Biomedical Admissions Test

 General Information

BMAT (Biomedical Admissions Test) is an entry level exam into medical science programs in most universities all over the world. It is made up of questions acquiring aptitude, scientific knowledge and writing skills. Students have to pay a standard fee of £76 (approximately US$97.06) to sit for the two-hour test. Universities which require students to do BMAT include:

• University of Oxford Medical School
• University College London
• University of Cambridge
• Royal Veterinary College
• Leed's School of Medicine
• Imperial College London
• Brighton & Sussex Medical School (Graduate entry)
• University of Navarra (Spain)
• Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (Singapore)
• University of Leiden (Netherlands)
• University of Malaya (Malaysia)

International students wanting to pursue medical science programs in Brighton & Sussex Medical School exempted from sitting the BMAT. Universities use BMAT as part of the applicant interview process. The test scores go along with GCSE and UCAS. It is used to assess the applicant's skills and knowledge.

What Students Need to Do

Students wanting to get into medical science programs should check whether their institute requires BMAT. They need to register for the test and start preparation for it. Students have the choice of signing up for private tutorials, or they can study on their own. They can go through the past year papers to get a feel for the format and type of questions that are likely to be asked. Students can download the past year papers and sample papers from the internet. A lot of hard work is needed. Students need to stay focused and determined to get through with the test. They can also consult the senior students who have already been through BMAT.

How to Prepare and Crack for Exam

BMAT is not that easy to crack. It requires hard work. Students can go through practice papers. It is available online as well as in bookshops. The practice papers have been put together by an expert team. They have designed model questions with answers. Students can also take advantage of the detailed explanation on how to go about with the questions. With such resources, students can prepare anywhere at any time. All they need is determination. BMAT consists of three sections:

1.    Aptitude & Skills - there will be thirty-five questions, multiple choice or short answers with a time limit of an hour. It requires students to have an understanding and problem-solving skills. They also have to make assumptions and conclusions.

2.    Scientific Knowledge - in this section, there will be twenty-seven questions, multiple choice or short answers with a time limit of thirty minutes. The students have to apply scientific and mathematical knowledge.

3.    Writing - this section requires students to write an essay. They will be given the choice to attempt one question from the choice of four with the time limit of thirty minutes. Students have to explain, make suggestions and discuss.

Students should prepare in all aspects, skills, knowledge and organisation. They should be able to opinionate. They should be able to communicate well in English with fluency, good sentence structure and proper use of grammar. Examiners give scores on a scale of one to five.  They want to look at how the students solve a question, whether they are properly using their aptitude and skills. They want students to reason out and give in-depth explanations. The examiners look forward to good and well-argued answers. To crack the test, students should familiarise themselves with the format and type of questions. They should be aware of the type and style of questions in the three sections. Students can perfect themselves through past year papers and test specimen. The learning and preparation resources are available everywhere and accessible to students. They should take full advantage of it. They can also go through specific websites to get more information. Moreover, they need to stay in touch with their institutes to get to know the venue and timings of BMAT. Students should prepare in advance and get the hang of the test. Preparation requires a lot of time and concentration. They need at least a couple of months to prepare themselves thoroughly. A student cannot prepare for BMAT overnight. It is not easily achievable. They need guidance and a lot of practice. Overall, students need to be familiar with the type of questions so that on the day of the test, they will not be in for a shock. They can confidently prepare themselves with previous years papers and samples. Just a little more hard work and they are done.