop A and then in shop B.

Shop A

We are told that the top costs ​£12​ and the skirt costs ​£3 more​:
12 + 3 = 15
Therefore the skirt costs ​£15​ in shop A.

We are told that if you buy a skirt and top you get ​10% off the total price.​ To calculate this, we
first need to find out the total cost that Anjali will spend if she buys the deal in shop A.

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Total cost​ in shop A:

12 + 15 = 27
10
27 × 100 = 2.70
27 − 2.70 = 24.30
It will cost Anjali​ £24.30 ​in shop A.

Shop B:

We are told that the skirt in shop B is the ​same price as the skirt in shop A​. We worked this
out to be ​£15.​ We are told that the​ necklace also costs the same as the skirt​:

Cost of skirt in shop B: £15

Cost of necklace in shop B: £15

We are also told that buying a skirt and a necklace, gives you ​15% off the total price.

Total cost​ in shop B:

15 + 15 = 30
15
30 × 100 = 4.50
30 − 4.50 = 25.50

Therefore it will cost Anjali ​£25.50​ in shop B.

From our workings we can see that ​shop A is where Anjali will spend the least amount, ​as
she will only spend ​£24.30 ​compared to £25.50 in shop B.

The question also asks us ​how much she would save from her £40:
40 − 24.30 = 15.70
Anjali will ​save £15.70​ from her £40.

This is option C; Anjali will spend the least at shop A and she will save £15.70 from her £40.

Exam Tip​ ​- You need to be careful with ​trap answer options. ​To avoid these, you
should make sure you ​know exactly what the question is asking, try to think
through each question​ in steps ​and ​take care​ when doing calculations.

In this question, answer ​options B and E are trap answers​:

● B: It is possible to confuse shop A with shop B during calculations. Option B contains
the correct amount of money saved from £40 (£15.70), but the wrong shop.
● E: The shop that is cheapest is correct (shop A), but the amount of money is wrong.
£24.30 is the total amount that it will cost Anjali to buy the skirt and top in shop A,
rather than the amount she will save from her £40.
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Worked example - Difference

3 ​Beth and Rahul both make a lemonade stand. Beth buys 72 cups. Rahul buys 70 cups.
Beth and Rahul sell lots of lemonade, both using approximately 90% of their own cups.
Beth sells each cup for 40p and Rahul sells each cup for 41p.

Who made the most money and how much more?

A​ Beth, £26 more

B ​Rahul, £25.83 more
C ​Rahul, £0.23 more
D ​Beth, £0.17 more
E ​Rahul, £0.17 more

Again, we will do our calculations in two ​parts. ​We will work out how much money Beth makes,
then how much Rahul makes, and then we can work out the difference.

Beth:

We are told that Beth ​sells 90%​ of her cups ​(72) ​at ​40p each. ​We need to work out how many
cups Beth sells and how much she makes from selling them.

Number of cups Beth sells:

90
72 × 100 = 64.8
Therefore Beth sells ​65 cups. ​The answer is rounded to 65 since you cannot sell 0.8 of a cup.

Amount of money Beth makes:

65 × 0.40 = £26

Rahul:

We are told that Rahul ​sells 90%​ of his cups ​(70) ​at ​41p each.

Number of cups Rahul sells:

90
70 × 100 = 63
Therefore Rahul sells ​63 cups ​at ​41p each.

Amount of money Rahul makes:

63 × 0.41 = £25.83

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The question asks us to work out who makes the ​most money and how much more. ​From our
workings we can tell that Beth makes more money than Rahul:
£26 − £25.83 = £0.17

Beth makes ​17p more​ than Rahul. Therefore the correct answer option is ​D.

Exam Tip​ ​- This question also has​ trap answer options.

A: ​This says that Beth makes £26 more. From our workings we can see that Beth
makes £26 in total, not £26 more.

C: ​This says that Rahul makes the most and by £0.23. You would obtain this answer
by rounding the cups of lemonade Beth sells down to 64. However, 64.8 should be
rounded up to 65.

E:​ Many questions will have an answer option with the right numerical answer but the
name of the wrong person. So that you do not confuse names like this, it is good to
keep clear workings with labels indicating what they calculate.

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‘Speed, Distance, Time’ questions

For these questions, you must be able to recall and use the equation:
speed = distance ÷ time

These questions often involve many different distances, times and speeds, and can be
presented in a large variety of ways. As always, it is important to clearly read the question and
understand exactly what it is asking you to do. Then, think through each step of any calculations
carefully, and check the question again before you choose an answer.

Worked example - Time difference, clocks and countries

4 ​ aris is one hour ahead of London. When the time in London is 4:18pm, a clock in Paris
P
stopped working. It stopped for 19 minutes and when it was restarted, the time was reset to
the correct time in Paris. 786 minutes after the clock in Paris broke down, it was checked
again.

What time does the clock in Paris now show?

A​ 6:24 am
B ​6:24 pm
C ​6:37 am
D ​6:43 pm
E ​6:43 am

There are often a lot of details in questions relating to time. You may find it beneficial to ​rewrite
or ​highlight ​the ​important information​ so that you can see it more clearly.

In this question the key pieces of information are:

● London clock shows ​4:18pm​.
● Paris’ ​clock broke down for ​19 minutes​ and was then ​reset ​to the correct time.
● 786 minutes​ passed until the clocks were checked again.

The question asks us to find out what time the​ Paris clock​ shows when it is checked 786
minutes after it was reset.

Firstly, we need to find out the time on the clock ​before ​the 786 minutes pass.
We are told that Paris is ​one hour ahead​ of London, so we need to ​add one hour​ to the time
shown in the clock in London.
Then, since the clock ​was reset​, we need to ​add the 19 minutes ​for which the clock in Paris
was broken down. ​Remember that when a clock is reset, it will start to display the actual time.

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Time on clock in Paris before the 786 minutes pass:
T ime in London clock + 1 hour time dif f erence + 19 minutes = time in P aris clock bef ore 786 minutes
4 : 18pm + 1 hour + 19 minutes = 5 : 37pm

Next, we need to calculate the time on the clock in Paris after 786 minutes. When calculating
time changes like this, you should always convert minutes into hours and minutes, by dividing
the minutes by 60. This makes time calculations much easier.
786 minutes = 13 hours and 6 minutes
5 : 37 pm + 13 hours 6 minutes = 06 : 43am

Therefore the correct answer option is ​E.

Exam Tip​ ​- In clock questions, ​there are certain details that you should look out for
particularly, as they will alter the correct answer:
● The ​time difference​, and which way around it is.
● Amount of time a clock is​ ​broken down for.
● If a clock has been ​reset again ​or not.
● Check which clock the question is asking about.
● Pay attention to am/pm.

Worked example - Time someone should leave/arrive/travel

5 ​Rachel works at the hospital and needs to arrive at a restaurant for her husband's surprise
party at 8pm. Rachel wants 1 hour to get ready at the restaurant before her husband
arrives at 8pm. Rachel will drive from the hospital to the restaurant, since the hospital is
between her house and the restaurant. Rachel’s work is 12 miles from her house and the
restaurant is 30 miles from her house. Rachel leaves work at 6:48pm and she drives to
the restaurant with an average speed of 40mph.

How long will Rachel have to get ready and what time should she have left to have one
hour to get ready before her husband arrives at 8pm?

A 45 minutes, 6:15pm
B 1 hour, 6:27pm
C 45 minutes, 6:33pm
D 1 hour, 6:48pm
E 30 minutes​, ​7:00pm

In questions like this, be ​careful with distances. ​Questions often do ​not ​give you the distances
you need for your calculations, but distances that enable you to ​calculate the distances you
need.​ This is demonstrated on the next page.
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First, we need to work out the distance from Rachel's​ work to the restaurant.

We are told that the distance from ​Rachel’s house to her work is 12 miles ​and the distance
from her​ house to the restaurant is 30 miles.​ When given information like this, you may find it
beneficial to draw a quick diagram:

In the question we are told that Rachel is​ at work,​ and leaves at ​6:48pm​ to drive to the
restaurant. We are ​not​ told what the distance from her work to the restaurant is; we have to
work it out using the information given.

Distance from ​work to the restaurant:

30 − 12 = 18 miles

We now need to work the ​time ​it takes for Rachel to get from her work to the restaurant. We
need to use the equation S = D ÷ T ( speed = distance ÷ time ). ​It is important to remember to
check the​ units​ when using equations. For example, we are told that the average speed Rachel
drives is at ​40mph.​ Therefore we need to make sure the ​distance is in miles​ and be aware
that the time we will calculate will be in hours. To get this in minutes, we will multiply by 60.

Time it takes Rachel to get from ​work to the restaurant​:

S = 40mph
D = 18 miles
40 = 18 ÷ T
40T = 18
T = 18 ÷ 40
T = 0.45
T = 0.45 × 60
T = 27 minutes

Time Rachel arrives at the restaurant:

6 : 48 pm + 27 minutes = 7 : 15pm

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Rachel’s husband will arrive at 8pm. If she leaves at 6:48pm, the​ ​amount of time Rachel will
have get ready is:
8 : 00 pm − 7 : 15 pm = 45 minutes

We can see that there are only 2 answer options containing 45 minutes for Rachel to get ready:
option A and option C.

Lastly, we need to work out what time Rachel should have left to have ​1 hour ​to get ready.
We have just worked out that she has 45 minutes to get ready if she leaves at 6:48 pm. This
means she has ​15 minutes less​ to get ready​ compared to the 1 hour she wanted.​ Therefore,
Rachel needs to ​leave 15 minutes earlier:
6 : 48 − 15 minutes = 6 : 33pm

Therefore the correct answer option is ​C​, as Rachel has ​45 minutes​ to get ready when she
leaves work at 6:48 pm and she should have left at ​6:33pm​ to have one hour to get ready.

In this ​question ​we were asked to work out how long Rachel has to get ready as well as what
time she should have left to have one hour to get ready. Therefore we need to work out two
things. It is good practice to keep what you are working out in mind, by ​highlighting what the
question is asking​ and ​double checking​ that you have worked out the right thing before
selecting your answer.

Exam Tip​ ​- As mentioned previously, it is very important to read questions ​carefully

and ​highlight ​key information. This will help you perform the correct calculations and
avoid trap answer options.

In this question, option A is a trap answer. It would be obtained by incorrectly thinking

that 30 miles is the distance between Rachel’s work and the restaurant, rather than
the distance from Rachel’s​ house to the restaurant.

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‘Spatial’ questions

Worked example - seating arrangements

6 ​A group of 6 people go to a meeting and sit in specific arrangement during this meeting.
Chris and Eve work together and want to sit next to each other. Everyone sits next to
someone of the opposite gender. People sat next to each other do not have the same
number of letters in their name and they do not have the same letters in their names.

Which of these show the sitting arrangement of the meeting?

A​ Jimmy, Eve, Buck, Selena, Todd, Larah

B ​Jimmy Eve, Larah, Buck, Selena, Todd
C ​Jimmy, Larah, Buck, Eve, Todd, Selena
D ​Selena, Todd, Eve, Jimmy, Buck, Larah
E ​Selena, Jimmy, Eve, Buck, Larah, Todd

Spatial arrangement questions often contain many rules that need to be followed, and many
similar answer options. This can make them seem confusing. Therefore, it is important to have a
logical and methodical approach to such questions.

It is a good idea to ​highlight ​or ​write out​ each of the rules as you read the question. Then you
can ​go through each option​ and ​test each rule ​that is mentioned in the question.

When checking an answer option, if you find ​one rule that isn’t followed,​ you can immediately
eliminate ​that option; you ​do not ​need to continue to check it. You do not need to find all errors
in an answer option, as ​one is enough to make it incorrect.

For this question, the key points that we need to remember are:
1. Chris and Eve work together and want to sit next to each other.
2. Everyone sits next to someone of the opposite gender.
3. No one sitting next to each other has the same number of letters in their names.
4. No one sitting next to each other has the same letter in their names.

We will now test each option to see if they follow the rules in the question.

Option A​:
1. Jimmy and Eve are sat next to each other.
2. Everyone is sat next to someone of the opposite gender.
3. It is important to realise that the first and last people in the list (Jimmy and Larah) will be
sitting next to each other. Larah and Jimmy have 5 letters in their names, meaning this
option does not follow rule 3. ​Therefore option A is wrong.

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Option B​:
1. Jimmy and Eve are sat next to each other.
2. Eve and Larah are sat next to each other and they are of the same gender.
Therefore option B is wrong.

Option C​:
1. Eve and Jimmy are not sat next to each other. Therefore we do not need to test any
more rules. ​Option C is wrong.

Option D​:
1. Eve and Jimmy are sat next to each other.
2. Jimmy and Buck are sat next to each other and they are both boys. Also as Larah and
Selena are sat next to each other and they are both girls.Since rule 2 is not followed,
option D is wrong.

Option E​: In the exam, after eliminating the first 4 options you would know that E is the right
answer. However, it is good practice to check every answer option as this reduces your chances
of making a mistake.
1. Jimmy and Eve are sat next to each other.
2. Everyone is sat next to someone of the opposite gender.
3. No one sat next to each other has the same number of letters in their name.
4. Lastly the fourth rule is also followed as no one sat next to each other has the same
letters in their names. ​Therefore option E is correct.

Exam Tip 1​ ​- Spatial questions require ​clear and logical thinking.​ Take care when
checking each option and ​try not to miss ​out any rules when testing each option.

Exam Tip 2​ ​- Another method for testing rules is to ​take each rule in turn ​and check
each answer option. For example, take rule 1 and check all answer options to see if
this rule is followed. Immediately eliminate any answers where it is not.

You may find this method more logical to you. We recommend that you try both
methods when you practice questions and see which works best for you.

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